Paul Bakery

The worst cafeshop which somehow has been extemely overated more than it deserves. From the service to the food quality, there is no reason why this café still exists. Even in a prime location such as Nge Ann City/​Takashimaya at Orchard??! It is such an embarrassement to French cuisine which highly values its cooking quality with long heritage.
We ordered a simple baquette sandwich which came with a mushroom soup. The sandwich was plain and lack of freshness while the soup was salty, like it just came out from an instant soup packet, and the accompanied bun was like a 1-​week old bread which was hard like a rock. Goodness, that was really injustice considering the price we had to pay for such a below quality. For the sake of culinary world, do something about the food! Improve and stop serving less-​thought and low-​quality of food to the hungry shoppers.

This place was such a let down. It may look pretty on the outside but the food was wayy overpriced in my opinion and it honestly wasn’t anything spectacular.
I had the scrambled eggs with sausages and mushroom breakfast thingy for $ 9.80 and a cup of hot chocolate. Hot chocolate was bitter and disappointing. The eggs were alright. They didn’t have any sandwiches when I was there (11am ish) and I was pretty disappointed by that. Furthermore, the staff were really unfriendly.

Pretty overrated. Service in particular very poor. Staff very skilled at looking off in the distance — past customers trying to get service. I ordered tartine boeuf. They brought tartine poulet. When I pointed this out the waiter insisted it was beef then ran away. I had to pull out the photo menu to make the case to his colleague once I was able to get her attention that it was chicken. Maybe short staffed on the eve before Chinese new year? Maybe the staff here are disgruntled they are having to work? My food finally came only after the rest of my family had finished theirs. At that only after I asked for help from the manager. Who produced my plate and then scuttled away. Two stars only because the tartine was good. Otherwise a solidly one star experience.

surprised to see such negative reviews here.
managed to try a number of items ranging from meringues, lemon tarts, pasta, some egg dish in a group.
Yes, its pricey but the standard is there. the pasta was light and fluffy, with great great seasoning. Times like this, I really feel the urge to hug the chef and thank him or her for doing things so impeccably awesome.
the lemon tart wasn’t overly acidic and had a sweet sour curd that brought a high end to my meal

When it comes to cakes, pastries, coffee etc. Pauls is not the place to go for high quality. Still, at the prices they charge they can surely do better.
The location itself is nice enough. Comfortable chairs to caress you when you see the bill for average goods.
Regardless, they are more than happy to pull tables together so if you have a large group of people then this could be a good place to meet.

Heard so much about this place for quite a while now and finally decided to try it this afternoon (was at Ngee Ann City & feeling very hungry in the late afternoon). Got a window seat which is good.
Ordered a Crêpe D’orange & a beetroot juice:
— Service was alright. Quite attentive, asking whether I want warm or cold water, & whether I want ice cubes with my juice.
— Beetroot juice was ok though pricey. Guess it comes with the territory as Paul Bakery is situated strategically at one of the most prominent shopping malls in SG.
— Crêpe D’orange is no ordinary crêpe as its the most sorry looking crêpe I have eaten in my life. Just 1 strawberry split into quarters. I was utterly shocked that they served it in this manner. The crêpe itself was quite tasty, so in a way, it redeemed itself a bit.
All in all, I’m disappointed with the eatery, and will think twice to go back there again. Maybe, just maybe, I may try their breads to see whether they are any good.

Just sat down for coffee and desserts, service is horrible. Had to wait for 30minutes for coffee and macaroon. No matter how good the food is, will never come back to this branch.

Nice food but terrible service verging on rude. We were told at the counter we could sit down at the restaurant and they would bring us the counter food we wanted to eat. Unfortunately for us we missed the sign asking us to wait to be seated and went in taking a seat close to the food counter. No welcome from the waitress who instead took her time coming to serve us and then muttered under her breath that we should go back and queue up at the entry — despite there being many free tables and no-​one waiting outside (inflexible protocol?). She finally relented to serve us although didn’t know what a ginger beer was (her unhelpful reply was that they don’t serve alcohol — rather than to explain what they did have). The baguette we ordered came out and as we started to eat they started trying to take the plate away saying they weren’t allowed to serve it that way! We finally understood that it was supposed to come with a side salad but by then we were so annoyed we said we’d eat it as is. The baguette was good — similar to the ones we know from Paul’s in Paris but the service was so disappointing we wouldn’t be back.

Hmm, the food is good, the atmosphere is nice, even the «outdoor» seating, but the service and policies really bring it down, I’d give this 2.5 stars if I could.
This a popular restaurant and the long queue waiting to get seated shows that, it also calls out for a better managed system, maybe a waiting list and SMS when there is an available table, something better. There is also a take away counter, like a traditional bakery with many tasty items calling out to be taken home. This take away counter presents another odd policy/​system that should be better thought out. There are items at the take away counter that aren’t on the menu, and you can’t order them if you are dining in. This is such an odd decision, it is the same restaurant/​kitchen the food is already prepared, sell the item for a dollar more and laugh all the way to the bank; yet they would not serve it. Speaking of serving items, our drinks arrived much after our food, and many follow up requests, even a freshly baked waffle came before Ice Lemon Tea. Even the second round of tea took so long to arrive, very disappointing.

