Quaint pet-friendly cafe Bailey & Patch serves tasty local dishes, while showing love to persons with disabilities

As far as pet-friendly cafes in Singapore go, it’s probably hard to find many that are as exceptionally wholesome as the new Bailey & Patch at Bukit Merah.

Named after the owner’s two dogs, Bailey & Patch welcomes everyone — whether you’re two- or four-legged!

Besides being a pet-friendly cafe, it also doubles as a pet groomer and triples as an employer that shows love to people with disabilities.

Aptly located in the Enabling Village at Bukit Merah, Bailey & Patch empathises with the struggles of those with special needs and provides them with equal opportunities.

In fact, they aren’t just trusted — they are highly valued. Take for example the cafe’s 20-year-old head baker, Benedict Tein, who you’ll find working in a small windowed room right outside the cafe, locked in and intensely focused on baking.

We were entranced and sat down with him to learn more about how things work at Bailey & Patch.

Head baker at Bailey & Patch

As it turned out, Benedict (more affectionately referred to as Ben) was very eager to have a chat with us.

Ben might have autism, but that doesn’t get in the way of being a good baker. 

Ironically, what many laypeople might think is an obstacle is probably what makes him the perfect candidate to be Bailey & Patch’s head baker.

When asked what he loves about baking, Ben responded quickly and without missing a beat: “Signature walnut brownie is the best seller.”

It might not be the answer we’re looking for, but it’s telling — Ben is very dedicated to his craft and has baking on his mind full-time.

He’s very focused on his craft and can recite the recipe for Bailey & Patch’s bestselling brownie from memory: “Dark chocolate mixed with bitter chocolate, bake the brownie, cook the ganache. Not too sweet, less sugar.”

Besides his passion for baking, though, Ben’s mindset doesn’t differ too much from most of us.

“I work here to earn a living,” he explains, on why he joined Bailey & Patch at his young age.

He’s also very grateful for Bailey & Path for giving him the opportunity to work.

When asked what makes him happy working here, he very decisively replied: “Baking!”

When prompted further, he elaborates: “It’s therapeutic and I enjoy it.” 

On top of that, he also enjoys “washing up everything in the basin after baking”.

One thing is for sure: We can all tell how passionate Ben is about baking, even from this short interaction.

Service staff at Bailey & Patch

Benjamin Tan (another Ben!), who has autism, staffs the floor at Bailey & Patch.

The 28-year-old has had many years of experience in F&B as service staff and joined Bailey & Patch in April.

Prior to this, he also worked at Intercontinental Hotel Robertson Quay and Crossings Cafe. 

Interestingly enough, he has a mild accent that he gratefully attributes to watching Thomas the Tank Engine on television growing up, saying: “I fell in love with this blue tank engine and if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be speaking English this well.”

As for why he decided to start working in the F&B industry, he explains: “I got interested in food when I enrolled in food science in ITE.”

“I also like to share about our food and culture to foreigners,” he adds.

Chicken rice and claypot rice are amongst his favourite dishes.

Another one is har cheong gai (prawn-paste chicken) — and Benjamin swears by the one at Bailey & Patch.

He says the chef is his favourite team member at Bailey & Patch because he’s nice to him and often cooks it for them.

Benjamin also loves animals, which is why working at Bailey & Patch is right up his alley.

He enjoys working here, but says it can be very chaotic on weekends. He adds: “I wish you were here to see it, it was crazy.”

Nonetheless, he relishes the chance to work here because he feels strongly about the discrimination faced by those with autism.

“It saddens me when those with autism can’t find a job, even those with low income and need the income,” he says with conviction. “Just give people with special needs like us a chance.”

Taste test

While most pet-friendly cafes in Singapore tend towards accessible brunch fare, the menu at Bailey & Patch interestingly revolves around local flavours.

And it’s all quite legit. Benjamin isn’t wrong: The fried prawn-paste mid joint (S$6.80 for five) is definitely zi char standard.

It’s fragrant, gratuitously crunchy on the exterior and juicy inside.

But it’s not just all classic Chinese zi char food. Another popular dish is the signature mee goreng (S$8.80).

Bailey & Patch nails it: The noodle is springy, moist and is delightfully tangy. Shiok, for sure.

For those who prefer rice, the nasi lemak (from S$5.80) is also pretty dang comforting. 

Fluffy, fragrant rice, runny egg yolk and fragrant sambal make this a great pairing with any of the protein choices, which range from chicken karaage (S$8.80) and ayam berempah (S$10.80, spiced fried chicken).

Bailey & Patch also offers a slew of claypot items, ranging from claypot lala soup (S$12.80) to claypot braised pork knuckle (S$15.80) that are good for those who enjoy smokier, richer flavours.

We really enjoyed the claypot sesame oil chicken (S$12.80), which comes with well-cooked chicken chunks that are tender with silky skin and comfortingly doused in a dose of sesame oil aroma.

Of course, we’re not forgetting Benedict’s bakes — especially the brownies and chocolate tarts, which are perfect for chocolate lovers. These are priced at S$3 a piece.

For something denser and not as sweet, get Bailey & Patch’s signature walnut chocolate brownie, but the Lotus Biscoff chocolate brownie was slightly more enjoyable with its decadent and crunchy biscoff layer.

These are simple homely bakes that anyone can enjoy — and that’s what we liked the most about Bailey & Patch, too. 

The vibe is cosy, the food is accessible but tasty and, most importantly, the business is wholesome and inclusive of everyone.

This was a hosted tasting.

For more ideas on what to eat, read our stories on what’s cool and worth checking out at this year’s GastroBeats and the world’s first Coach Bar that opened in Singapore.

Bailey & Patch is on the GrabFood delivery service and offers free delivery (up to S$3 off) with GrabUnlimited.

Enjoy up to 50% off when you dine with GrabFood Dine Out.

You can also book a ride to Bailey & Patch and support them and their specially abled staff!