Fusion Portuguese Egg Tarts In Flavours Like Sweet Potato By Hip “Mother-In-Law”

Here’s a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship that’s not just unique but enviable: 59-year-old Joyce Hsu and 28-year-old Evangeline Hum (plus her hubby, Joyce’s son, Tony Ang, 31) are so chummy, they’ve gone into business together. Mother-In-Law Egg Tart was born during the Circuit Breaker last year, when a box of said mum-in-law’s home-baked Portuguese egg tarts, sent to her son and daughter-in-law, wowed them to the point that they decided to set up a home-based biz together.

It grew so popular that the youthful-looking Taiwan-born matriarch and her family upgraded their burgeoning business into a takeaway shop space in Havelock 2 shopping mall’s basement. The simply-decorated kiosk opened on August 1, peddling the brand’s signature egg tarts alongside newfangled flavours like coffee and mango boba.

As for Joyce and Evangeline, their relationship has grown in tandem with the business. “She’s always been a very friendly, open mother-in-law. We met often before, about once a week — now we meet every day, of course the relationship changes. But thankfully, we know how to balance work and family,” shares Evangeline.

A chatty Joyce adds in Mandarin, “I’m from the older generation, so I have my own way of thinking, but we can learn from each other.” She then gestures to the comfy-looking pair of shoes on her feet and adds cheekily, “My daughter-in-law bought these for me so that I won’t get aches from standing all day. So how can I complain about being tired, or working with them?”

After receiving homemade egg tarts from Joyce, a homemaker who’s been baking for around eight years as a hobby, the spark of an idea formed in Evangeline’s mind. “I was like ‘wow’, this is really good. And I thought since everyone is doing home-based businesses [back then], why not we try it too?” she shares. “We managed to convince my mother-in-law to try it for just two weeks.”

The experiment, which began on June 15 last year, was a hit. They quickly started a website to meet growing demand. Evangeline, who works full-time in a consulting firm but helps at the egg tart stall after work, says, “We were answering queries 24/7. We couldn’t cope. The website made things a lot easier, as people could order anytime [without messaging us].”

For Tony, he saw the HBB as an opportunity to supplement his lost income. He’d been working in the hotel industry for about six years as a sales manager in catering, and saw a “50 percent” decrease in his monthly income amid the pandemic. “After the Circuit Breaker, things were not getting better [for hotels]. So I decided to turn this HBB into a full-time job.”

Meanwhile, Joyce was just surprised so many people enjoyed her egg tarts, considering she’s never gone through any formal training. “When we first talked about selling my egg tarts, I thought we were joking around. If they never suggested this idea, I’d never have tried it. But I’m happy to support these youngsters,” she shares.

The self-taught baker learnt everything she knows, including her Portuguese egg tart recipe, through experimentation with recipes online or from books. “You just have to keep trying – some recipes work, some don’t. After many years, you roughly know what goes together and what can work,” she tells us. Now, she’s using that knowledge to develop new recipes for Mother-In-Law Egg Tart.

We ask the bubbly lady (whose other hobbies include dancing and singing) if she finds the long hours baking tiring – she dismisses the question with a cheery wave of her hand. “When people say they’re tired, they don’t mean their body. They really mean their will. If you have a goal, a good environment, and your family is behind you, you won’t be tired,” she chirps.

Adds Tony: “We had the intention of staying as a HBB when I joined. But we couldn’t balance our lifestyles, as every day was spent baking [due to the limited production capacity with a home oven]. It takes much longer to make enough egg tarts to meet demand at home, and my mum had to work exceptionally long hours.” Evangeline, who didn’t give up her day job, concurs: “We spent a lot of weekends and weekday nights trying to catch up on orders.”

In May this year, they were presented with an opportunity: a permanent location at Havelock 2 with space for a bigger kitchen. “Rents were lower [compared to other times he’d checked], and we saw a chance to grow the business,” Tony says. “We found out from last year’s group buys that having a central location was vital for delivery.”

The bigger space allowed them to significantly increase their output. Evangeline says, “We've been here for about a month plus, and our daily bakes and sales have gone up three times compared to when we were at home.”

The day-to-day running of the stall is handled by Tony and his mum, while Evangeline usually pops by after she’s done with her day job. New flavours since they’ve opened their shop here include 256 Crispy Layers Coffee, Yam & Purple Potato, Earl Grey Black Tea and Chicken Rendang (available seasonally).

However, a kiosk in the Central Business District comes with its drawbacks. Since the spike in daily reported Covid-19 cases, “our walk-ins dropped quite drastically over, though deliveries are still going strong,” Tony shares. His wife adds that their ultimate plan for Mother-In-Law Egg Tart is to expand the brand via a franchise model.

A Portuguese egg tart is identified by its blistered, scorched surface on the egg custard nestled within a flaky crust. And the one here ticks those boxes — this classic signature flavour also happens to be our favourite among those we tried at the shop. Delicate, crunchy pastry (made from a blend of European butter and margarine) gives way to a smooth, just-set custard baked to a caramelised sheen. There’s a lovely contrast between the feathery crust with multiple layers and luscious, slightly sweet custard. Admittedly, the custard is a tad firmer than we’d like, but it’s still pretty delicious.

Bits of lychee flesh and lychee-flavoured boba are baked into the tart (which is non-alcoholic – the champagne in the name is just for fun). The pearls are also added on top of the pastry, with a swirl of lychee-scented cream, post-bake. We find that the floral notes of the fruit clashes with the eggy custard. The lychee juices also leak into the pastry, making the bottom slightly soggy.

So-named for the total number of layers the crust has after being folded and flattened, though Joyce tells us that all their tarts have this many layers — they just wanted to pimp up the coffee tart’s name. Either way, this java-tinged number is another winner. They’ve mixed instant coffee into the crust and egg custard, which surround a rich mung bean core. Aromatic and rather delish. The torched marshmallow on top doesn’t add much other than a sugary char, but it looks pretty.

A three-layered construction of yam paste, purple sweet potato and egg custard, topped off with a gingko nut. Another tart we thoroughly enjoyed, thanks to the juxtaposition of textures between crunchy gingko, gooey purple mash and rich steamed yam beneath the custard. Earthy and comforting old-school flavours.

The same fruit and boba combo, but with mango this time. More agreeable thanks to the pleasant sweetness from the tropical fruit (the pops offer a literal burst of fruity flavour when you bite into one), but the problem of a damp pastry bottom persists.

The muted perfume of the black tea blend is accompanied by a slight astringency that’s mellowed out by the sweet custard. At its price point though, we’d rather opt for another newfangled option, as there’s not much else added to the tart except for a faux sugar maple leaf.

The only savoury option we had since the chicken rendang egg tart was sold out when we visited. The ham, brown mushroom and potato mix is hefty and reminiscent of a pot pie, sans creamy sauce. But the amount of salt and herbs overpower the sweet egg custard completely.

Despite the wide variety of modern flavours offered by a friendly “mother-in-law”, we like her signature plain Portuguese egg tart best. If you must try something more unusual, get the coffee and yam ones.

Mother-In-Law Egg Tart is at #B1-24, Havelock 2, 2 Havelock Rd, S059763. Tel: 8383 8460. Open Mon – Fri, 10.30am – 4.30pm; Sat, 11am – 2pm. More info via Facebook and Instagram. Delivery available via Foodpanda, Grabfood and Qoo10.

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Photos: Kelvin Chia