Many moons ago, across many seas, two impassioned entrepreneurs, Dr. George Quek and Katherine Lee, took upon themselves to change prosaic habits, and thus, was born BreadTalk — a haven for oven-fresh products. The flagship boutique bakery opened in Singapore in 2000, and after launching an impressive 900 outlets across Asia, the award-winning bakery-cafe has entered #OurCity.
The interiors are minimalistic, the space is bright and welcoming, but what truly tugs you in is the aroma whifting from their trademark open kitchen. As you walk past the enticing display window, taste buds activated, the freshly-baked goodies makes you skip a beat. Adorned with recipe books, pots of fresh herbs, and baking tools, the quaint cafe is a perfect spot for a first date, to curb 4 pm pangs, or just because, like us, you love a good bread!
Eyeing greater regional expansion, fuelled by target-heavy investments, the parent company recently announced their goal of an 8% net margin by 2022. The Singaporean chain plans to open 15 outlets across India within the next 36 months. The local culinary economy is witnessing a spurt in modern-style bakeries, with a rise in homegrown brands that offer strong competition. Speaking about what makes BreadTalk stand apart, Ms Latika Abbott, CEO, BreadTalk India shares, “Apart from familiar local flavours, we hope to give consumers in India accessibility to international trends, innovation and original product offerings that go beyond the shores of India. The brand embodies a spirit of forging new trends, creativity and quality craftsmanship. All these values are what we strive to put into our products, people and store experience. ”
If you’ve stopped for a coffee and sweet treats on a previous holiday, you would have tasted their signature items like the Floss Bun and Japan Light Cheesecake. Hurrah for the fact that they’ve included these universal favourites in the menu for India. However, the brand has developed products keeping in mind the Indian consumers’ sensibilities. “We are developing a range of localized products to ensure they are suitable and loved by the Indian palate. We are also trying to recreate BreadTalk signatures with eggless flour and gluten-free breads to cater to varied dietary preferences,” shares Abbott.
With over 100 kinds of breads and cakes to choose from, this paradise boulangerie has something for everyone – from savouries like the Himalayan Pink Salt Roll and Tuna Bun, Pumpkin Loaf, the global bestseller Spring in the City, Chicken Parmesan to sweet delicacies like Crater Cheese Honey Cake, Ultimate Chocolate Messy Bun, Raisin California Dry Cake, and many more.
We ask Abbott for her recommendation and pat comes the response! “The Cranberry Cheese Toast! It’s eggless, light and delicious. I would like to believe it’s low on calories. That is my favorite for sure!”
As we head out with our bag full of goodies, we wish luck to the team and Mr Tan Aik Peng, CEO, who leaves us with a promise, “We are very excited about this launch, and envision the opening of the second outlet in the next year with many more surprises to come.”
Head over to BreadTalk, Select CITYWALK, Saket and lose wallet weight equivalent to Rs. 400 for two (approximately).