Le Matin Patisserie at ION Orchard by former Noma pastry chef closing after 1 year

Celebrated pastry brand Le Matin Patisserie finally found a permanent home in ION Orchard in February 2023 after years of operating as a takeaway business and at pop-up locations. Or so 8days.sg thought. Alas, it was not to be.

Just a year later, the swanky cafe helmed by talented ex-Noma pastry chef Mohamed Al-Matin announced its impending closure on Instagram, taking its fans by surprise. Its last day of operations will be on Feb 29.

Chef Matin, 35, previously worked as pastry sous chef at the ‘World’s Best Restaurant’ Noma’ in Copenhagen, and the now-defunct two Michelin-starred Restaurant Andre in Singapore. 

He started Le Matin Patisserie as an online business in 2020, before operating from a small takeaway space at Raeburn Park later that year. This was followed by two pop-ups at Paragon and Robinson Road. The sleekly-decorated, fancy ION Orchard 37-seater opened to great buzz last year, attracting long lines for its elegant pastries and posh brunch plates such as crab caviar waffles and chutoro brioche feuilletée.

WHAT LED TO LE MATIN'S SUDDEN CLOSURE? 

So, what caused the premature closure of a cafe that seemed so popular and had much room for growth? 8days.sg’s phone calls to chef Matin were unanswered, as were calls to the Benjamin Barker Group (also behind The Assembly Ground Cafe at Cineleisure), which Le Matin Patisserie sits under. But we hear rumours from industry folks that steep rental at the ION space, coupled with the high costs of churning out such refined, labour-intensive pastries might have been contributing factors to its shuttering.

Moreover, some netizens on social media have complained about the cafe’s pricey pastries, which could also hint at issues with long-term sustainability of the brand within the mid-range cafe market after the initial hype dies down. 

There are also rumours that another Benjamin Barker-owned cafe or shop may open in the same ION Orchard space, though 8days.sg couldn’t confirm this at press time. 

Meanwhile, the folks behind Le Matin took to Instagram to announce: “While our journey has been filled with countless memorable moments, we have come to a pivotal juncture where we feel compelled to embark on a new chapter. After much reflection and consideration, we have made the decision to bid farewell to Le Matin Patisserie in its current form." The post goes on to say that the decision "does not come lightly". 

SIGNS OF TROUBLE SINCE DECEMBER

Perhaps there were signs earlier that all wasn’t well: At the end of last year, it was announced on Le Matin’s IG account that the cafe would stop serving their much-praised all-day menu from 1 January 2024. This included dishes like the crab waffles (S$20.90) and steak frites (S$42.90). 

Instead, the patisserie only served its cheaper, more snack-friendly famous bakes, including Matin’s Kouign-Amann (S$7.50), glazed with butter and caramelised sugar, and pain au chocolat (S$8) with Valrhona dark chocolate. Their applewood-smoked cruffins were discontinued just before Chinese New Year.

It’s unclear whether Matin intends to reopen any outlets in future under the Le Matin brand, but the patisserie’s farewell IG post assured patrons: “We will meet again soon with something new and exciting”. 

Le Matin Patisserie will operate till Feb 29 at #B2-49 ION Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn, Singapore 238801. Open daily 10am - 10pm. Tel: 6509 8801. More info via their website and Instagram. 

This story was originally published in 8Days.