The funny thing about this place it is actually better than ARtisan Boulangerie at 112. Surprisingly the lemon is cheaper here and taste far better. Service was efficient and yes!!! A hot cup of cuppacino… sorry still having trauma lapse from ABC over their Luke warm coffee.
Another good point raised by the service staff. Don’t buy your croissant on your final bill as that will add the GST and service charge :). Attentive staff i say…

Very Slow Service!!!
Because I can go to many other places to find food similar to what I get here, I’m rating this fully on service.
One thing I can’t stand is my glass being empty. I had to ask while flagging a waitress down to get another drink after my glass had been empty for quite some time. To make it worse, I had to remind her much later that I hadn’t gotten my drink yet.
If you have nothing else on your agenda for the day, then I would say go here. The menu is great. However, the service is slow and spotty.

The repertoire of 26 new dishes include hearty salads like the Salad de la Mer ($ 20.90++), a seafood salad that would make an ideal satisfying light lunch option with plump shrimps, mussels, octopus and creamy avocados. The zesty grapefruit and in house french dressing lends the greens a bright zesty flavour that resonates with me.
Both main courses reflected the simplicity of French cooking and natural flavours of fresh, seasonal ingredients. The Longe de thon ($ 29.90++) was essentially a long steak of seared tuna whose core remained pinkish and tender, adorned with white sesame seeds. Magnificent in its own right, the fish fell out of sync with the sweet cranberry sauce and the side of tangy roasted seasonal vegetables, which were so appetizing that they could possibly steal the limelight of the plate.
On the other hand, the Confit de Canard ($ 28.90++) may be an old-​fashioned French classic but never fails to please the palates. Rubbed with herbs and cured in duck fat for one day before slow-​roasted for 4 hours, the unctuous duck meat, albeit tad salty, streaked off the bones in strands.
It might be quite a distinct version from most of the crispy-​skinned versions here but the duck is fragrantly meaty and not greasy. The same side dish of roasted vegetables did complement the duck but perhaps pairing it with some chestnut velouté with mushrooms may inject some variety?
New iced teas like the Rosemary lime or Lemongrass Ginger were great options to refresh the palates and get one ready for desserts. However what piqued my curiosity was the beguiling Macaron Drink ($ 9.50++) shown below. Available also in Raspberry, Vanilla and Chocolate, I opted for the Pistachio flavour. Predictably a sweet maestro of pistachio macarons speedily whizzed to gritty bits with milk, it turned out to be less sugary than the original macarons, tempered to a balanced creaminess with a characteristic texture.
Leaning gingerly against one another, the golden Waffles ($ 13.90++), as sturdy as the Pyramids of Egypt, were understandably more similar to the light crunchy Brussels waffles than the dense, chewy Liege waffles. Yet too much of a good thing may warrant a concern to oral pleasure as these square parcels were rather rigid inside-​out.
Above all, I am heartened that Paul stays true to its boulangerie roots and delivers the promised quality in their forte areas, the bread. Out of all the new dishes I’ve tried, the Tartine Boeuf ($ 19.90++) secured a special place in my heart. A touch of herb cream cheese, hints of tart balsamic vinegar and a smattering of soft caramelized onions on succulent sirloin steak is all it takes to bring the humble countryside bread a whole new level. Even the starter basket of crusty baguette (below) sprung to life with just a slight dollop of its creamy unsalted artisan French butter.

This place is overrated. Expensive bread, you can get the same or even better ones at stores in the basement.

I love Paul… at Tanglin Mall!
This location here in Takashimaya has the worst staff. Ever! There is a line, when inside half of the tables are empty. When you call to place you order, it looks like they are making you a favor. And good luck if are with a stroller! Two star instead if one, because the good is still great. Won’t be back.

