Seng Choong Confectionery at Tanjong Pagar Railway Station

Something is brewing at the old railway station at Tanjong Pagar, and it is only on for a very limited amount of time. In fact, it is only on for 2 weeks until 12 August, which means by the time you read this, you should be making your way there already.

So, what is so special about this event? Well, it is a revival of the Seng Choong Confectionery brand, albeit for a short period. Seng Choong was a classic name in baked goods the 60s and 70s, and the son of the owner, Daniel Tay is the founder of Bakerzin, a favorite haunt for a lot of us.

Daniel is bringing back classic pastries and desserts for this couple of weeks as a tribute to his father's original business, and boy, are we lucky to savor this, even for a short time.

Daniel is so committed to ensuring the flavors and quality are so precise that he even imported special tools and ingredients from China to make the desserts!

Delicious Apple Pie

The mini apple pie was something that was absolutely gorgeous. Made with 2 different types of fresh apples, the fillings were something to be savored. Felt like the best homemade apple pies but just in a smaller package. 

The pastry was beautiful, just flaky enough and right amount of buttery textures without being too overpowering and just the perfect foil for the citrusy apples.

Rock Buns

Rock buns are a British tea time staple, and I assume it was made in the 60s as part of tradition of carrying on some of our British colonial habits back then, but here, it is dutifully replicated in all its original splendor.

A beautiful pastry again, and with the combination of dried fruits, this would be a perfect companion to a delicious brew of Earl Grey.

Bean Curd Skin with Gingko, Red Bean Paste and Peanut Paste

Next, a trio of warm desserts greeted us like a reunion of old friends. First up was a combination of bean curd skin and gingko nuts, and it was delightfully refreshing and full of crunch and textures.

The red bean paste was sensuously smooth and what stood out was the orange peel used. Unlike most other variants of this dessert, the peel used here is a special 15 year old orange peel, which elicited a very subtle citrus flavor and not as bold as the regular ones.

This left a very tantalizing aftertaste that really gave a fine balance to the sweetness to the red bean paste. Undoubtedly, one of the best red bean pastes that I have ever come across.

But I was even more astounded by the peanut paste, and remembering how good this used to taste in the good old days of Chinatown, this version blew even those classic ones away.

It was so smooth that it felt more like a cream anglaise with its custard like texture. Yet, the aromatic peanut flavors came through strikingly and mixed with some nice caramelization, the overall combination of flavors were just amazing!

Ham Chim Peng (Chinese Doughnut)

Ham Chim Peng, otherwise known as a Chinese doughnut, was also done in a very peculiar shape here. It looked more delectable than the usual ones you find in hawker centers, and it certainly tasted much better.

Less doughy, and less chewy, it had a nice hint of savoriness mixed with some crisp crust on the outside. I can imagine dunking this into a warm bowl of soya bean just to bring out the flavors even better.

The Story Behind Seng Choong

Unfortunately, all these incredible desserts and pastries will not last beyond the following week, so I urge you all to make a trip to the rustic old railway station to savor these while you can.

It is unlikely you will get to see these beauties anytime soon after this ends, and who knows how long before someone like Daniel will be doing something similar of this calibre again.

Seng Choong Confectionery

Tanjong Pagar Railway Station 

Next to the Hermes Exhibition