Assorted egg tarts ($18.20)!
Bakery box of 6 fancy egg tarts including classic Portuguese, charcoal sesame, matcha, lychee rose, tiramisu, mango passionfruit. $18.20.
A box of assorted egg tarts, $18.20 from a fancier bakery picked up on the way home. 😋👍🏼
What was in the box (6 pieces):
- Classic Portuguese egg tart: caramelised top, set-custard centre, signature lacquered burn marks
- Charcoal sesame egg tart: jet-black bamboo-charcoal jelly top, dusted sesame stripe down the middle
- Matcha + chai jelly tart: deep matcha cream with what looks like a small chai-spice scoop on top
- Brûlée egg tart: torched sugar top, classic caramel crackle
- Tiramisu egg tart: white cream quenelle with cocoa dust, espresso-soaked custard underneath
- Mango passionfruit tart: clear yellow jelly with fresh fruit slices, the fruit-forward outlier
The puff-pastry shell is the constant. Each tart starts from the same shatter-crisp, multi-layered laminated base that you see in Portuguese pastéis de nata. The flavour variation goes into the filling and topping.
The brûlée vs lacquered Portuguese comparison is the interesting one: both rely on direct heat to caramelise the top, but the Portuguese version goes for the dark burnt spots from the broiler at the very end, while brûlée uses fine sugar torched with a butane gun for that even glassy crackle.
The charcoal sesame is the social-media bait. Charcoal as a colour-bearer has no flavour of its own, so the tart leans on the sesame paste underneath to carry it. Visually striking, taste is more subtle than the look suggests.
At $3.03 a tart ($18.20 / 6), this is the cafe-bakery tier. Not the $1.20 traditional kopitiam Portuguese tart, but for a 6-flavour assortment box with custom flavour development, the price is fair.
Overall: 4.4 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Solid fancy egg tart sampler. The brûlée was the standout. Would re-buy the box for a celebration.
