[CLOSED] Mr Madeleine by Van Goh Patisserie

Did you know that scones originated in France and not England? I didn’t, and I was tickled to learn that since the English adopted scones as part of their teatime routine with clotted cream and jam, the French vehemently refuse to blaspheme their scones with clotted cream, choosing to stick with butter and jam instead.

Nailing multiple French classics in one fell swoop, Mr Madeleine also bakes up a trio variety of scones if madeleines, focaccia or sables aren’t your thing.

The classic plain scone is the only savoury offering at the moment ($2.30 each), whereas the other two are sweet and fruity. The scones here are made with French butter, and they’re really really light. These literally melt in your mouth. They’re perhaps one of the best scones I’ve had, although I admittedly don’t seek out that many scones to try.

I was really pleased to hear that you can also request some customisations, as these items were all baked in small batches. If you don’t like raisins, or maybe none of the current flavours appeal to you and you have a suggestion, feel free to ask! I’ll definitely do that the next time I drop by for more baked goods!

Operating out of a takeaway-only unit in a HDB estate, this bakery certainly serves up more than just their namesake madeleines. In addition to a variety of classic and creative local-flavoured madeleines, Mr Madeleine also offers freshly baked focaccia breads, scones, cookies (or sables) and even focaccia pizza.

Everything is freshly and lovingly prepared with lots of heart each day.

We couldn’t resist trying one of the focaccia loaves. With a handful of flavours on the menu, it was pretty hard to pick as they all looked and smelled delectable! We settled with the Cheese Focaccia. We didn’t get to enjoy it immediately, so we brought it home in a tight cling wrap seal. Although savoury breads arguably taste better when they’re warm, we couldn’t resist cutting a slice and biting into it as is. Turns out, the cheese focaccia was still super delicious! It was fluffy, soft, and the cheese taste didn’t overpower the rest of the bread, but complemented it rather well. I can’t even comprehend how good this would be fresh out of the oven, or heated up in the toaster (never the microwave!). I’m really looking forward to returning to pick up a loaf of the curry focaccia, as it sounds heavenly, and to get me some of the focaccia pizza!

As a retiree, the head baker and owner of Mr Madeleine isn’t the most social media savvy, but what he lacks in social media skills, he more than makes up for in innovation, creativity and enterprise. He continually reinvents his menu, and is always open to constructive comments and suggestions. Highly recommend checking this place out for very affordable high quality bakes!

Hidden in the Everton Park neighbourhood is an unassuming bakery that opened to little fanfare. It’s founded by a retiree who decided to chase his dreams and pursue his passion for baking at Le Cordon Bleu. Enter his brainchild - Mr Madeleine.

Mr Madeleine specialises in madeleines, as the bakery’s name suggests. It’s a small, takeaway only setup located in a HDB estate, but boy do they serve delicious madeleines. With 7 different flavours on the menu (price varies), we had difficulty choosing which to try. We settled on the peanut butter, coconut gula melaka and dark chocolate chips, although there were other interesting flavours like teh tarik and classic citrus calling out as well.

A local brand of madeleines we’re probably all familiar with is Delifrance, but the similarities at Mr Madeleine and Delifrance end at the shape and name of the baked offering. Mr Madeleine’s rendition is aromatic, light and buttery. I particularly enjoyed the dark chocolate chip and peanut butter flavour, although the peanut butter taste could be a little stronger. The coconut gula melaka was a bit of a miss for me, but I appreciate the creativity in a local spin on the French classic.

The madeleines are all made with premium European butter, and are also perfectly accompanied by a cup of hot coffee or tea. They might not be the cheapest, but they’re far from the most expensive. Given the high quality ingredients used, I definitely think they’re worth the price and highly recommend dropping by! I’m personally looking forward to returning to try the other flavours (and other baked stuff - read: focaccia and pizza!!!) as well!