Champion: Hong Kong Bo Lo Bao Cafe in Singapore

When I left Hong Kong five years ago in mid-2017, I never expected that it would be 2022 and I still have not been back to visit yet. :( It used to be so easy, jetting between Hong Kong and Singapore once (sometimes twice) a year, before well, everything happened. In addition to protests and a still ongoing pandemic, a lot has been going in the last five years and I simply did not have the space to travel.

When the pandemic settles down further (or ends!) and when Hong Kong lifts its quarantine rule, you bet that’s going to be my first flight from Singapore. In the meantime, I’m thankful that Singapore has plenty of Hong Kong eateries, a “little Hong Kong” in Jurong Point haha and even egg waffle shops to tide me over until I’m able to be back in Hong Kong.

Last year, a very popular cafe specialising in the humble Hong Kong bo lo bao 菠蘿包 (pronounced bor lor bao in Cantonese and translates to pineapple bun in English) opened in Singapore! The cafe announced that it would serve Hong Kong milk tea and coffee too! I had to go of course, but I absolutely dislike queuing for anything and since I heard the queues were taking an hour or more, I decided to wait for a weekday when I could pop by.

On the topic of pineapple buns, I am a huge fan of the simple bun and have been eating them all my life! I’ve been eating these buns across Hong Kong and Singapore and they’re my favourite Hong Kong snack, together with the egg waffle 雞蛋仔 (see my post here!). I’m happy that the bun is enjoying so much popularity in Singapore these days, but the prices are always higher here. 

If you wish to know more about the bo lo bun, I’m sharing an article about it here, a fun read! https://hongkongfp.com/2017/10/05/dont-mess-hong-kongs-bo-lo-bao/ 

Back to the cafe! Honestly, I’m surprised that a cafe focused solely on just one type of Hong Kong bun (and drinks) launched an entire brick and mortar store, but at the same time, I’m happy that the owner/business put so much passion into a humble thing and elevated it via a pretty cafe in Tanjong Pagar in central Singapore. 

I think my Hong Kong friends might laugh at me for spending HK$60 on one pineapple bun and a cup of HK milk tea but hey, considering this is a cafe in the city centre and considering cafe prices in Singapore, spending about S$10 is okay, right? ;)

Overall, I’d give this cafe 8/10. Great bo lo baos, excellent HK coffee, very good HK milk tea, a pretty (but relatively small) cafe setting and kind staff.

I went to this cafe with my HK family of course. :) Our order included the classic bolo bun and mini bolo bun (S$4.50 each), which is basically the same thing, just in different size portions. This is your standard bo lo bao 菠蘿包, but it comes in a square shape. We also got the classic bolo bun with butter (S$5), which is 菠蘿油 and of course, HK milk tea and coffee as well (S$5.50 for hot, S$6 for iced)! We shared the same verdict: expensive but good buns and drinks and my sister and I were happy to enjoy a taste of the city we once got to call home. :)