The new space is located at Ion Orchard and offers an expanded menu of classic and signature pastries, as well as elevated brunch dishes
A visit to Ion Orchard has gotten more exciting, as homegrown pastry shop Le Matin Patisserie is opening its first dine-in concept on February 1. Originally founded by chef-owner Mohamed Al-Matin as an online business in the midst of the pandemic, the 37-seater dining concept offers an expanded menu comprising his classic and signature pastries, as well as an inspired bistro fare available from Wednesday to Sunday (11am to 3pm).
“The food I serve is what I personally love to eat,” shares the talented chef, who trained at some of the best kitchens in the world. He was the former pastry chef at Restaurant André and was Noma’s pastry sous chef for two years, before moving back to Singapore to set up his online pastry shop in 2020.
Al-Matin grew the business with a test kitchen at Raeburn Park and pop-ups at Robinson Road and Paragon (which have since closed), but the young chef tells us that opening at Ion Orchard—which has the busiest foot traffic and stiffer competition—is a “huge marketing move for the team to gain more traction and bring the business to the next level”.
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Mouth-watering rows upon rows of cakes, pastries and viennoiseries welcome diners who step inside the brightly lit minimalist space, fashioned like a stylish living room that’s swathed in hues of brown, yellow and gold. Al-Matin tells us that his classic bakes—the ones which were snapped up seconds after their release on social media—remain on the menu.
Aiming for a bigger audience, he and his team of three pastry chefs have also crafted new flavours inspired by everything under the sun. While Al-Matin hasn’t travelled since the pandemic began, he takes inspiration from many things such as “social media, walking around a museum or Ion Orchard, and visiting a hardware store or supermarket”. He adds that he also looks to the season to see what ingredients are available in order to reinvigorate his creations.
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