Lian Hup Heng: Underrated atas cafe-style tarts & cake loaves for $3.80, hidden within a hawker centre

Hawker bakeries have evolved over the past few years— while you can commonly find hawker bakeries that sell the usual sausage buns and floss buns, there has been an uptick in the number of bakeries that offer more atas bakes worthy of being presented in cafes. One such bakery is Lian Hup Heng.

Lian Hup Heng is tucked away on the second floor of Amoy Street Food Centre. This humble store has a small but refined menu consisting of various tarts and cakes to choose from. Be sure to drop by early, as the stall only opens until 3pm.

All of the bakes at Lian Hup Heng are priced at S$3.80, making it easy to calculate the total cost of your order. During our visit, there were 4 tarts, 2 cakes and brownies available for patrons to purchase.

We decided to get one of everything before sitting down to enjoy our desserts.

What I tried at Lian Hup Heng

We started off by digging into the tarts, each of which had a diameter of around 6cm. These were smaller than the usual tarts from cafes, but were also priced much more affordably.

Each tart had a buttery crust that was crispy and not too thick, allowing for the buttery aroma to shine through and complement each respective filling.

As a big taro fan, I had my eye on the Orh Nee Tart the most. Cutting into the tart allowed for the soft and smooth orh nee filling to flow out just a little— I liked how texturally, it was not too stiff or too runny. The orh nee had a nice earthy fragrance and a strong yammy flavour. It was a little on the sweeter side, though not overwhelmingly so. The large gingko nuts on top were nutty and soft too, and not bitter at all.

The Lemon Meringue Tart was similarly delicious— the lemon curd within was tangy and piquant with a good amount of sweetness to balance it out. Those who enjoy the more intense flavours of lemon meringue tarts will not be disappointed by the strength of this version.

The meringue cookie on top of the tart was a welcome addition too— it was crunchy and light, providing the otherwise smooth and slightly jammy lemon curd with a bit of texture.

If you prefer dark chocolate over milk chocolate, Lian’s Dark Indulgence won’t let you down. This tasty tart lived up to its name, as its chocolate filling was rich and dark with the right amount of bitterness to make it extra indulgent. As with every good chocolate-based dessert, this tart was not too sweet, and had a thick, gao texture to quickly satisfy my chocolatey cravings.

Finally, the only baked tart out of all the tarts at Lian Hup Heng was the Pear Tart. The fillings had a cakey texture and were moist and fluffy, while the generous pear slices on top were sweet and juicy.

All of the tarts sold at Lian Hup Heng were satisfying and delicious. While they weren’t super mind-blowing and had relatively simple flavours, I found that they were all executed well and provided a cheaper alternative for tart lovers to enjoy.

We then moved on to the cakes, starting with Yoghurt Cranberry. The cake was moist and fluffy with a slightly spongey texture. It was a bit milder in flavour but still very tasty and light, with a small amount of cranberries being scattered within for added chewiness and sweetness.

Next up was the special of the day, which was a Walnut Banana Cake. If you’re a big lover of banana cake, this one is a must-try— it was so fluffy and aromatic with whole, soft banana chunks scattered within. The bits of walnuts inside were also effective in giving the cake some crunch.

Finally, we dug into the Fudgy Brownies, which were, as the name suggests, incredibly fudgy, moist and chocolatey. I liked how texture wise, the brownie was dense and not too cakey. I personally prefer for my brownies to have a crispy top and a chewier texture, but these were very soft throughout. Still, they were pretty satisfying.

Final thoughts

Lian Hup Heng provides customers with some pretty good alternatives to pricier cafe bakes. Though the general quality does not compare to that of more well-known patisseries in the country, the prices of these bakes are what make them stand out.

Definitely give all 4 tarts a go, as those were my favourites. The cakes are worth trying too, given their quality and taste. I know I’ll certainly return in the future!

Expected damage: S$3.80 per pax

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