Poh Guan Cake House has traditional pastries at Hong Lim Complex

Whenever I’m in Chinatown, I usually head to Yum Cha for a spread of dim sum or Hong Lim Food Centre for cheap eats. But on a recent visit, the smell of freshly baked goodies led me to Poh Guan Cake House at Hong Lim Complex. This traditional bakery has been making Chinese pastries since the 1930s, for almost 100 years, so we had to give them a try.

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Their cheapest pastry is the Bei Tei Soh ($1.20): a flaky, crispy crust with a sweet and sticky maltose filling that oozes out when it’s warmed up. We didn’t get to try this when we were there.