While lunching at Hong Lim Complex one afternoon, I noticed a queue forming outside what seemed like a bakery from afar. Being the typical (curious) Singaporean – I found myself gravitating towards the store without giving a further thought…

Turns out it is the famous Barcook Bakery! I have heard about this bakery but have never tasted the buns myself.

Barcook @ Hong Lim Complex is the original store which opened its doors in May 2008. Following the success of this joint, they further expanded to The Central, OUB Centre and most recently – OG Albert Complex. Each outlet boasts distinctly different decor that is intended to suit the district/location. Personally, I like the old-school/heartlandish style of the outlet at Hong Lim Complex.

With the wide array of options lined up – I had a tough time deciding which buns to choose. Fortunately, I was still feeling very full from lunch…else, I would probably have bought one of everything! After much internal struggle, I made 2 selections…

 
[Left] Cheese & Raisin ($1.30) – This is their famous signature flavor that sells like hot cakes buns! The bread itself was very soft and spongy, with generous amounts of cream cheese filling. Note that the bun tastes best when eaten immediately (I was unwise to leave my half-eaten bun till hours later).
[Right] Chocolate Chip ($1.50) – Anything chocolate never fails to draw my attention so it is no surprise I chose this as my second option. Nothing special except that the bread was nicely soft and spongy, too.

The texture of the bread reminds me of the old-school buns that I used to buy from the neighbourhood bakeries when I was young. I noticed the main difference lies in the bread dough which is much less dense than the bread of the modern bakeries.

Overall, I understand the hype (and the queues). However, cream cheese bun is really not my thing so you will probably not find me queuing more than 5-10 minutes for these.

Barcook Bakery
Tel: Refer to website for contact number of respective outlets
Opening Hours: Monday thru Friday, 8am to 7pm, Sat Sun & PH, 8am to 5pm
Add: Refer to website for address of respective outlets
Spend: $2.80