I hope they’ll work to improve the quality of service. After seeing long queues on previous visits to the mall, we were happy to be seated immediately. As other reviewers have noted, the service here is spotty.
My friend and I each ordered an entrée. His Salade Nicoise arrived immediately but there was an additional 12 min wait for my Tartine Boeuf to be delivered. This type of delay is a common problem in lower quality Singapore restaurants and there’s no excuse for it other than managers who do not train their staffs to western standards. In western cultures, it’s rude to begin eating until everyone has been served. All western style restaurants in Singapore need to institute a system in which no entrees are delivered to a table until all entrees are ready in the kitchen. Then all entrees are delivered at the same time. This is not a difficult system to implement.
This is the result of service by committee when one waiter is not assigned to a table. The committee of servers are not insuring the overall guest experience — instead they are blindly taking orders and then delivering the food when it appears in the kitchen window. No one takes ownership of the table.
While waiting for my food, servers tried to give me 3 other entrees which belonged to nearby tables. US restaurants use a numbering system that assigns each table and seat a number. When the item leaves the kitchen the server knows to precisely deliver it to Table 12, Position 2. This eliminates the need for the waiter to «auction» the plate at the table. For me, this is the clear separating line between the amateurs and the professionally run restaurants.
My Tartine Boeuf was delicious, but I can’t make sense of the $ 7.50 lemon ice tea that was nothing special. Usually when you pay so much for an iced tea, there is a simple syrup offered for sweetening. My friend says his Salade Nicoise was bland with not enough dressing. (I had 12 minutes to look at it and it looked bland)
The Good: My Tartine Boef was delicious. The two take away bakery items (chocolate torte and elclair) were also good.
The Bad:
1. Servers who don’t know the correct pronunciations of the french dishes,
2. A system that does not guarantee that all entrees are delivered to a table at the same time. Of course a salad takes less time to prepare. Don’t deliver it until the longer prep items are ready. Managers — this is not rocket science!
3 Servers who «auction» the wrong entrees to you unsure of who the food belongs to. Again, this is easily resolved with a numbering system — using both the table and seat number. An international clientele in a restaurant that offers a supposedly «upscale» experience deserves better.
4. Some tables are so close together that you feel like you’re dining with strangers.
5.Bland salad, $ 7.50 iced tea!!! No syrup.
Total for 2 entrees and 2 beverages: $ 60+
The Verdict: The 10 min+ wait between entrees being delivered is the deal breaker. The prices are too high for such amateur service. Will not be returning

I’m not sure what the hype is all about
1) Service was terrible. They were so disorganized getting ppl seated. Ppl were standing in line for 30 – 45 mins for no apparent reason– there were plenty of open tables at any one time. I almost sat myself
2) Macarons were OK. In a country where ppl are avid travelers and have dined in Paris/​France/​Europe on authenitic macarons, i’m not sure why they’re passing off these good but not great cookies as macarons
3) Over-​priced.

I honestly wished I have nicer things to say about Paul Bakery.
For starters, I loved most part of the service I got at Paul’s. Had a delightful lady and gentleman serving and they looked like the genuinely loved what they’re doing which –always– make for a nice touch. I just wished I got their names!
Paul is constantly loaded with people so be prepared for a bit of a wait, try not to let that dent your mood. Also try not to go with too much of an expectation.
My friend got a breakfast set while I had the crepes. They were nothing to write home to and with the choices you get in SG now, I hardly think just doing the basic works. Also, I hardly feel that way, but the quality of the food made me feel that it was really overpriced.
I was genuinely looking forward to trying the desserts since Paul is famed for their bakes. Am a little disappointed to report that both options I picked — lemon meringue tart and another pastry — were lacklustre.
Moral of the story — listen to your foodie friends when they tell you not to bother with a place.

After shopping, dining, and striking out somewhere else for dessert, we decided on Paul.
What was defintitely more difficult was deciding exactly what to have from their extensive menu of sweets.
The staff was friendly and helpful. The room is quaint with a touch of old world charm.
Finally, after much deliberation, we settled on our choices.
Strawberry Tart for her
Chocolate Sundae for me
Both desserts were fantastic and both were eagerly engulfed.
I would not hesitate to have dessert here again.

Tried two of their famous pastries (the millefueille and one of the chocolate cake) as recommended by the waitress and they are both too sweet.
The coffee is also too weak for my liking.
Wasn’t worth the wait, wasn’t worth the price, wasn’t worth the hype.

My friend hates it that I affectionately call it LAO PAUL. She thinks it’s undeserving of one of the most famous bakeries in Paris. Sigh. How else to express my love?
If you’ve been to Ngee Ann City in the past few months, or have frequented Kinokuniya, Paul is impossible to miss. The eye-​catching artisan décor stands out from the modern lines of Takashimaya. According to their spokesperson, «Everything from the breads to the décor is authentic to the standards set in other Paul bakeries worldwide.»
The food was reasonably tasty, most of their pastries (Millefeuille nature especially) were crusty and not overly sweet. I liked their mini macaroons, so *powerpuff* and noms. If you like pastries with a tinge of sourness, try the fruit tarts. Price is a little steep but within expectations. There are promotional sets such as ALL-​DAY-​BREAKFAST sets, baker’s basket; mostly priced below $ 10 to make it worth your while.
I’ve been there a few times, service has been good. Once, there was an enthusiastic waiter whom we inquired with on closing hours.
Him: It’s 10 officially but we stay on till the last customer leaves.
Me: What if the customer doesn’t leave?!
Him: We have our methods.
LOL.
It’s easy to emulate the tai-​tai life sitting at Paul’s, sipping on chamomile tea. Pretty nice respite in the middle of Orchard Road.