Baker and entrepreneur Esther Claudine Lim Singzon presents her take on the famous quarantreat
If there is one dish that topped our 2020 list of quarantreats it would be the ube (purple yam) pandesal. Not only are these purple bread rolls delicious, but they also helped many budding Filipino entrepreneurs to find success in the food business. Among those who can attest to it is Esther Claudine Lim Singzon, a former lawyer who started her own bakery in Hong Kong during the height of COVID-19.
Established in 2020, her brand Purple Flour Hong Kong bakery can easily be described as the physical manifestation of her love for baking and ube. The idea sparked in her when she was stuck in Hong Kong, a time when many Filipinos cannot travel back to the Philippines.
“I realized that a lot of Filipinos based here in Hong Kong shared similar sentiments, so I slowly began offering our ube pandesals along with our other products to remind them of home,” Esther posted. “I am particularly happy to see that our reach has likewise extended not only to Filipinos, but also to other people here in Hong Kong.”
In the kitchen, Esther is joined by her head baker, Hong Kong-Canadian chef Veronica Leung. Together, they bake many iterations of pandesals apart from ube cheese variant, such as chocolate-filled ube pandesal and whole wheat pandesal.
During its two years of operation, the bakery has also offered other goodies like customized cakes, cookies, and brownies. Esther and Veronica’s latest creations include the sweet and tangy Calamansi Poppy Seed Loaf and the truly decadent Ube Mango Tub Cake.
According to Esther, she owes her love for food to her family, with her father sharing their passion for sweet treats and her mother supporting her in every baking project.
“In spite of the challenges and adversities, I will always look back to 2020 with a certain fondness and sense of gratitude since it gave me the courage and time to finally pursue my lifelong dream of starting my own bakeshop in no less than Hong Kong,” she said.”The road to pursuing this culinary passion was fret (and it still is) with challenges, but I am glad that I never stopped baking. Because if I had just given up, Purple Flour Hong Kong would never have been born, and I would never have met the amazing people who have supported (and continue to support) me on this exciting journey.”
Visit @purpleflourhongkong on Instagram to know more about Esther and Veronica’s baked goods.
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