Li Nanxing was a busy ball of congeniality at the launch of Bakers & Co., a new bakery at Taste Supermarket.

Li, who is a friend of the supermarket's owner, was there on Nov. 20 to promote the bakery's opening, as well as his hae bee hiam (spicy dried shrimp sambal) croissants and curry chicken.

The Ah-Ge (big brother) buzzed around, giving interviews, busying himself in the kitchen, and even serving us his dishes personally.

"There's more coming, don't fight over it," he joked as he put down two croissants at our table of four.

Despite his stature in the industry, Lee is easily one of the more easygoing celebs who puts you at ease almost immediately with his casual speech and demeanour.

He's popular among other artistes, too.

Besides Julie Tan and Constance Song, who are managed by LNX Global (Li's talent management agency), a number of other Mediacorp celebs also turned up to support his endeavour.

"They come down on their without even me having to ask," Li boasted.

The dishes

Li said that his curry chicken is 50 per cent inspired by his late mother's recipe, and 50 per cent from his own imagination.

The chicken was tender and the curry fragrant, overall pleasing to the Singaporean palate.

Our only gripe: we wished that it was significantly spicier, as we could barely feel the heat.

On the flip side, those with a low tolerance for spice will be able to polish it off without torturing their tastebuds.

The accompanying baguette was good enough to eat on its own — crusty on the outside and fluffy on the inside, and not taxing on the jaws as some baguettes tend to be.

The hae bee hiam croissants, on the other hand, provided a kick of spicy sweetness complemented by the buttery croissant (which was surprisingly well done).

It had a strong flavour that overshadowed the dishes that preceded it.

You can get both at Bakers & Co. for takeaway:

• Ah Ge’s Curry Chicken Set (S$9.90, comes with a side of baguette)
• Ah Ge’s Dried Scallop Hae Bee Hiam with Croissant (S$7.90 for a set of three)

These won't be cooked personally by Li, however, but they are made from his recipe (you won't be able to catch Li at the bakery as well, unfortunately.)

Besides cooking, Li is also busy with a few upcoming showbiz projects, so fans can keep their eyes peeled for that.

Details

Address:  118 Holland Avenue, Raffles Holland V Mall Basement 1, Singapore 278997

Opening Hours: 8am - 10pm, daily

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Top image by Mandy How