Last year, hawker stall Uggli Muffins made headlines when its owner announced his retirement after 18 years in business. Anton Tan, 53, had taken over his parents’ longtime zi char stall called Bliss Haven Restaurant at Toa Payoh Lorong 1, but pivoted to selling muffins.
His muffin shop proved popular enough to spawn a second outlet at Jalan Besar, though all that came to a halt in October 2023, when Tan decided to “take a break” as he could not find a successor to take over his stalls as he’s “getting older”.
Speaking to 8days.sg, the bachelor shared back then that his business had “grown to a scale that is somewhat beyond the owner’s capability of management.” He had offered to train potential successors who pay a S$3,000 “course fee”, but the search was ultimately unsuccessful. “Young people generally don’t want to be hawkers these days,” he opines.
TRAVELLED THE WORLD DURING HIATUS
After one last hurrah where he attracted snaking queues for giving away free muffins to thank customers for their support, Tan pulled down his shutters on Oct 10. “After that, I went travelling for two months, staying in hostels with workers. I went to places like Hong Kong and Shanghai, came back to Singapore for a day, and went to Manchester [in the UK], where I used to study engineering. Then I went to Paris, Bulgaria…” he shared.
While waiting in Paris for a vendor to whip up a French crepe, Tan got the idea to sell crepes upon his return to Singapore. Manpower had been his Achilles heel as a hawker, and a la minute crepes were less laborious to make than trays of muffins.
Tan now sells crepes with assorted toppings. (Photo: 8Days/Dillon Tan)
S$2 SOURDOUGH FRENCH CREPES
So Tan reopened his Uggli Muffins stall on Mar 4 and put up a handwritten sign advertising French crepes in three flavours: Fresh Banana, Fruit of the Day and Nut of the Day. All crepes are slathered with a generous layer of Nutella and, incredibly, are priced at just S$2 each as an opening promotion that will run for a yet-to-be-determined period. Customers who buy five crepes will get one more for free.
Tan preparing the crepes. (Photo: 8Days/Dillon Tan)
During our visit, he also offered uncommon sourdough crepes, though he is unsure if he will continue to do so. “The crowd in this hawker centre are generally old people, and they are not used to a sourish taste for food. When I made an Oreo flavour for my muffins last time, some of them informed me that there were white flecks in the muffins,” Tan laughed.
Anton Tan's stall boasts multiple signboards. (Photo: 8Days/Dillon Tan)
But the unusually philosophical hawker has a new perspective on work after his hiatus. He muses: “I have decided to run my stall like how I travelled: Just go with the wind!” His muffin ovens are still placed prominently at the front of the stall, though he no longer uses them and relies on a crepe pan these days. “There’s nowhere to store my ovens anyway,” he deadpanned.
We have also never seen a hawker stall with three signboards. Tan’s mother had insisted that he “cannot touch” her Bliss Haven Restaurant signboard when he took over, and so his Uggli Muffins signboard was tacked on below. “If I add one more for crepes, I think my stall front will look a bit crowded,” he noted wryly.
Fresh Banana Sourdough Crepe, S$2. (Photo: 8Days/Dillon Tan)
Tan’s golden-hued crepes are marvellous. The delicate skillet pancake iss soft, but without the crispier shell of a French galette. The batter forms just a thick-enough layer to cradle gooey Nutella, which Tan smothers with tart slices of ripe Berangan bananas. The banana's sharp flavour and tangy sourdough crepe add an elegant depth to the junky hazelnut spread’s sweetness.
Tan also scatters a handful of crunchy chopped peanuts on our banana crepe, which makes it even nicer. As for how much the top-up is for the nuts, you will have to ask the man himself, because he is still figuring things out as he goes. If you don’t fancy sourdough, the plain crepe is just as good.
Fruit of the Day Crepe, S$2. (Photo: 8Days/Dillon Tan)
There is a "Fruit of the Day" crepe, which was strawberry during our visit (Tan gets his fruits from the wet market downstairs). He emphasised that the fruit options are mostly “seasonal”, and customers could also randomly get grapes. But he also plans to serve “liqueur-soaked raisins” on crepes, which sounds delish and atas, especially at S$2 a pancake.
Nut of the Day Crepe, S$2. (Photo: 8Days/Dillon Tan)
Out of the three flavours, we find ‘nut of the day’ peanuts with Nutella on a crepe underwhelming, though still tasty. The generously-portioned crepes almost make a full meal by themselves when stuffed with fruits like bananas and strawberries, and would definitely cost a whole lot more when plated fancily at a cafe. Worth a trek to Toa Payoh for these.
As Anton Tan is a one-man-show, we recommend that you contact him in advance for bigger orders to avoid disappointment.
Uggli Muffins is at 127 Toa Payoh Lorong 1, #02-34, Toa Payoh West Market & Food Centre, Singapore 310127. Tel: 9877 9020. Open daily except Mon, 12pm to 3pm.
