Bring Your Own Chair To This Bakery Serving Fab Otak Grilled Cheese & Beef Birria Sarnies If You Want To Guarantee A Seat
This hip 'kampong' spot is where two pastry chefs — one with Michelin-starred pedigree — craft restaurant-level pastries and sandwiches that often sell out before noon.
Tucked away in a quiet landed housing estate in Serangoon Gardens, charming shophouse bakery and coffee spot Chu and Co has no dine-in seats, no air-con, and only a couple of benches out front. Yet on weekends, the public pavement outside is filled with picnic mats, foldable chairs, and even the occasional dog flopped under the sun – all courtesy of its regulars.
Owners Yeo Si Rui (right in pic), 31, and Goh Pheik Ling (left), 38, had always intended Chu and Co to be a takeaway-only bakery. But over the past four years, it has quietly grown into a neighbourhood hangout, loved as much for its hip kampong-like spirit as for its food, which includes rustic sourdough loaves, fusion pastries like kopi kouign-amann, plus gourmet sandwiches featuring ever-changing fillings like red wine braised beef cheek.
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The two pastry chefs met while working at Micro Bakery at Serene Centre in 2017 (Rui was the chef in charge, and Ling the baker-manager). Ling also used to be pastry sous chef at the Garibaldi Group, which owns the former one Michelin-starred Garibaldi Italian Restaurant & Bar. In 2021, right in the middle of the pandemic, they poured $200K of their savings into launching Chu and Co.
Happy despite not earning “as much as our peers”
From the beginning, the duo ran Chu and Co almost entirely on their own. They baked through the night, handled deliveries, served customers and managed their social media accounts without help. Twelve-hour days were routine, sometimes longer. “I’d come in on a weekend at midnight and work till 5pm,” bubbly unofficial spokesperson Rui tells 8days.sg.
Part of the decision was to keep costs lean, but they also admit they were younger then and thrived on the hustle. “It was fun at the start, we really enjoyed the work,” she adds.
Their chemistry was what gave them the confidence to take the plunge. “I admire Rui’s positive energy,” shares the more reserved Ling. Rui, by contrast, is gregarious and outspoken, wearing her personality as openly as the tattoos on her arms and legs – including a cheeky Shiba Inu dressed as Yoda (modelled after her own dog).
At the same time, Rui looks up to Ling’s years of experience. “She’s older and more mature, I think we balance each other out. Sometimes we have different points of view, but we’ve learned when to let go, when to apologise. I try to remember that we were friends first before we started the business,” she says.
Both admit they’d likely earn more working in hotels or restaurants, but insist there’s a different kind of fulfillment in building something themselves. “We may not earn as much as our peers, but we’re happy,” she says matter-of-factly. “I mean, if you work in a bank, it’s also very stressful.”
Ling agrees: “As your own boss, you get to be creative. It’s more fun than just repeating the same tasks as an employee.”
No proper seating
The bakery’s setup reflects their lean approach. With no proper dine-in seating (aside from a couple of benches) and just a takeaway counter, they don’t enjoy the high turnover or cafe-style margins of other more inviting bakeries. Yet, their bakes are often sold out early, especially on weekends. “Sometimes customers see that our food is sold out and say that I’m rich. If I’m really rich, you’d see my Maserati here, but I really don’t have,” Rui jokes.
That said, Rui affirms that the bakery is profitable, though she declined to share details. “If the business is losing money, we wouldn’t continue,” she says. “We’re also catering [bread] to restaurants, so that helps.”
Turning point after a bad accident
Last year, Ling’s routine 12-hour days came to a halt when she crashed her motorbike into a fallen tree in heavy rain. The bike crushed her ankle, leaving her hospitalised for two months and requiring reconstructive surgery. "There was a lot of dead skin on my ankle that they had to trim off," Ling recalls. She still needs regular physiotherapy. “After a few hours of standing, my leg will start to swell and I have to rest,” she says.
During her six-month recovery, Chu and Co ran a smaller menu. It was the first time they realised they couldn’t do it all alone – and finally hired a full-time baker. “We’ve been trying to hire more staff, but it’s not easy. Not many people want to work in F&B,” Rui admits.
Laidback, hip ‘kampong’ vibe
Despite the low footfall in the quiet private estate, the duo were drawn to the Serangoon Gardens shophouse because of its outdoor space. “We never intended to open a cafe – it was always meant to be a bakery with mainly takeaways,” says Rui. “What really attracted us was the large outdoor space.”
While the public outdoor area has a couple benches, customers began lingering on their own with picnic mats and foldable chairs. Soon, the pavement turned into a makeshift hangout – despite the punishing midday heat. “The community grew organically,” recalls Rui. Adding to that charm is a belimbing tree growing just outside the shop. The duo once experimented with pickling its tart fruit, but these days it’s the neighbours who harvest it for adding its piquancy to dishes like curries.
Why no dine-in license?
With their awesome bakes, it seems a pity to us that there is no comfortable seating and air-conditioning to enjoy them. The few times we’ve been here, we’ve had to pair their tasty sandwiches with stewing in the Singaporean heat. Turns out Rui and Ling had previously applied for a dine-in licence, but were turned down due to the shop’s close proximity to houses in the residential estate and past concerns from neighbours about parking issues.
They say sales are roughly evenly split between pure takeaway customers and those who choose to hang around outside. Has this set-up affected their business? “Not really, it’s always been part of our vibe so it’s manageable,” explains Rui. “Some people like it, some really don’t.”
