Ever had a cafe feel so cosy and warm that it feels like you’re stepping into someone’s home?
Entering Fred Bread made me feel like I was entering the residence of the owner, Freddie. I recall his warm smile as he unlocked the door of his cafe to welcome me into his sanctuary.
What truly made the visit special was the hospitality of Freddie. He was a gracious host who took all the time to get to know me, and guided me through the entire bread-omakase experience to concoct the perfect pairing of spreads and beverages for me.
The first thing to do when you arrive is to pick either the spread set or the cheese set to begin your journey. Once you’re done with that, Freddie will kick-start your bread-omakase experience by introducing two of his in-house breads — Hokkaido Milk Bread and Black Sesame Bread. Both the breads are baked with Japanese Bread Flour, with no artificial improvers, no artificial flavourings, or preservatives.
The next thing on the list is to decide if you’d like coffee or tea. As a novice coffee drinker, I picked Blue Notes (S$8) in hopes of cultivating a refined palate for coffee. The drip coffee comes from Taiwan and has a whiskey top note, a berry middle note, and a chocolate base note. It is sold nowhere else except in Taiwan, America, and Fred Bread.
Blue Notes has received 91 points from Coffee Review, the world’s leading coffee guide where coffee is assessed based on their quality, aroma, taste, and acidity. 91 points means that the coffee is outstanding, with excitement and distinction in aroma and flavour, so you know where the good stuff is at now.
When Freddie tore open the package of the drip coffee, the chocolate and whiskey notes assailed me. He also shared that everyone’s interpretation of the coffee is different, with some smelling the berries first, unlike me.
I’m all about tea, so I also ordered Antoinette’s Affair (S$8), a lychee-blooming tea that made Freddie’s eye sparkle when he was raving about the aesthetics of the packet of tea when brewed.
Undeniably, the flower looked really pretty when it was blooming in the jar. Just imagine yourself enjoying an aesthetic breakfast in this homely cafe.
Freddie showed strong resolve to introduce me to his Balmuda toaster, which requires five millilitres of water to be poured into a trough where the water will trickle down to create steam when heated. This toasting method locks in the bread’s inner moisture before the surface is given a golden brown finish. When I had the toast, I was surprised that it was so crispy, yet moist and plush in the middle.
Because I chose the Blue Notes coffee, Freddie recommended that I try the Lychee and Orange Flower Jam (S$2.50) by Bernadette de Lavernette, an award-winning jam made from a secret royal recipe.
I was pleasantly surprised by the floral notes and lychee hitting me at the back of my tongue. Since I tried each and every spread on both breads, I believe you should pair this particular jam with the Hokkaido Milk Bread for a more profound taste.
If you’re a fan of cakes, you might have noticed that certain cakes have Kranfil spreads hidden between layers. At Fred Bread, the highly recommended Braun Kranfil’s Passion Mango spread (S$2.50) (third from the top) adds a crunch and texture to the bread. I’m not big on passion fruit, so the spread really hit my taste buds like a truck. I would recommend tasting this spread last so that it doesn’t overpower the other butters and jams.
My favourite spread of all is the Lescure Butter (S$2.50) (last from the top). This type of butter cannot be found easily in Singapore because supermarkets do not carry it, and only certain bakeries and cafes use this rich and creamy butter that is Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) Guaranteed, which ensures a product’s quality and authenticity.
I enjoyed the lightness and fluffiness of the butter, in contrast to typical butter which leans on the “heavier” side.
Tucked away in a quiet neighbourhood at Ang Mo Kio, Fred Bread also offers cheese toast! I mean, just look at the cheese pull, it’s telling enough.
The toasts are generously topped with mozzarella and cheddar respectively. You can choose to have either cheese on either slice of toast. I really enjoyed how the mozzarella brought out the Hokkaido Milk Bread’s fragrance.
His hospitality truly made me feel like I was stepping into the home of a relative I haven’t seen in a while.
The Black Sesame bread is rich in antioxidants, good for one’s heart, bones, and digestive health, and is equipped with anti-inflammatory properties. I immediately asked Freddie, who was preparing for his next day’s orders, if I could purchase two loaves to share with my family, friends, and colleagues.
It warmed my heart to see everyone enjoying Freddie’s creation, and I was truly delighted that I could share a slice of his passion for his bakes with my loved ones.
Forget traditional omakase and step into this bread haven to indulge in a one-of-a-kind bread-omakase experience.
Fred Bread
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📍 7 Ang Mo Kio Street 66, #01-02 Flora Vista, Singapore 567708
🕒 10am–6pm (Tue to Fri and Sun), 10am–2pm (Sat), Closed (Mon)
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Photos by Letresa Yap.
