Provence

I used to love their breads but this time both the cream (2 stars) and kaya (2 stars) wassants were disappointingly average even though they’d both supposedly just come out of the oven. I could barely taste the fillings, maybe even margarine, and the bread wasn’t as fluffy as I remembered. $ 6.30 for ten and $ 3.80 for six. That’s basically the same price per wassant.

So here is the problem I have with coffee in Sigapore. Ask for an espresso which comes in a cup for a long black or cappuccino. So of course it hardly lines the bottom and goes cold fast. The coffee it’s self was not too bad and at $ 2.80 what do you expect. This place looks cool and has potential. There is however nothing French at all about it as the name may mistakenly lead you to expect. Nice vie form 2^nd floor was the highlight and a nice place to read. Shame. I left. Dissapointed. Not the worst place so I gave it a 2^nd star but that is all.

Provence is a cute little bakery in Holland Village. Although it’s a French name, it’s a Japanese inspired bakery with lots of interesting kinds of bread here.
The best thing is the wassants here. Its so amazing. They are like tiny little crossaints but a completely different taste and flavor. Its soft, sweet and light and they have custard or chocolate flavor. Hard to explain unless you try it, but its very very good.
I also like their prepared sandwiches here. You can come and sit at the café and they also have a nice balcony area where you can grab a cup of coffee and watch Holland Village go by.

Bread Talk and its many clones have desensitised Singaporeans to what a bakery can look like, and while I’m not claiming that Provence is the standard to live up to, they sure have it nailed.
The place reminds you of the countryside, with its brown baskets and tables. The variety of bread displayed is also unlike the plethora of floss buns and cream sticks or whatever we’ve become so used to seeing.
My favourite is definitely the wassants: light, fluffy, and best of all, cheap! It’s very tempting to just buy a dozen of those and gobble them up.
I’ve never tried the drinks from their café, but am making it a point to do so soon.

The one thing I really enjoy from this Japanese Bakery would be their Pizza bread — basically your regular margherita pizza without the basil but with more Japanese flavor infused like Japanese mayo and cream cheese. If you’ve had Japanese mayo or Japanese bread with the egg mayo like stuffing, you will know what I am talking about. The mayo is rich but not overpowering like the western mayo. The prepacked sandwiches here are also one of the best I’ve had in Singapore. The ridiculously priced prepacked sandwiches at 7 – 11 should be replaced by these!

The truth of the matter is, I’m not very much of a pastry kind of guy.
I’ve always heard the females in my life talking about the delicious Japanese styled cofectionary delights that come from Provence Café & Bakery so I decided to step in for a look and a taste.
I must say, the milk bun that they sell was really good. It has a nice light fluffiness to it and isn’t too rich. You can go through a couple of these before realizing that you’ve had too much. Goes great with a cup of cold milk or a cup of coffee. I’ve since come up with the idea of getting up in the morning and going there to pick up some of those milk buns, brewing a cup of coffee and enjoying breakfast in a park watching the world go by before my day starts but I’ve never been able to get up early enough to have a leisurely morning like that! Certain items sell out fast there so you might have to wait for a new batch to be baked.

Their wassants (baby croissant-​shaped buns, in plain and chocolate) were once all the rage and would sell out in a blink of an eye. They’re a lot more available now, but why bother when there are so many other tasty things to eat? I really like their milk buns (rich custardy filling) and orange bun. There is also a selection of sandwiches and hot food (though I’ve only had breakfast) for you to nom on site too.

It doesn’t get any more Japanese than this. Provence, a unique Japanese style bakery and café replicates with ease the same look and feel you get when you’re on holiday in Japan. Bread is a big thing in Japan, and they’ve adopted the same mentality when it comes to baking their bread here as well. Each piece of bread is handmade from scratch and the quality has not dipped before. It has remained constant over the years since I first had it. Even with the opening of Maison Kayser and Paul, Provence still manages to hold its own against these two bread heavyweights.

Provence is what a bakery should be — the moment you step in, the aroma fills you with joy, the bread await you with golden smiles and your brain goes «Bread is healthy right? What diet?! Wha.»… Tadaaa! You decide to live in the shop forever.
Okay, I exaggerate. But Provence — a Japanese-​styled bakery with an apparently French name, does hand-​made bread very well. The fluffy ones are soft and fluffy, the sweet ones are melt-​in-​your-​mouth.
My favourites include:
— Brazilian Cheese Bun — This small and round unassuming bun is *toing*toing* chewy and fragrant with every bite.
— Cinnamon Bun — I wish this was a sofa, so I can lie in the warm and sugary sweetness of it all. There is NO resisting this bun.
— Custard Bun — My colleague’s mom buy these in bulk. The custard is full and oh-​so-​smoooooth.
Provence is much NOMS. I particularly like this outlet, there’s a homely cozy feel to its décor, perhaps I should sit down one day to have a cuppa.

Provence has become more well-​known in recent years, with more branches in Vivo City and in Orchard, but nothing beats the Provence at Holland Village. As a small shop on its own, it allows customers to sit in and consume their breads while being able to enjoy the general peace and quiet that graces Holland Village most of the time in the day. With a welcoming setting that is both brunch-​or-​snack-​friendly, diners can enjoy their coffee or morning chat where the smell of bread helps put one on the right track to start the day. Highly recommended: Black sesame pizza ($ 2.20) and Milk Pan ($ 1.50). The black sesame pizza is bursting with tomato sauce and mayonnaise, and the pizza delicious enough to make you want to throw your diet plans out the window. The Milk Pan is full of cream, and if you fancy milky food, this will be a hit with you. There are many other delights that I have not yet tried, but which seem equally appetizing. Drop by during opening hours: Mon-​Fri 9.30am-8.30pm, Sat-​Sun 8.30am-8.30pm.