The neighbourhood itself has also grown on them. “We were new to this area, but it slowly became special to us because of our fellow neighbours and tenants. Everyone has just been super warm and friendly – from the bike shop, the preschool, and even members who work at the church next door. Everyone kinda became friends,” she adds.
Given that sense of community, relocating to a proper sit-down space has never been on the cards. “We prefer to keep things the way they are. And with the community we’ve built, I don’t think we will bear to move out.”
In case you’re wondering — the bakery’s name is inspired by “初心” (chu xin), or “beginner’s heart” — the title of chef André Chiang’s autobiography. A culinary hero to Ling, Chiang’s philosophy resonated deeply with the millennial bakers.
Visit early to grab your bakes
Inside, the bakery is raw and minimalist, with loaves and pastries displayed on a rugged concrete counter. When we visited at 10am, several items had already sold out.
If you want the widest variety, it’s best to visit early; doors open at 8.30am and regulars often pop in two or three times a week to stock up. “It gets warmer in the afternoon, so normally people come in the morning,” Rui notes.
And since there’s no dine-in seats, you’ll have to rough it outdoors with everyone else. Pro tip: bring your own chair or picnic mat, even a portable fan – or just embrace the kampong spirit and enjoy your bakes under the sun.
Coffee is available too
The coffee bar at Chu and Co is a simple, wood-panelled setup accented with framed prints, dried florals and quirky knick-knacks. Their beans come from local roastery Cata Coffee, and the menu covers the essentials – espresso, long black, white, mocha, plus cold brews – alongside non-coffee options like hot chocolate, matcha latte and smoothies. When we visited, the barista was off-duty, so Rui herself stepped in behind the machine.
Sarnies with a chef’s touch
Their restaurant backgrounds show in the details. Rui, who holds a culinary diploma from Temasek Polytechnic, cut her teeth as a chef de partie (line cook) at casual French diner Le Bistrot du Sommelier before moving into pastry at Micro Bakery, while Ling trained with the Garibaldi Group – the folks behind fine-diner Garibaldi Italian Restaurant & Bar, which earned a Michelin star in 2017 – working her way up to pastry sous chef there.
That finesse translates into menu highlights like the Mexican-inflected beef birria sando featuring braised beef cheek with jalapeño, tomato and spices, and the otah grilled cheese with house-made mackerel otah and applewood-smoked cheddar.
Kopi Bomb, $7 for three (8 DAYS Pick!)
A spin on the classic buttery-soaked, syrupy French pastry kouign-amann, the Kopi Bomb has been a menu mainstay since day one. The laminated pastry is crisp on the outside, while the insides stay soft, buttery and chewy. Each knot is coated in espresso sugar, giving it a glossy caramelised crust with a bittersweet coffee kick. Rich, aromatic and just the right amount of sweet, it’s no wonder the signature item is sold in sets of three.
Garlic Butter, Scamorza, Garlic Aioli, $8 (8 DAYS Pick!)
Think of this as garlic bread, levelled up. The rustic, chewy rye baguette base is filled with scamorza, an Italian cow’s milk cheese similar to mozzarella but with a smokier, more savoury depth. On top, a slather of punchy garlic aioli and soft confit garlic cloves amps up the fragrance, while a sprinkle of chives adds freshness.
Gochujang, Kimchi, Egg Mayo, $9.50
Creamy, rich egg mayo gets a spicy-sour lift from kimchi and gochujang (Korean red chilli paste), heaped generously onto a crisp, buttery Danish base. The layers of pastry flake beautifully, but the indulgent topping was a little too heavy for us – tasty, but best shared if you’re not in the mood for something ultra-rich.
Lemon Blueberry Cake, $5.50 (8 DAYS Pick!)
Doused in the bakery’s “super acidic syrup” made from fresh lemon zest and juice, this meltingly soft loaf is moist, buttery and far more tangy than your average lemon cake (in a good way). Juicy blueberries add sweetness that balances the zing. Simple but stellar.
German Chocolate Cake, $5.50 (8 DAYS Pick!)
Made with crème fraîche and sour cream, this loaf is dense and damp yet tender, with a deep chocolate flavour that lingers without being cloying. A straightforward, satisfying chocolate cake done well.
Beef Birria Sando, $17 - available till end Sept (8 DAYS Pick!)
Built on their house-baked sourdough with 30 percent whole wheat, this hefty seasonal sando (only available till end Sept) features beef cheek slow-braised with jalapeño, tomato and spices, then reduced in beef fat and jus till it’s meltingly tender and juicy. Every bite delivers a robust, full beefy flavour with gooey melted mozzarella, cut through with the punch of fresh coriander and red onion. It’s delicious, but would be even better if, like the Mexican quesabirria (taco-quesadilla hybrid) it’s inspired by, it came with a beefy chili-spiced broth to dunk the sarnie in. Rui tells us she might just do that soon. Still, this is a sando that hits all the right notes.
Otak Grilled Cheese, $17
Also made with their sturdy house loaf, this sarnie comes with house-made mackerel otak layered with applewood-smoked cheddar and mozzarella. The otak is aromatic and has a great lemak flavour, and the cheese brings gooey richness. Together, however, the combination veers a little heavy – we found it a bit too rich after a few bites, though our colleagues adore it. This is permanently on the menu, at least for now.
Iced Latte, $6.50
Smooth and balanced, the iced coffee made with Brazilian beans roasted by Cata Coffee is refreshing and a good match for the pastries.
The details
Chu and Co is at 15 Lichfield Rd, S556835. Open daily except Mon & Tue, 8.30am - 4pm. More info via Instagram.
Photos: Dillon Tan, Florence Fong
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