La Grigne Patisserie Asian

For those whom are frequently around the Central Business District especially in the Chinatown / Maxwell area, perhaps the mention of La Grigne Patisserie may ring a bell to some. These folks have recently opened a second outlet away from the central of the island — they had found home within the basement of One@Kent Ridge within NUH Medical Center that is connected to Kent Ridge MRT Station on the Circle Line. Their second outlet is actually branded as a La Grigne Patisserie Asian location; they are situated right beside Salad Crunch there. Unlike their very first location situated along Erskine Road, their Kent Ridge outlet is one that features dine-in seating; this is a departure from how they used to operate as a takeaway establishment at Maxwell. La Grigne Patisserie Asian is still relatively simply decorated to say the least; the interior still featuring grey elements matched with white fittings just like how their Maxwell outlet was being set-up. The display case for the various breads and bakes that they have to offer is separated out from the beverage counter; the beverage counter being set-up perpendicular to the main counter where all the breads and bakes are displayed. Dine-in seating comprises of usual dining tables and chairs which are configured to accommodate groups of up to four (4) pax, with the tables being easily moved around to cater to smaller or larger groups. It does seem that La Grigne Patisserie Asian offers a wider selection of breads and bakes as compared to the original location of La Grigne Patisserie at Maxwell; apart from offering a variety of danishes, muffins and focaccias, they also do offer a line-up of buns as well that are closer to what one would typically find in a neighbourhood bakery. With La Grigne Patisserie Asian being a dine-in eatery, they have also introduced a new beverage menu that comprises of various Nanyang-style Kopi & Teh, Milo, Chinese Tea and canned beverages — just to name a few.

Wanting to go for a savoury item, the Spicy Crabby Croissant was one of the items that had caught our attention whilst we were skimming through the display case to see what La Grigne Patisserie Asian had to offer. The description card placed in front of the item in the display case describes the Spicy Crabby Croissant to feature elements such as Japanese snow crab sticks, sriracha sauce and mayonnaise. Sinking our teeth into the croissant, we did find that the danish itself was well-made and pretty fresh even; the danish coming with a light, crispy and flaky consistency on the exterior, all that whilst the interior is light, airy and fluffy with a slight tension to pull apart being just aptly buttery at the same time. Being a stuffed croissant, the insides were filled with strips of shredded Surimi that has been drenched with sriracha mayonnaise; the sriracha adding quite a punchy kick of spiciness and an umami factor to the danish. One of the items that La Grigne Patisserie had been quite notable for would be the Chocolate Lava Muffin — the aesthetic of the muffins at La Grigne Patisserie being quite atypical of muffins that we have encountered at other establishments with the entire look being rather similar to a Cruffin instead. It wouldn’t be wrong to call the Chocolate Lava Muffin massive considering its size; it is also noted that the Chocolate Lava Muffin here does come suitably dense, though also not quite as greasy as what one would typically expect out of a muffin. This would probably appeal to chocolate lovers more; the inclusion of chocolate did not cause the entire muffin to feel overly sweet; we do reckon there also isn’t much of molten lava effect if one has the muffin as-is without heating it up — the chocolate core mostly existing as the ganache that reaches somewhere slightly within the muffin, while one can also find specks of chocolate chips within the muffin itself.

The Kopi was quite a decent brew — we weren’t expecting much out of the Nanyang-style Kopi being brewed at La Grigne Patisserie considering how these folks are primarily at bakery but it did seem that a lot of effort had went towards mastering the craft here; their Kopi providing quite a caffeinated kick whilst sufficiently sweet from the condensed milk to provide the balance. La Grigne Patisserie has been a name that is pretty much an underdog within the local F&B scene here — these folks do seem to have its own loyal following since the days that they are located in Maxwell, though it does seem that the only thing they had been in their way to gain the extra exposure that they need would be in the lack of dine-in facilities — making them a less preferred choice for those whom are wanting to look for a spot to stop by and enjoy a sweet treat while at it. We are glad to say that La Grigne Patisserie Asian has managed to maintain the consistency that is being served up in the creations at La Grigne Patisserie at Maxwell; all that whilst also suitably expanding its offerings to compliment the existing items that they already serve up — on whilst being in line with how they branded this particular location. We do think that they are able to attract a wider audience considering how Kent Ridge is totally different area from that of Chinatown / Maxwell — especially given the affordability of their bakes. For those whom have yet to give La Grigne Patisserie a go, La Grigne Patisserje Asian is a place that one should add to their list of places to check out soon.