This story was originally published in 8Days.
For more 8Days stories, visit https://www.8days.sg/
Continue reading...
His muffin shop proved popular enough to spawn a second outlet at Jalan Besar, though all that came to a halt in October 2023, when Tan decided to “take a break” as he could not find a successor to take over his stalls as he’s “getting older”.
Speaking to 8days.sg, the bachelor shared back then that his business had “grown to a scale that is somewhat beyond the owner’s capability of management.” He had offered to train potential successors who pay a S$3,000 “course fee”, but the search was ultimately unsuccessful. “Young people generally don’t want to be hawkers these days,” he opines.
TRAVELLED THE WORLD DURING HIATUS
After one last hurrah where he attracted snaking queues for giving away free muffins to thank customers for their support, Tan pulled down his shutters on Oct 10. “After that, I went travelling for two months, staying in hostels with workers. I went to places like Hong Kong and Shanghai, came back to Singapore for a day, and went to Manchester [in the UK], where I used to study engineering. Then I went to Paris, Bulgaria…” he shared.
While waiting in Paris for a vendor to whip up a French crepe, Tan got the idea to sell crepes upon his return to Singapore. Manpower had been his Achilles heel as a hawker, and a la minute crepes were less laborious to make than trays of muffins.
Tan now sells crepes with assorted toppings. (Photo: 8Days/Dillon Tan)
S$2 SOURDOUGH FRENCH CREPES
So Tan reopened his Uggli Muffins stall on Mar 4 and put up a handwritten sign advertising French crepes in three flavours: Fresh Banana, Fruit of the Day and Nut of the Day. All crepes are slathered with a generous layer of Nutella and, incredibly, are priced at just S$2 each as an opening promotion that will run for a yet-to-be-determined period. Customers who buy five crepes will get one more for free.
Tan preparing the crepes. (Photo: 8Days/Dillon Tan)
During our visit, he also offered uncommon sourdough crepes, though he is unsure if he will continue to do so. “The crowd in this hawker centre are generally old people, and they are not used to a sourish taste for food. When I made an Oreo flavour for my muffins last time, some of them informed me that there were white flecks in the muffins,” Tan laughed.
Anton Tan's stall boasts multiple signboards. (Photo: 8Days/Dillon Tan)
But the unusually philosophical hawker has a new perspective on work after his hiatus. He muses: “I have decided to run my stall like how I travelled: Just go with the wind!” His muffin ovens are still placed prominently at the front of the stall, though he no longer uses them and relies on a crepe pan these days. “There’s nowhere to store my ovens anyway,” he deadpanned.
We have also never seen a hawker stall with three signboards. Tan’s mother had insisted that he “cannot touch” her Bliss Haven Restaurant signboard when he took over, and so his Uggli Muffins signboard was tacked on below. “If I add one more for crepes, I think my stall front will look a bit crowded,” he noted wryly.
Fresh Banana Sourdough Crepe, S$2. (Photo: 8Days/Dillon Tan)
Tan’s golden-hued crepes are marvellous. The delicate skillet pancake iss soft, but without the crispier shell of a French galette. The batter forms just a thick-enough layer to cradle gooey Nutella, which Tan smothers with tart slices of ripe Berangan bananas. The banana's sharp flavour and tangy sourdough crepe add an elegant depth to the junky hazelnut spread’s sweetness.
Tan also scatters a handful of crunchy chopped peanuts on our banana crepe, which makes it even nicer. As for how much the top-up is for the nuts, you will have to ask the man himself, because he is still figuring things out as he goes. If you don’t fancy sourdough, the plain crepe is just as good.
Fruit of the Day Crepe, S$2. (Photo: 8Days/Dillon Tan)
There is a "Fruit of the Day" crepe, which was strawberry during our visit (Tan gets his fruits from the wet market downstairs). He emphasised that the fruit options are mostly “seasonal”, and customers could also randomly get grapes. But he also plans to serve “liqueur-soaked raisins” on crepes, which sounds delish and atas, especially at S$2 a pancake.
Nut of the Day Crepe, S$2. (Photo: 8Days/Dillon Tan)
Out of the three flavours, we find ‘nut of the day’ peanuts with Nutella on a crepe underwhelming, though still tasty. The generously-portioned crepes almost make a full meal by themselves when stuffed with fruits like bananas and strawberries, and would definitely cost a whole lot more when plated fancily at a cafe. Worth a trek to Toa Payoh for these.
As Anton Tan is a one-man-show, we recommend that you contact him in advance for bigger orders to avoid disappointment.
Uggli Muffins is at 127 Toa Payoh Lorong 1, #02-34, Toa Payoh West Market & Food Centre, Singapore 310127. Tel: 9877 9020. Open daily except Mon, 12pm to 3pm.
This story was originally published in 8Days.
For more 8Days stories, visit https://www.8days.sg/
Continue reading...