Potong Pasir is pretty much a foodie enclave these days even when it comes to places that seemingly captures the more hipster options — gone were the days of how it is a sleepy neighbourhood, and now it seems to be filled with new dining establishments such as that of Sweet Cheeks Gelato, Ho Jia Ga, Ms. Durian etc.; all of which are establishments which I would think about visiting whilst in this area.

Kizuna is probably the establishments that bridges the new and the old — taking over the former premises of Shangri-La Confectionary & Delicatessen, the cafe is also run by the third-generation of owners of the afore-mentioned bakery. Whilst the signature would the Tau Sar Piah from “the old bakery”, the recently Nasi Lemak Scone + Sambal signifies more than just a fusion of old and new — also an item that probably sees local elements infused into Singapore’s colonial past. The Nasi Lemak scone is essentially a Pandan-infused scone which comes with specks of Ikan Bilis and Peanut embedded within; the scone still carries a slight hint of buttery saltishness like any other scone whilst being less dense and fluffier than most we have come across, but comes with a hint of Pandan that lightly perfumes the batter within — the flavours of which intensifies when one goes towards the middle of the scone, with the peanuts and Ikan Bilis delivering a soft crunch. While that alone may be quirky enough for some, Kizuna hasn’t forgotten how the English will always have their scones with clotted cream or jam — they have interestingly settled for sambal as the “spread” to bring the Nasi Lemak Scone further. As quirky as it may seem, the buttery saltishness of the scone worked pretty well with the savouriness of the sambal chili that they had opted to use here — as weird as it may have sounded, but it ended up being a very palatable combination that we actually enjoyed.

I recalled going to Kizuna for the very first time during Election Day in 2020 when they had just opened their doors — but this recent visit felt different; perhaps a more matured rendition of the space that seems to meld the old and the new just right with a story to tell. Very few establishments has a heritage behind them, and not all of them carries the character and image well to their advantage — but Kizuna strikes a good balance in between the two by offering something familiar, and also providing patrons with local flavours whilst also exploring on innovative ways to showcase that sense of local identity into their legacy. This is also why Kizuna does seem to carry an appeal of its own that some people find so charming — something which I am finally able to understand if not for making this revisit whilst being in the neighbourhood.