We visited Singapore’s first crumble bar pop-up, Maltby, which runs till end-March

We’ve had plenty of apple pies and apple crumbles in our life, but a deconstructed apple crumble dessert in a cup, in Singapore? Definitely a first.

Enter Maltby, said to be Singapore’s first crumble bar, which is running as a pop-up at Pinhole Coffee Bar from now till end-March, on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Maltby is a crumble bar concept by serial F&B entrepreneur Kimberley Yeo, 34. She was inspired by a similar concept that she came across while living in London in 2022. 

Kimberley currently also runs ice cream company Twice Young and Don Play Play, a Japanese rice bowl business. Both businesses are based online and operate on a delivery-only model. She also previously ran a cafe called Mean Bean right after she graduated. 

The inspiration for Maltby came from The Humble Crumble in London’s Borough Market. Kimberley liked how the dessert shop offered people the option of dressing up their own crumble and thought that this was a viable concept to bring to Singapore’s foodies. 

She tells us: “I tried it a couple of times (in London) and I just wanted to see what I could do to create something (in Singapore), but better-tasting.” 

Don’t be fooled though: There isn’t anything malt-related in the desserts sold at Maltby, despite the name. 

Maltby was so named because Kimberley was living near Maltby Street in London at that time. She is also a dog-lover who owns an adorable Maltese and according to Kimberley, both share a love for the country Malta. 

So what’s Maltby serving up really?

Think apple crumble — warm stewed apples and crumble — placed in an ice cream cup and topped with decadently creamy warm custard (if you like it hot or warm), or deliciously smooth ice cream (if you like it cold). 

A basic apple crumble (with your choice of vanilla custard, Biscoff drizzle or Nutella drizzle) goes for S$10.90. A bruleed custard topping goes for an additional S$1, while a scoop of Tahitian vanilla ice cream goes for an extra S$3. 

Yes, we get it, a price tag of nearly S$15 for a small dessert might seem like a pretty penny, but if it’s any consolation, Kimberley makes all of the components from scratch. (Yes, even the ice cream, which is from her other brand Twice Young.)

Digging into our own individual cups of apple crumble, we loved how everything came together and how the warm and mildly tart Granny Smith apples — which have been stewed for four hours — and savoury French butter crumble complemented the silky vanilla ice cream. 

I was personally a fan of the ice cream version, but those who prefer their desserts warm can choose the warm vanilla custard instead. Or better yet, bruleed. 

Maltby is running promotions alongside the pop-up. For this week (Mar 1 and 2), diners can enjoy a buy one get one free deal on its apple crumbles, and for the next (Mar 9 and 10), you can enjoy a free hot tea (from S$5.50) or orange fizz drink (S$6) with every purchase of an apple crumble. 

The pop-up at Pinhole Coffee Bar runs on Fridays and Saturdays, 5.30pm to 11pm, with the exception of its last weekend (Mar 22 to 24), when it will run till Sunday. 

Kimberley adds that there are no plans for a permanent space for Maltby for now, so we’d say if this piques your interest, it’ll be wise to head down before Mar 24 hits. 

This was a hosted tasting.

Hungry for more? Read our latest story on Rustica, a new farm-to-table restaurant serving up local produce at Crawford Lane, and the love story from the couple behind Sourbombe. 

Do explore the new GrabFood Dine-in service for awesome deals.

You can also book a ride to Maltby’s pop-up at Pinhole Coffee Bar on Fridays and Saturdays till Mar 24.