Tuxedo @ Carlton Hotel Singapore – croissants, bread and pastries

Europe has spoiled my palate rotten when it comes to breads and pastries. It has always been an obsession of mine to seek the best breads in KL but it was after my Europe trip that my expectations and perception towards “good bread” changed indefinitely.
Suddenly every loaf, every croissant, every macaron I ate before paled in comparison to say; “what I had in Paris/Amsterdam“. I had remained hopeful and continued my diligent search; seeking similar standards of breads/pastries here in KL but the search has been hard and the results discouraging, though admittedly Tommy Le Baker did deserve a worthwhile mention.
But for Singapore it is another story altogether. Damn these Singaporeans. They have it good. The celebrity chefs restaurants at Marina Bay Sands were amazing, some of the hotels offers really good breads and even the random bakeries out and about the island pawned ours by far.

One notable one was Tiong Bahru Bakery, but that’s a story for another post after this. On one fine Sunday morning in Singapore just a few weeks back, I visited Tuxedo at Carlton Hotel near Raffles City following a tip off from a baker friend, HC.
Awake and on the MRT at the ungodly hour of 6.30am, I quelled my excitement at the thought of freshly baked croissants, breads and cakes on a beautiful Sunday morning.

Being a blogger myself, I googled and read some blog posts about Tuxedo. I read glowing reviews, peeked at promising pictures and noted on the what’s recommended. So the croissants are a must, and so are the cakes and Lobster Pie.

Stepping in at 7.30am on a Sunday morning, Tuxedo was quiet, the Lobster pie was missing and no cakes was on display.

We were told cakes only comes out at 11am and there were no lobster pies that day or lobster pies are only out later. Something of that effect. I was just to disappointment to pay much attention at that point.
Anyhow, I took a little tour of the displayed items and was mildly appeased with the availability of croissants and some breads.

Banana Danish – SGD3.80 per piece.

Pain Au Raisin – SGD3.80 per piece.

Pear Danish – SGD3.80 per piece.

Croissant – SGD3.80 (RM9.50) per piece.

Almond Croissant – SGD3.80 per piece.

Pain Au Chocolat- SGD3.80 per piece.

Sugar Brioche- SGD3.80 per piece.

Chocolate Muffin – SGD3.80 per piece.

Blueberry Muffin – SGD3.80 per piece.

German Sour Rye Loaf – SGD7.80 per loaf.

Walnut Bread – SGD7.80 per loaf.

Multi Fruits & Nuts Loaf – SGD4.80 per loaf.

 

There were some pies (chicken I think) and quiches on display. But that’s was about all that was available that morning. Well, since we were already there, we took a seat and ordered their famous croissant and a quiche.

HC ordered tea and I added a walnut loaf for take-away, just so I could ask the staff to cut us 2 slices and toast it, adding some bulk to the otherwise dismay selection of breakfast.

The walnut loaf was absolutely normal, just like any walnut bread you can buy in KL. There weren’t any worthy mention of taste or texture to it.

The famous croissant looked promising; puffy and golden.

A cross section revealed delicate flaky layers, a prerequisite of good croissants.

Since the blog posts I’ve read said that Tuxedo’s croissants may or may not suffer from collapsed structure and they couldn’t be sure as it could be due to the pressure exerted on the flaky crescent when it was halved, I pulled it apart by hand gently rather than having it cut into half by the kitchen staff.

Looks good?

Well, this is one half. And this shows more of the upper and bottom layers.

The other half showed uncooked dough, heavy and thick within the inner concave of the croissant. Frankly, I was appalled.

I left it untouched. HC, not in the habit of wasting, finished it.

Moving on, I dug into the Spinach Quiche next.

It was good, though I preferred my crust less wet/greasy. Nevertheless, it was thin, buttery and crumbly.

HC’s tea.
No great or special selections available, just plain old BOH teas. Oh that reminds me, look out for my review on the English afternoon tea at the Ritz Carlton KL. Their pastries aren’t worth salivating over, but their teas were fabulous!

Tuxedo is also famed for another thing; their “open” kitchen where guests could sneak peeks into the workings of the kitchen.
What failed to be mentioned was the open kitchen is actually walled up by glass, and it’s not anywhere near the dining area. So “watching the bakers in action while chewing on delectable pastries” doesn’t apply here (both the delectable part as well as the viewing) as this “open” kitchen is a good 20 steps walk away.

Alas, it was dismaying that I had to watch but won’t get to eat. Not unless I wish to wait til 11.00am anyways.

But after what I sampled above? I’ll pass.
NEXT: Tiong Bahru Bakery!

Tuxedo
Lobby of Carlton Hotel Singapore (walking distance from Raffles City)
76 Bras Basah Road
Singapore 189558

Operating hours:
7am to midnight (Sun – Thurs)
7am to 1am (Fri – Sat)