Sing Hon Loong Bakery

Sing Hon Loong looks like a relic of the past, and is one of few places left in Singapore where the traditional way of bread-baking is preserved. More than a thousand loaves of bread are produced and distributed daily from the Whampoa-based bakery to coffee shops, cafes and restaurants around the island, and their bread remains a popular favourite for Whampoa and Balestier residents.

Few and far between, the low numbers of traditional bakeries like Sing Hon Loong meant that it has had to stockpile equipment for rainy days, since many of these are no longer in production. The bakery's owner, Lai Chee Peng, is nonetheless uncertain if the shop will have a future after his retirement, as he has no successor in line at the moment. Equipment aside, manpower has become a longstanding issue, as Lai has to rely on older workers since youngsters are unable to tolerate the high temperatures within the bakery.