Review: Cloudmills, a new bakery by a former MasterChef runner-up, sells out fast for good reason

If you’ve kept up with Singapore’s bakery scene these past few years, the name Genevieve Lee will ring a bell.

She was the runner-up on the first season of MasterChef Singapore, and has since built two much-talked-about concepts after appearing on the cooking show in 2018. 

Sourbombe Artisanal Bakery once had several locations in major shopping malls at one point before closing its final outlet at One Holland Village back in April, while her Shio & Sato pop-up concept also saw its last run at The Centrepoint that same month.

So when I heard Genevieve was behind the menu at Cloudmills, a new bakery that’s just opened on Claymore Road, I figured it was time to check out what she was up to next.

The backstory

Remember Cloudfields, the all-day brunch cafe next to the Tan Boon Liat building? Cloudmills is the latest concept from that same team, the Cloud Restaurant Group. 

Genevieve comes on more as a consultant at Cloudmills, helping to develop the menu and heading up the bakery team rather than running the day-to-day operations herself.

Off the bat, Cloudmills’ menu is impressive, with more than 25 unique and mostly Japanese-inspired bakes churned out daily. 

It is split into five sections: shio pan and sankaku (a Cloudmills signature; more on this later), shokupan, anpan and little bakes, and sweet or savoury nama (fresh) donuts.

A few items even come finished on a binchotan, or Japanese white charcoal grill, which is not something you’d expect to find in a bakery at all.

There’s also a sizeable beverage menu with espresso-based drinks, some coffee signatures, cold brew teas, beers from Heart of Darkness Brewery and Bo Chup, and even a couple of tall cocktails — a whiskey highball and sudachi sour.

Cloudmills is open daily from 11am to 3pm, or until the day’s bakes run out — which, going by my visit on a weekend, before it even opened — happens well before closing.

While queuing, you might notice some indoor seating inside, but it turns out it’s not for bakery customers. That belongs to the new upscale Japanese bistro Ao, which shares the same address, and is also by the Cloud Restaurant Group. 

Cloudmills’ own seats (about 30 of them) are all outdoors and comfy enough.

Our verdict

Cloudmills lives up to the hype, and then some. Each of the bases, from the fluffy shio pan — Genevieve’s shio pan expertise from Shio & Sato clearly shows — to the soft donuts and madeleine stands on their own, even before any flavours or embellishments come in

Speaking of, the fillings and toppings — which are mostly unique across the various bakes — are just as impressive. You get anything from the custards and creams to processed fruits and savoury ingredients, which make some bakes feel like small dishes.

It explains the crazy-long queues, I suppose. I reached a good five minutes before the 11am opening on a Sunday and the line stretched a long way to the back of the store, with at least 20 people in front of me.

It was only 40 minutes later that I reached the front, and by the time I got to the counter, only about half the day’s selection was left.

I was considerably lucky, because by noon, a staff member came out to inform everyone still waiting in line that there were just a few bakes (yes, literal pieces) left. 

If there’s one thing to take from this review, go early.

What it’s good for

One bake to aim for the moment you get to the counter is the banh mi shio pan (S$6.90).

Pork belly is charred over their charcoal grill until the skin is beautifully caramelised and the fat rendered, then sliced up and packed into the shio pan with pickled carrot and daikon radish, fresh herbs, and garlic mayo.

 The bread holds its own against all that filling — buttery and slightly chewy inside — which tells you a lot about the quality of Cloudmill’s bakes.

At just S$2.50, the seeded sankaku is an easy add-on. 

The base is a signature triangle salt bread with a crackly salt crust that shatters easily to reveal a fluffy, hollow interior where a piece of butter melted as it baked. 

It’s slightly oily, but also a satisfyingly rich combination of salt, butter, flour, along with sunflower and sesame seeds on top that lend a nutty and earthy profile to the whole thing.

The kohi nama (S$6.90) is a bit like tiramisu in a baked form, with coffee cream, mascarpone, and a dusting of cocoa powder.

