Bingo Bakery: Dreaming To Be A Space For Good Food And More
Don't mistake Bingo for yet another stylish cafe in Joo Chiat - it's hoping to be a space for great pastries and to be an example that following your creative dreams isn't impossible in Singapore.
The first thing that catches your eye when you arrive at Bingo is a rough-hewn wooden porch outside the bakery that's upcycled from discarded railway sleepers – here you're likely to find a pooch (or several) and their humans hanging out, munching on fresh bakes.
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"Raw, simple, easy-going and down to earth" – that was the brief given by baker Jaslyn Chua to her group of friends who helped to create the small universe of Bingo, a bakery that opened last month at 174 Joo Chiat Road.
Bingo founder Jaslyn Chua, pictured here on the bakery's front porch that's pet-friendly.
Within, the impression is that of stepping into a friend's home; one who evidently mixes earthy comfort with an appreciation for design. See the mottled metal lamp shades that's repurposed from steel claddings left behind by the previous tenant, or the gauzy linen hangings artfully stained by natural dye specialist Soma Folk that veils the storage corners. Anchoring it all is a communal table by the main window that's meant to encourage conversations.
Quirky touches like this maneki-neko figurine (traditional Japanese cat-shaped dolls believed to bring good luck to their owners) with an oversized paw help burnish the space with a sense of homeliness.
The Bingo effect is one that's understatedly stylish, burnished with warm hospitality, and in a sense, the space represents a homecoming of sorts for Chua. The 30-year-old's been in the food game for some time, having founded the popular Micro Bakery chain in 2019 (she departed after opening its second branch at East Coast Road). Chua subsequently did several stints overseas in Tokyo and Copenhagen, before being headhunted to be head of R&D at Tiong Bahru Bakery.
It took a village of Chua's friends to bring her vision of "raw, simple, easy-going and down to earth" to life - the results speak for themselves.
"I enjoy developing brands as a hobby and have always helped others build their company. When I chanced upon unit 174 on Joo Chiat Road, everything felt right. I thought it was time I build a space for myself, a space that could also hold space for others," explains Chua. "A space where strangers can come together and build meaningful relationships and conversations. A safe space. Those are very important to me."
Bingo's communal table is designed to foster conversations among people.
The menu at Bingo is small and constantly evolving, but it's clearly made with a lot of heart and an emphasis on quality ingredients – the raspberry puff here for example, is made with organic vanilla sourced from local supplier MIREIA. Other highlights include Bingo's signature chicken pie, Iranian-style pistachio tart, and sourdough bread (she supplies several F&B joints here with her loaves) – all things Chua and her friends personally enjoy.
Chua named this raspberry and vanilla puff in dedication to the host she stayed with while working in Copenhagen.
She's aware prices might seem a tad on the higher side (a slice of said pistachio tart rings in at $14), but Chua is a firm believer of paying people ethical prices and she makes it a point to work with small, independent suppliers – people much like herself, in other words. "We want to work with people, suppliers and brands whose brand ethos are aligned with ours," says Chua. "It comes with a price because small businesses do not have the luxury of economy of scale but we will try to make it work."
Bingo's graphic design identity was developed by Chua's romantic partner.
As much as her daytime profession lies in the dough, Chua professes to be an artist at heart – a reality with a lot of people, we suspect. To create Bingo, she called on a village of close friends. Similarly, some of them are not creatives by profession or training but readily chipped in their time and manpower, helping out in various aspects, including Bingo's graphic design and interior design. Others donated self-made artworks to decorate the space. There were zero edits to each person's contributions to the project, says Chua.
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"Most of my friends are creatives, and regardless of the discipline, one of the challenges when you’re client-facing is that you tend to lose a bit of creative freedom and self-expression," says Chua. "At Bingo, the biggest question is - 'what do we want? will it make us happy?' It’s important for me that internally, as a team, we are happy first... F&B is a rough and tough industry. I’m trying to build a space that doesn’t dilute anyone’s creative energy, yet make money and be sustainable."
Chua's friends helping out at the bakery.
There are also plans to open up Bingo as a potential exhibition or events platform for brands, artists or creatives who resonate with her ethos – reach out to Chua on her Instagram account @breadmusebaker. Some might ask why she's choosing this uphill battle of convincing consumers here to fork over higher prices in an over-saturated pastry scene, and in a climate where rents in Singapore are increasingly hostile towards small businesses.
Metal lamp shades that’s repurposed from steel claddings left behind by the previous tenant. Credit: Khoo Guo Jie
Metal lamp shades that’s repurposed from steel claddings left behind by the previous tenant.
"I was, perhaps still a little, that Singaporean, who keeps wanting to run away from my own country because I felt claustrophobic in many areas of our society.... I struggled with wages because let’s face it, bakers don’t make much. In the creative realm of things, you also see the same things everywhere, perhaps because a lot of people are struggling to make ends meet, to make rent," says Chua.
"So I finally decided to put my foot down; I want to build a space that hopefully helps in whatever small ways to lessen the weight of those issues."