It is indeed an honour for the young chef to lead the Chin Mee Chin pastry team, who recalls how as a young child, her family would visit the bakery every weekend and would feast on their signature eggs and kaya toast for breakfast. “It was so ingrained into our routine,” she notes, adding that the bakery has been an important part of “our social fabric of, not only for me and my family but also for other families”.

That said, Ngooi admits that there is a lot of pressure in taking on such a well-loved and iconic brand. “The expectations are high from the legions of loyal customers anticipating the relaunch,” she shares, which is why they want to preserve the traditional baking techniques and original flavours that regulars have come to love. At the same time, they want to cater to a new generation of diners by complementing the signature bakes with contemporary offerings.

See also: A Taste of Home: Asia’s Best Pastry Chef 2021 Angela Lai on Her Foodie Favourites in Singapore

Alongside classics such as kaya toast, custard puffs, luncheon meat buns and Swiss rolls crafted following the original recipes, Ngooi will also offer the likes of peanut butter and chocolate tart, comprising a brownie crust layered with a cheesecake and brownie butter, and cheesecake brownie. Apart from these, she will also reintroduce Pang Susi, a Eurasian delicacy of pillowy bun stuffed with aromatic minced meat that was also part of the Chin Mee Chin menu a couple of years ago.

Chin Mee Chin | 204 East Coast Road, Singapore 428903