If you’re not too familiar with nama doughnuts or fresh doughnuts, these were first popularised in Japan by speciality shop I’m donut?. 

The term “nama” is a reference to its ultra-soft, pillowy texture that feels like you’re eating fresh dough, thanks to its high-hydration brioche base. 

Compared to the chewy, tangy bite of Sourbombe’s donuts, this is all softness and air — which really complements the sweet coffee cream inside

Moving onto the shokupans (Japanese milk bread), which I love, along with chocolate, Cloudmills’ double-chocolate choko pan (S$6 for half a loaf) is an easy win. 

The bread is soft and airy with dark chocolate bits running through, and tastes more milky, bitter, and earthy (from the chocolate) than sweet. Half a loaf got me four thick slices that left me with some extras for the next day’s breakfast — yum!

Of the selection that was available to me, the four above were my favourites, but there’s plenty else worth trying.

From the savoury side of the doughnut section, the kare pan (S$6.90) is also solid. 

It comes with a thin slice of cheddar, slightly singed exterior for smokiness (and looks), and a crispy crumb coating not unlike what you’d find at a bakery in Japan. Inside, you’ll find a proper Japanese curry filling, with fatty minced pork, diced carrot and potato, topped with cheddar.

If you’re after something sweeter, Cloudmills has a matcha ichigo (S$6.20) anpan.

The sweet roll is stuffed with a generous layer of matcha cream that’s balanced between grassy, nutty, and sweet, and studded with freeze-fried strawberry bits that add a real sourness in almost every bite. 

You’ll see some red bean paste tucked at the back — it’s not a lot, but it holds its own with a rich red azuki flavour. 

Another treat that’s on the sweeter side, the Blueberri Ever (S$4.90) nama doughnut leans into fruity sweetness with a glossy blueberry glaze covering the top half of the donut. 

Some mascarpone cream, blueberry compote, some crumble, and a sprig of thyme rounds the bake out, and you can tell the ingredients are good quality. It’s nice, but not quite as memorable as the kohi nama.

Lastly, I also got my hands on the lemon Berri (S$3.50), a large madeleine studded with lemon and mixed berries, which comes with a bright and citrusy aroma even before I take a bite. 

The crumb itself is dense in the way a good madeleine should be, but not dry, with lemon zest flavour coming through clearly and berries adding little pockets of tartness. 

Aside from the usual espresso-based beverages, Cloudmills has two signature coffee drinks here, including a tiramisu latte (S$10) and  coconut cream latte (S$8). 

I ordered the latter. The coconut foam on top is slightly salty and deeply fragrant, while the coffee below has a nice fruity acidity rather than overt bitterness. It’s exactly the refreshing hit I needed after that long wait in line.

What it could improve on

I like the idea of the ‘nduja mussels doughnut (S$6.90), but it’s the one bake at Cloudmills where I felt the execution was a bit lacking. 

The mussels cook down to a somewhat mushy texture rather than staying plump and tender. It also had a slightly gritty bite that probably shouldn’t be there.

A few touches of fennel and what tasted like an earthy celeriac cream added flavour and texture but didn’t seem to do enough to pull it all together.

Other than that, the queue and sell-out situation is worth managing your expectations around. Arriving even slightly later past closing (as I experienced) on a weekend likely means missing a good chunk of the menu.

Our quick takes

Is it conducive to conversation? Probably not. Even if you do manage to get a seat, there’ll be plenty of people eyeing you, hoping to take over your seat next.  

Is a reservation necessary? No, but arriving at least 15 minutes ahead of opening time is recommended to increase your chances of getting what you want.

How to get there? Cloudmills is a five-minute walk from Orchard MRT Exit E (look out for the Shaw House exit).

HungryGoWhere paid for its meal at this restaurant for this review.

For more new openings, check out Omu Place at Chinatown, a hawker stall selling omurice, or Dolpan Hwajoo, a concept from Busan, Korea, that serves ube makgeolli and hot-stone sharing dishes.