TOUS les JOURS (Bukit Pasoh)

Tous Les Jours have made their presence in Singapore for quite a while by now — these folks have opened their very first location within Singapore at Northpoint City some time back in 2023, and it seems that they are already on a plan to expand its operations within Singapore. For those whom are not aware about the brand, Tous Les Jours is a South Korean bakery brand with a global presence — their first location within South Korea being in Guri; the brand being one that serves up French-Asian inspired baked goods and beverages, though these days they seem to be better known for being endorsed by South Korean actor Kim Soo-hyun. Their second outlet in Singapore is located within a shophouse unit at the junction of Neil Road and Bukit Pasoh Road — a rather easy-to-spot location that is also within walking distance from Outram Park MRT Station. Considering how the outlet at Outram Park is situated within its own shophouse unit rather than that of an aisle-side space within a shopping mall much like its Northpoint City location, the space comes decked in a warm and welcoming interior that features metallic and wooden elements — the front of the space is dedicated for the retail of their various breads and bakes, while the counter is situated at the end of the space where one can also find the display chiller stocked with the various cakes and chilled bakes. Dine-in seating are available both indoors and outdoors, with the seating available outdoors being restricted to high tables with a view of Bukit Pasoh Road; the indoor seating dine-in space is lined alongside the windows of the space — all of them being tables that are suited for diners in groups of two (2) pax. Available at Tous Les Jours would be a variety of breads, danishes and loaves that one can pick up at the self-service area, as well as the cakes that are stocked within the display fridge at the counter; there are also a number of savoury croissant sandwiches that one can pick up from a separate display chiller while there is also a variety of espresso-based specialty coffee, tea and others and frappes that are available for beverages too.

Going for a number of their offerings during our visit there, we went for the Rich Almond Croissant — it is noted that there is only a very limited variety of items if one is to make their visit during weekday evenings around dinner hours. The Rich Almond Croissant is being described on the description card to come filled with special almond cream, sweet meringue cream and almond slices — there is indeed quite a fair bit of difference between the Rich Almond Croissant that Tous Les Jours serves up as compared to the typical almond croissant that one will typically find at other establishments. Sinking our teeth into the Rich Almond Croissant, we noticed how the sweet meringue cream is immensely light and fluffy; adds on to the light, crisp and flaky croissant that sits beneath it. The meringue does carry a slight nutty note that one would typically expect out of almond frangipane; we also do suspect that the special almond cream as described on the menu is also spread between the insides of the croissant since there is a similar note of flavours that one could detect from within as well. The almond slices does add a bit of a contrast of textures with its usual crunch, while the croissant still carried a buttery note that was pretty fragrant.

During the same visit, we had also managed to try the Red Bean Manju Pie. This is a relatively small-sized pie that is described on the menu to come with Tous Les Jours’ signature premium red bean paste. The pastry does come a little similar to that of a puff pastry with sugar crystals coated above it; the pastry being all light and flaky with the sugar crystals adding a bit of a slight crunch that further enhanced those textures. The Red Bean Manju Pie comes well-filled with red bean paste within; the red bean paste was pretty dense and wasn’t too sweet — works as a pretty decently-sized snack option for those whom aren’t intending to have anything too heavy at Tous Les Jours. We also managed to give the Cornet a go — there are actually (2) variants of the Cornet that Tous Les Jours has to offer; one being the usual Cornet and the other being the Choco Cornet. The former comes with sweet custard cream, while the latter comes with sweet chocolate cream; we went for the former. Featuring quite almost the same pastry as what the Red Bean Manju Pie came with, the pastry also does comes with a sugar-crusted exterior though the pastry is also significantly more soft and limp due to the refrigeration that the pastry has been through. That being said, the Cornet is still well-filled with sweet custard cream within that oozes out as one takes a bite into it; very smooth, creamy and luscious to say the least.

The Cafe Latte is unfortunately not quite the cuppa that we are looking for; one that seems to come served at a slightly higher temperature than normal with the espresso shot being a tad burnt — the microfoam of the Cafe Latte was also frothed a little too dense and is definitely one that is slightly inferior when compared to that of the same served at other specialty coffee joints. There are still quite a number of offerings at Tous Les Jours that we haven’t gave a go — this also includes quite a number of its signature offerings as well. Given how we had only tried a limited number of its offerings, we do feel that they do fare better in the danishes which are intended to be served as-is as compared to the chilled pastries; we definitely preferred the Rich Almond Croissant over the other items that they have to offer, and there is certainly quite a bit of room for improvement when it comes to their espresso-based specialty coffee offerings as well. There are definitely better indie-run bakeries within the Bukit Pasoh area — think names such as that of Bakers Bench Bakery that would serve more artisanal bakes with more finesse as compared to Tous Les Jours, though we can definitely see how cafe-hoppers will be excited to check Tous Les Jours out as well.