The pastry chef of Antoinette cafe has branched out to Hakka kueh.

What's this new kueh thing?

Pang's Hakka Delicacies is started by the 42-year-old Antoinette pastry chef, Pang Kok Keong, in February 2018.

He started it to celebrate the rich food culture of the dialect group he belongs to after 20 years of cooking French cuisine.

However, the business doesn't have its own standalone brick-and-mortar shop though.

It operates out of French cafe Antoinette instead. And does takeaways.

Customers place orders via WhatsApp message and self-collect their orders via the back door of Antoinette.

What it sells

Its star dish is the Abacus Seeds (S$8 for 250g, S$30 for 1kg), more commonly known as suan pan zi.

They are tiny yam balls made with more yam than those found elsewhere, making Pang's version more chewy and less mushy.

Pang's version is also sautéed with minced pork, leek, garlic, black fungus, mushroom, Chinese celery, dried shrimp, and dried cuttlefish.

The Hakka Leek Kueh (S$12 for 6) are also recommended. These are like soon kueh, except they are filled with minced Chinese leeks, dried shrimps, and fried tau kwa.

The Hakka Mugwort Kueh (S$9 for 3) is also unique.

It has a chewy skin flavoured by Mugwort, more popularly known in Mandarin as 艾草, an aromatic and bitter herb.

Its filling consists of white radish, salted turnip, sweet turnip, carrot, minced pork, garlic, dried shrimp, mushroom, and fried shallots, turning out a taste profile that Pang says is sweet, salty, umami, and bitter.

This is his full menu, if you're interested:

Other dishes

Apart from the regular dishes (Abacus Seeds, Yam Cake, Leek Kueh, and Mugwort Kueh), Pang regularly updates the menu with new dishes, such as Hakka Mee Tai Mak, for a limited time.

Admittedly, the price is steeper than what you would find elsewhere, but his kueh, which consistently command stellar reviews, are very labour-intensive.

Shaping an entire wok of yam beads takes between four to five hours, according to Pang.

Abacus Seeds "taste like home"

Pang's Hakka Delicacies has been receiving stellar reviews on Facebook, with many praising his Abacus Seeds for its homely taste and generous portions of ingredients.

[related_story]

Order via WhatsApp, collect at Penhas Road

Here's how you place an order with Pang's Hakka Delicacies:

1. Send your orders to +65 9021 7507 via WhatsApp at least one day in advance, before 3pm.
2. Collect at the back alley of 30 Penhas Road (Antoinette) between 11am - 1pm (look for the sign with the hand-painted "客".
3. Collection is only available on Saturdays and Sundays.
4. Cash payment only.

Unfortunately, you cannot collect your Hakka kueh and savour it inside Antoinette (we've checked).

We would recommend having it by a nearby kopitiam with a side of kopi.

Remember to follow their Facebook page to check out new items on their menu.

Why we need a paradigm shift when it comes to local food:

Top images via Pang's Hakka Delicacies Facebook page and Joshua Lee.