It’s a sweet finish to our special feature on some of the best eats to spend your CDC Vouchers on and this final installment is for the chocolate lovers. Bringing a little high-end to the heartland, Mr Bucket Chocolaterie is located at the foot of an HDB block along Sin Ming Road. It stands out from its neighbours, including a paint shop, beauty parlour and kopitiam where pot-bellied uncles drink beer and smoke cigarettes all day. Yet, it doesn’t feel out of place. In nearly two years, Mr Bucket – with its clean, minimalist design, hipster terrazzo counters and shiny glass storefront – has settled comfortably into its surroundings.
- LISTEN: & download the podcast of this week’s luxe, chocolatey episode.
- READ: the full story at CNA Lifestyle.
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The brand’s exquisite chocolates originate from regional producers including Malaysia, Vietnam, India & The Philippines. Mr Bucket is all about championing Asian growers because even though European chocolates have a reputation for being the best in the world, its source fruit, the cacao, grows best in tropical climes. “It’s the whole belt 20 degrees North & South of the Equator. Popular places include Ivory Coast, Ghana, Central and South America, so why not Asia?” said 35-year-old founder and CEO Jerome Penafort.
One might say he’s the eponymous Mr Bucket of the brand, named in whimsical reference to Roald Dahl’s beloved children’s book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. “Charlie’s surname is Bucket and at the end of the story, Willy Wonka gives him the factory. So this is our interpretation of how the story continues with Charlie grown up and now he’s creating a modern chocolate factory,” explained Penafort, who is following through with big plans for Mr Bucket.
The Chocolaterie is the open-concept production and retail space where you can watch his Asia-sourced bean-to-bar chocolate expertly transformed into bon bons and other treats, then purchase them for takeaway. Unusual flavours and collaborations with local brands help give them a little edge. Penafort said, “What all these brands share is a kampung spirit. They want to help like-minded local brands who also have a focus on quality.”
At $25 per box of six or $41 for twelve bon bons, your CDC Vouchers will come in handy for a little treat of everyday luxury. The mini works of edible art looked almost too good to eat, but I managed to put away a selection of local-collab bon bons in varying levels of intensity:
1. Single Origin – 64% Panchor Dark Chocolate Bon Bon
Named for the Malaccan estate where the cacao beans were farmed, the unadulterated dark chocolate bon bon was identifiable by a light blue circle on its crisp dark chocolate shell, like a pretty eye with a come-hither look. Its taste matched its good looks, the silky-smooth, bittersweet ganache within described by Penafort as having “honey and malt notes.”
2. Double Soy Caramel Bon Bon
Containing the same dark chocolate ganache, it’s paired with two types of soya sauce-infused caramels. “Think of it as a salted caramel but instead of adding salt, we use light and dark soya sauce,” said Penafort. The striking vermillion bon bon was capped in bright yellow and an expressively bold, black brushstroke. Made in collaboration with famed local brewery Kwong Woh Hing, the light soya sauce’s umami saltiness balanced perfectly with the dark soya sauce’s deeper, earthy caramel notes and the lush bitter-sweet maltiness of the dark chocolate. This bon bon was the perfect savoury-sweet bite with a gratifyingly gooey molten centre.
3. Tea and Biscuits Bon Bon
Created with English breakfast tea from Singapore’s oldest tea producer, The1827 Clipper Tea Co. Penafort revealed that it was inspired by hit historical romance TV series Bridgerton and launched for Mothers’ Day last year. The tri-coloured bon bon featured a glossy milky-brown and creamy tea-hued shell with a metallic gold streak. Inside, a tea-infused 45% milk chocolate from Sungai Ruan in Malaysia sat atop a crumbly-crisp shortbread base. It delivered just as its name suggested – a smooth, rich tea flavour came through the chocolate and contrasted beautifully in texture with the crunchy shortbread.
4. Calamansi Surprise Bon Bon
As a palate cleanser, this bright yellow, zesty stunner was refreshing and tart from its layer of Tropical Calamansi marmalade from award-winning homegrown company Straits Preserves. A second layer of calamansi white chocolate ganache amplified the citrus burst just enough before reigning it in with its sweet creaminess. The element of surprise hit a few seconds later when the third layer of popping candy enrobed in dark chocolate almond praline kicked in. The delightful pop and fizz tickled the tongue in an excitement of crunch and zing.
5. Mala Bon Bon
Mala isn’t for everybody, but it’s a favourite of mine. The spicy and numbing element comes from a local zichar restaurant that has closed due to the pandemic, but the owner still supplies Mr Bucket with the potent mala oil that contains more than twenty different herbs and spices and is cooked for at least five to six hours. Both layers of white and dark chocolate ganache in the bon bon were infused with the mala oil for the most intriguing and divisive of flavours. Far from the fiery finish I had been expecting though, the metallic reddish-brown bon bon was subtle and well-balanced. The mala flavour was mildly spicy and aromatic, a hint of smokiness enhancing its savoury, umami undertones. Sweet white chocolate working in harmony with the bittersweet dark chocolate, the creamy ganaches cooled and tempered the heat and buzz of the mala spices.
Not into bon bons? Mr Bucket also has a diverse range of chocolate bars, bites beverages and bundles to choose from. It’s no wonder expansion plans for the brand are well underway, with a new Dempsey Hill outlet opening in November or December. It’s an ambitious dine-in project, complete with al fresco and event-hosting workshop areas, as well as a retail space for their growing menu of pastries, spreads, dragees and other chocolate goodies. But perhaps the most exciting of all is the build-your-own chocolate bar, featuring different single origins and toppings to choose from.
This interactive element is at the heart of the Mr Bucket ethos. Taking inspiration from the artisanal coffees and cafe culture from his university days in Melbourne, Penafort said, “What the coffee industry did so well is they made coffee into a lifestyle. So from the very start I wanted to creating something truly experiential.”
Until the Dempsey outlet opens, Mr Bucket in Sin Ming remains the petite gateway into that chocolate experience and lifestyle envisioned by Penafort. Together with his team, chocolate maker and chocolatiers are building the Mr Bucket brand bar by bar, bon bon by bon bon – bringing proudly Asian chocolates to the heartland and beyond. Willy Wonka would be proud.
- TASTE: CDC vouchers are accepted at MR BUCKET CHOCOLATERIE
23 Sin Ming Rd, #01-15, Singapore 570023
It’s open Tuesdays to Fridays 11am to 7pm;
Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays 10am to 7pm.
Closed on Mondays.
Makan Kakis on Gold 905 