I’m really envious of residents of Beo Crescent because not only do they have awesome curry rice in their neighbourhood, right beside the curry rice stall is a delightful and quaint traditional bakery selling a huge variety of cakes and breads.
I was actually at Beo Crescent for the curry rice but I could not stop glancing at Happy Oven while queueing up for my curry rice. There were so many beautifully-made cakes laid out in their display fridge and their prices were surprisingly low (to me)! I actually became a little skeptical and wondered if they would turn out to taste meh.
After I had my curry rice, I headed straight to this very inviting bakery and couldn’t help ooh-ing and ahh-ing at everything I saw. The staff were very helpful and friendly that I felt giddy with happiness and ended up buying a whole lot of cakes and bread.
1. Peanut Butter and Planta Margarine Bread, $2.60
I also couldn’t resist buying this Peanut Butter Planta bread. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of what I thought would be a simple bun. Their bread has a good chew to it – not too soft nor hard. The peanut butter wasn’t overly sweet and was creamy without being too oily. The whole sandwich was quickly wiped off in one afternoon by my family and me.
2. Apple Crumble King, $1.20
This Apple Crumble really surprised me because most traditional bakeries make their apple fillings too sweet and sticky for my liking, with the apples too soft or tart. Happy Oven’s Apple Crumble isn’t overly sweet and the apples still have a nice bite to them after being baked in its juices. I also love their buttery pastry crust and crumble. Overall, this has a very homemade taste which I really appreciate!
3. Ondeh Ondeh Roll, $1.20
Honestly, I thought this would be a gimmicky cake but this turned out to be one of my favourites! The coconut flakes tasted fresh and crisp, the pandan cake was moist and dense, and the gula melaka filling really made it feel like I was eating an ondeh ondeh in cake form. I think this was done very well and I’m more than willing to pay $1.20 again for this creative little gem! Again, this wasn’t overly sweet, something which I found consistent with all the baked treats from Happy Oven and really like!
3. Strawberry Cream Puff, $1.20
I liked this better than the traditional cream puff. Aesthetics is a 100%.
4. Classic Cream Puff, $1.20
Unfortunately, I’m not a fan of their cream puff. While the puff pastry itself was very good, I did not like the cream inside it. I wish they made custard puffs instead!
This is a very classic cream puff though. The cream wasn’t sweet at all and I suspect the older folks may really like this!
5. Pistachio Eclair, $1.20
Happy Oven is really modern in this manner. You wouldn’t think that you could find such fancy pastries in a traditional bakery like this, but there you have it!
This was also done very well – you can see the effort to details and I think it is worth more than what I’ve paid. Pistachio cream was solid – it isn’t just a cream coloured in green for show. Also, look at those pretty edible petals! Overall, I really loved this eclair and will definitely buy it again!
6. Fudgy Brownie, $1.20
How it looks like is exactly how you think it would taste, minus it being too sweet. Moist and chocolatey, I wish this was offered in a bigger piece, but I guess the dainty size makes it more palatable – you end up wanting more instead of thinking that you have just sinned.
7. Traditonal Pandan Kaya Cake, $1.50
This was really good. In fact, I think this is the best Pandan Kaya Cake I’ve ever eaten. The pandan cake layers are moist and fragrant and not too sweet. The kaya jelly layer was delightfully dense and not too sweet either. I just love all the pastries here because of how the level of sweetness is just nice and how fresh and well-made their cakes are.
There’s a Chinese saying – 把简单的东西做好就是不简单 (By doing simple things well, the results would be exceptional). I think Happy Oven is the best living example of that saying.
Because of their pretty pastries and their reasonable pricing, I honestly think this bakery would be a great choice for people who are throwing birthday parties for their kids. Happy Oven’s baked goods don’t lose out to modern cakes shops at all! In fact, in a way, I think they are better because of the variety you can choose from, from traditional to modern flavours, you are all covered! Best of all, they all taste good and are not too sweet. You can definitely satisfy both the young and old guests at your party! (Unfortunately, they are not halal-certified. For halal cakes, my personal favourite is Prima Deli.)
I wish I have this bakery at my estate!!!
I can’t wait for the Circuit Breaker to end to visit them again! I think they do delivery but you have to hit a minimum which may be hard for most of us. They also open for walk-in orders, so if you live nearby and haven’t tried Happy Oven yet, you can consider getting your pastries from them in your next grocery run. Please call them first to find out what is available during this Circuit Breaker before going down!
Happy Oven
Contact Number: +65 6270 7411
Website: https://www.happyoven.com.sg/
Address: 40 Beo Crescent, Singapore 160040
Nearest MRT Station: Tiong Bahru
Operating Hours: 5am to 7:30pm daily (closed during CNY period)
*Due to Circuit Breaker, their opening hours have been changed from 5am to 6pm.