Lean & Rich Bakery

A bakery that serves breakfast, not a brunch spot that bakes, and the difference is the whole point.

Lean & Rich is the bakery to cross town for a calm breakfast by the river, as long as breakfast is what you want: the menu is short, built around bread rather than brunch plates. Start with the plain croissant, add the morning platter with extra sourdough ordered up front, and go early in the day rather than late. It is closed on Mondays.

The name explains itself. Bakers divide doughs into two families: lean ones made with little more than flour, water, salt and yeast, such as sourdough and focaccia, and rich ones loaded with butter, sugar and eggs, such as croissants and brioche. This UE Square bakery does both, and the menu is split the same way.

Co-founder and baker Hong Ui Chang previously headed Tartine Bakery in Hannam-dong, Seoul, and opened here in August 2024. The room is pared back, a Nordic look with red accents, and the coffee uses Caffè Vergnano beans.

The rich side is where to start. The plain croissant is the test of any bakery and the one to order first; ham and cheese, vanilla, seeded cinnamon and pistachio versions follow if it passes.

The lean side shows up at the table. The morning platter brings sourdough with soft-boiled eggs, cheese, whipped butter and fig jam. It comes with two slices of bread, which is one fewer than the butter and jam deserve, so order extra when you order the platter. Gorgonzola and caramelised pecan on ciabatta and a "supergrain" latte modelled on a Korean roasted-grain drink round things out.

The compromise is the menu's length. Anyone after a full lunch should go elsewhere; treat it as a bakery that serves breakfast, not a brunch spot that bakes.

How to do it well: UE Square, on Clemenceau Avenue by the river, is a calm spot away from the Orchard crowds and a short walk from Fort Canning MRT. Come on a weekday morning, or before a riverside walk at the weekend, and come early rather than late if the platter is the plan. Order the plain croissant first; if it earns its place, the platter is next.

Good to know UE Square is on Clemenceau Avenue near Fort Canning MRT. Closed Mondays; check the bakery's social media before a weekend visit, and go early if you want the morning platter.

Lean & Rich Bakery | #01-14, UE Square, 81 Clemenceau Avenue, Singapore 239917 | Nearest MRT: Fort Canning