Local patisserie Antoinette announced its impending closure in a Facebook post on Jun. 23.

It has two outlets, one in Penhas Road and another in Millennia Walk.

Antoinette closing on Jun. 30

Known for its French pastries, the last day of operation for both the outlets is Jun. 30, 2020.

Antoinette has been around for close to nine years.

The winding up of Antoinette follows several other F&B closures including Plentyfull, Fabulous Baker Boy and Out of the Cake Box.

Not closing because of Covid-19

In an interview with 8 Days, chef-owner Pang Kok Keong shared that the rough circuit breaker period or rental cost didn't kill the business.

In fact, he shared that introducing new takeaway offerings made for sales that were "comparable" to that of the same period last year.

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He also paid for a lower rent when Antoinette last renewed its lease.

What made the business unsustainable, however, was the levy paid to the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) for its Penhas Road shophouse.

He said:

"It’s getting very difficult to operate from our location at Penhas Road as the levy we pay has been increasing exponentially — in fact, it is even higher than the rent. We have reached a point where it is impossible to operate here, thus the decision to close Antoinette."

In the interview, he also hinted that the closure doesn't mean the end of his kitchen endeavours.

"Closing Antoinette doesn't mean that I am giving up baking."

Opening noodle stall

In fact, he also said that he will be opening a noodle stall called Pang's Hakka Noodles.

It will open at a new venue in end-July 2020.

Pang shared that this has been in the works since last October and was slated to open around the Chinese New Year period.

However, the Covid-19 outbreak delayed the process.

Antoinette is known for its French-inspired sweet treats including souffle pancakes and macarons.

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Apart from Pang's bakes and desserts at Antoinette, he is also known for the Hakka dishes that he serves at Pang's Hakka Delicacies, including a unique mochi dumpling.

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Top image from @chef_pang & @prettyflavorsonly on Instagram.