Taste test: pineapple tarts
It isn't Chinese New Year without pineapple tarts – so we try seven popular brands to see which one comes up on top
Yi Kou Wei
The tarts ($19.80) were crumbly and dry with too little pineapple filling. It’s also not well made: bits of burnt pineapple peeping through the pastry.
www.yikowei.com
Bee Cheng Hiang
These bite-sized tarts ($11.85) might look pretty but the sweet pastry overwhelms the flavour of the pineapple jam. You get what you pay for with these.
www.beechenghiang.com.sg
Subway Niche
This open-faced tart ($20) has a biscuit-like crust loaded with lots of jam. While the jam was not too sweet, we felt that it lacked tartness and tasted pretty ordinary.
#B1-17, Wisma Atria Shopping Centre, 435 Orchard Rd
The Pine Garden
The Pine Garden's pineapple tarts ($28.60) score points for its homemade jam that isn't too sweet but the pastry wasn't buttery enough for our liking.
www.pgcake.com
Bakerzin
Even though these ingots ($23.80) are large, they achieve the right pastry-to-filling ratio. The pineapple jam is cooked with cinnamon and cloves, adding dimension to each bite.
www.bakerzin.com
Old Seng Choong
Old Seng Choong's new spicy Nonya pineapple tarts ($26.80) are packed with hae bee hiam and sambal – and found ourselves surprisingly enjoying this curious mix of local flavours. The spicy filling packs a punch and the pastry is firm but crumbly.
Bengawan Solo
THE WINNER
Maybe it’s because most of us grew up with Bengawan Solo’s pineapple tarts ($19.80), but these golden nuggets won the office vote. The soft buttery pastry is the ideal vehicle for the sweet and tangy pineapple jam.
www.bengawansolo.com.sg
