12 Years After Starting As Home Biz, Elijah Pies Opens Biggest Cafe Yet In Joo Chiat

Occupying a heritage shophouse, the cafe, opening Saturday (Sept 12), has 60 spaciously-arranged seats, including a light-filled private room and a pet-friendly outdoor area.

After opening their Tanjong Pagar cafe three years ago – they also have a baking studio at King George's Avenue where they run workshops – they observed that many of their customers lived in the east, making Joo Chiat a good location for a flagship outlet, Wong shared.

Following a nearly two-year search, they finally found the perfect space; it was “love at first sight” when they viewed the shophouse.

The interior, designed by architectural firm Nice Projects, is full of polished design touches, including tabletops incorporating blue Brazilian crystal and flooring featuring 1,480 hand-cut, hand-placed Italian travertine tiles.  

The goal for the cafe was to be able to accommodate larger families, and the new spot allows for a massive 10-seat dining table with a lazy Susan. There’ll also be free babyccinos and housemade cheese crisps for young children, Wong said.

Pet-friendly space

The married couple also wanted the space to be welcoming for pets, having acquired their first dog, a Shih Tzu-poodle cross named Snoopy, a year ago. Observing that many dog owners walk their dogs in the area, “We’ve designed a pet service corner outside where you can grab some water for your pet,” Wong said. Doggie visitors will also get a free dog cookie.

New eats to expect 

The new space is also an opportunity to showcase a few “more elevated techniques” and artistry, Wong said. Cue the “flagship dine-in special”, Elijah’s Souffle Pie ($18), baked a la minute and served warm. It’s a gianduja souffle with almond joconde and hazelnut praline, topped with a chocolate flower that melts slowly into the dessert.

Another new addition to the regular menu is a Kaya Toffee Pie ($9). Inspired by the Peranakan shophouse and its surrounds, it features housemade kaya, gula Melaka toffee and grated coconut.

Pizza pies with a croissant crust 

Then, there’s a new series of “Pizza Pies”. Inspired by Chicago deep-dish pizza pies, these are made with a croissant crust: the hand-laminated dough is thrice-folded into 27 alternating layers of French butter and flour. “It took a lot of effort and research” to “capture the essence of pizza, while presenting it in a way that is on-brand, nice to eat and aesthetically pleasing”, Tan said, adding that the R&D process “took us a good four to five months”.

The six-inch pies, designed for sharing, come in four flavours: Garlic Ebi ($22), Truffle Croque ($24), “Cheeseburger” ($23), and sour cream and onion potato chip-inspired “Ruffles” ($23). The last, which features potato gratin and portobello duxelle, is finished with espuma piped at the table, and drops of chive oil.

Fancy pet food

Doggie pies for furry friends are also available, supplied by pet bakery Petissier. They come in “Wild Berry Lavender” and “Matchamisu” options ($9) to resemble Elijah Pies’ signature bakes, but are made with chicken breast, potato, Chinese yam and coconut cream.

Wash it all down with…

On top of the classic drinks, there’s also a new range of mocktails. The “Berry Bubble” ($12) is Tan’s take on a strawberry matcha, with cold-brewed green tea topped with strawberry foam. A Champagne-inspired mocktail ($12) blends white tea with sauvignon blanc grapes and non-alcoholic Prosecco. Then there’s a fun drink inspired by Tan’s favourite fruit as a child, mango, featuring clarified mango juice, grapefruit oleo saccharum and an orange blossom lollipop ($13).

Finally, the “1930” ($13) is a mocktail that pays homage to the building and its culture: Coconut water infused with pandan leaves, layered with butterfly pea extract and served with a foamy topping that combines coconut cream with hazelnut milk.

Recipe for longevity

As with all their menu offerings, thought was put into how beautiful and shareable the dishes would be, Wong said. And, as it turns out, she credits that with being one of the major factors for Elijah Pies’ continued success over 12 years and counting – ever since the seed of the idea was born when Tan first tried to impress Wong by baking her a Nutella pie, and one pie grew into an online shop. 

“We invest a lot in social media marketing,” with photography being especially important, divulged Wong, who left a 10-year career in brand marketing to run the business full time. “We make the photos and the pies that we serve look yummy online, and people are intrigued enough to visit our store.”

It is a concerted strategy that has been honed over a long period. “We have been working for many years with a photographer that we trust. All the photos that you see on Instagram are by him. We kind of know what makes views and engagement go up – certain angles or scenes. Over the years. we’ve improved. I think it stems from how we started primarily as an online business,” she said. Equally important is making sure “the experience people have online is in line with what we have in the store”.

On top of Wong’s experience in marketing, there’s also Tan’s background in business.

“We know how to, in a sense, run it less like an F&B operation and more like a business, and I think that has kind of kept us afloat,” he said. It’s things like planning for the price of ingredients to go up, for example. “All the challenges you hear about – the cost of goods, increasing wages – we feel the exact same thing.”

What helped was that “we didn’t start off with a full retail cafe. We started small, taking less risks. We set up a delivery-only model with a central kitchen, and that helped us a lot during COVID-19. It was only after the lockdowns were over, when everyone could go out, that we opened our retail shop at Tanjong Pagar.”

“It took us eight years to open that first dining concept because we want to be accountable to the team behind us as well – they rely on us to make good decisions for their livelihood,” Wong added. “We certainly could not do all of this on our own. From the baking team to the service crew, all of them have really made a difference.”

As for running a business as a married couple, yes, it does come with challenges, including little day-to-day squabbles. “You learn, lah!” Tan quipped. “It’s best to have a very clear division of job scope. You do what you're good at, and then trust the other party to execute it well, rather than trying to micromanage everything.”

For now, Wong said, they’re settling into the new neighbourhood, which has already welcomed them with warm greetings and eager enquiries.

Elijah Pies opens Sept 12 at 72 Joo Chiat Pl, S427789. Open Tue–Fri 10am–6pm; Sat–Mon 10am–10pm. More info via Instagram and website.

Photos: CNA/Kelvin Chia, Elijah Pies

Source: CNA/my

The original version of this story first appeared in CNA Lifestyle.

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