Fine Dining Bakery by Akira .M – New Bakery Cafe at UE Square

Fine Dining Bakery by Akira .M is a new bakery cafe in UE Square. Opened by Bakery Chef Akira, who had worked at Joël Robuchon and Béni, Fine Dining Bakery specializes in handcrafted bread baked on the premises using quality Hokkaido flours.

Fine Dining Bakery in UE Square

Fine Dining Bakery by Akira .M is located in the retail units of UE Square facing Mohammed Sultan Road, a few doors away from Ippudo ramen restaurant. Part of the space houses the bakery with impressive looking ovens and equipment. The other portion of the place is where there is a retail counter and a few tables that can seat about 15. The bakery cafe has the Japanese minimalist aesthetic with white walls, light wood and rattan furniture.

One might be tempted to think that the name of the bakery cafe is just another one of those cute English names of Japanese shops. However, the name is a nod to the experience and background of the French-trained Japanese baker chef Akira – who worked in Michelin starred Joël Robuchon Singapore, the fine dining restaurant with an impressive bread cart of premium French pastries and bread. You may notice that some of the bread of Fine Dining Bakery look similar to those you would find in Joël Robuchon’s bread cart. Chef Akira was with Béni, another Michelin starred fine dining restaurant, before the opening of the new Fine Dining Bakery.

The bakery has a wide range of bread including white bread, sourdough and baguette. It even has special baguette for white wine and a baguette for red wine.

Bakery Cafe Menu

Most of the customers of Fine Dining Bakery buy their bread and pastries to take away. For those who like to eat in the cafe, there is a simple menu offering sandwiches, salad and soup. They also serve hot and cold beverages as well as beer and wine.

Lunch at Fine Dining Bakery Cafe

We visited the new bakery cafe for lunch and ordered the Selected Bread Set with Ham ($16.80), Fluffy Shokupan Sandwich ($8.50), Soup & Salad (set ($6), Cappuccino ($4.50) and Long Black ($4). There is no GST or service charge. Order and payment were made at the counter. Food and drinks would be served to the table.

The coffee and soup were served after a very short wait. Iced water was also served. The pumpkin soup came in a glass bowl. It looked pretty and was delicious.

The Selected Bread Set, with soup and salad included, was a basket of a variety of bread with ham, cheese, butter, avocado and honey. There was not a single piece of bread in the basket which we did not like but the ones that really impressed were the sun-dried tomato bun, the walnut bread and the simple white bread. It was very interesting to try to mix and match the various bread with different toppings.

The Fluffy Shokupan Sandwich looked simple – white bread with egg salad filling – but it was really enjoyable. The white bread was nothing but simple. It was really soft and fluffy and slightly sweet. We were told that the Fluffy Shokupan (White Bread) was one of the signature items of the bakery. The ingredients include honey and cream to give the bread its special texture.

We were so impressed with the Fluffy Shokupan that we bought a loaf ($9.50) to take home.

A Hidden Gem

The small cosy bakery cafe by Chef Akira opened with little fanfare in April 2019. However, it seems to have become very popular, especially with the Japanese community in Singapore. There is no doubt that the bakery offers quality bread and the cafe is a really pleasant spot for brunch, afternoon tea or a simple lunch. We will certainly be going back to this hidden gem in UE Square. We have always liked the bread and pastries found in Joël Robuchon. Now we know where we can get the same good quality bread and delicious pastries from Fine Dining Bakery by Akira .M, without having to pay the sky high price of a meal in a Michelin starred fine dining restaurant.

A Japanese Vlog by おはよーこシンガポール生活 / Ohayoko Singapore Life

Ratings:
Food: 4
Service: 5
Value: 3
Atmosphere: 4
Overall Rating: 4 TOPs 

Fine Dining Bakery (ファイン ダイニング ベーカリー)
207 River Valley
#01-59 UE Square
Singapore 238275

Opening Hours:
9 am to 4 pm
Closed on Tuesdays

Nearby MRT Station: Fort Canning

The Ordinary Patrons | Real Dining Experience of Ordinary People
an independent Singapore food blog

---