Uggli Muffins Hawker Makes Comeback After Hiatus, Now Sells $2 Sourdough Crepes

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Travelled the world during hiatus

After one last hurrah where he attracted snaking queues for giving away free muffins to thank customers for their support, Anton pulled down his shutters on Oct 10. “After that, I went travelling for two months, staying in hostels with workers. I went to places like Hong Kong and Shanghai, came back to Singapore for a day, and went to Manchester [in the UK], where I used to study engineering. Then I went to Paris, Bulgaria…” he shared.

While waiting in Paris for a vendor to whip up a French crepe, Anton got the idea to sell crepes upon his return to Singapore. Manpower had been his Achilles heel as a hawker, and à la minute crepes were less laborious to make than trays of muffins.

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$2 sourdough French crepes 

So Anton reopened his Uggli Muffins stall on Mar 4 this week, and put up a handwritten sign advertising French crepes in three flavours: Fresh Banana, Fruit of the Day and Nut of the Day. All crepes are slathered with a generous layer of Nutella and, incredibly, are priced at just $2 each as an opening promotion that will run for a yet-to-be-determined period. Customers who buy five crepes will get one more for free.

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During our visit, he also offers uncommon sourdough crepes, though he is unsure if he will continue to do so. “The crowd in this hawker centre are generally old people, and they are not used to a sourish taste for food. When I made an Oreo flavour for my muffins last time, some of them informed me that there were white flecks in the muffins,” Anton laughs.

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But the unusually philosophical hawker has a new perspective on work after his hiatus. He muses: “I have decided to run my stall like how I travelled — just go with the wind!” His muffin ovens are still placed prominently at the front of the stall, though he no longer uses them and relies on a crepe pan these days. “There’s nowhere to store my ovens anyway,” he deadpans.

We have also never seen a hawker stall with three signboards. Anton’s mother had insisted that he “cannot touch” her Bliss Haven Restaurant signboard when he took over, and so his Uggli Muffins signboard was tacked on below. “If I add one more for crepes, I think my stall front will look a bit crowded,” he notes wryly.

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Fresh Banana Sourdough Crepe, $2 (8 Days Pick!)

Anton’s golden-hued crepes are marvellous. The delicate skillet pancake is soft, but without the crispier shell of a French galette. The batter forms just a thick-enough layer to cradle gooey Nutella, which Anton smothers with tart slices of ripe Berangan bananas. The ang bak jio’s sharp flavour and tangy sourdough crepe add an elegant depth to the junky hazelnut spread’s sweetness.

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And just because, Anton scatters a handful of crunchy chopped peanuts on our banana crepe, which makes it even nicer. As for how much the top-up is for the nuts, you will have to ask the man himself, ’cos he is still figuring things out as he goes. If you don’t fancy sourdough, the plain crepe is just as good.

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Fruit of the Day Crepe, $2

There is a ‘Fruit of the Day’ crepe, which was strawberry during our visit (Anton gets his fruits from the wet market downstairs). He emphasises that the fruit options are mostly “seasonal”, and customers could also randomly get grapes. But he also plans to serve “liqueur-soaked raisins” on crepes, which sounds delish and atas, especially at $2 a pancake.

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Nut of the Day Crepe, $2

Out of the three flavours, we find ‘nut of the day’ peanuts with Nutella on a crepe underwhelming, though still tasty. The generously-portioned crepes almost make a full meal by themselves when stuffed with fruits like bananas and strawberries, and would definitely cost a whole lot more when plated fancily at a cafe. Worth a trek to Toa Payoh for these.

As Anton is a one-man-show, we recommend that you contact him in advance for bigger orders to avoid disappointment.

Uggli Muffins is at #02-34 Toa Payoh West Market & Food Centre, Blk 127 Toa Payoh Lor 1, S310127. Tel: 9877-9020. Open daily except Mon, 12pm-3pm.

Photos: Dillon Tan

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