Since then, five bakeries and cafes have jumped on the bandwagon to offer the sweet-savoury pastry.

The latest to fuel the craze is Italian deli chain Da Paolo Gastronomia, which will sell its salted egg yolk croissants from today.

Do.Main Bakery in Tanjong Katong Road will launch its version on Saturday.

It was European bakery chain Urban Bakery in Hong Kong that started offering molten egg yolk croissants in September 2014.

Da Paolo Gastronomia’s Ms Francesca Scarpa, Antoinette’s Pang Kok Keong and Kokomama Marketplace director Francis Huang (above) with their salted egg yolk custard croissants. -PHOTO: TAMARA CRAIU

The move followed the success of its Ball Law Cowssant, a croissant topped with the crumbly cookie dough found in bo lo bao (pineapple buns). The chain sells more than 1,000 molten egg yolk croissants across its 10 outlets daily. Each croissant costs HK$22 (S$4).

Mr Rico Cheng, 30, food concept manager of Maxim’s Group, which owns Urban Bakery, says he was inspired by the popular dim sum item liu sha bao – steamed buns filled with flowing salted egg yolk custard. “We are thrilled and proud that the croissant,which was created to celebrate Hong Kong’s food culture, has become a hit in other countries too,” he says.

He adds that more tourists, mostly from Singapore and Malaysia, have been buying the pastry. The craze has also spread to Kuala Lumpur and Johor Baru in Malaysia, and Jakarta, Indonesia.

Some home-grown eateries have been quick to spot a potential hit.

Antoinette, Da Paolo Gastronomia and Kokomama Marketplace make their croissants from scratch, while the other cafes get theirs from bakeries or pastry suppliers. Most of them pipe the filling into the pastry from a hole at the top or base of the croissant.

Da Paolo Gastronomia director Francesca Scarpa, 33, says a love for liu sha bao and requests from customers prompted her to expand the chain’s croissant selection.

She says: “We use the dim sum favourite as a reference to create the taste and consistency of the custard filling, which has a touch of coconut milk.”

The chain has been nimble in adapting to food trends. It introduced its version of cronuts, a hybrid of croissants and doughnuts, in 2013, when the confection was trending in New York City.

Ms Scarpa says: “We can react fast to such trends as we can tap on our croissant-making expertise and experiment with new recipes.”

At Antoinette, sales of its liu sha croissants have doubled over the past three weeks, with 600 sold within four hours daily across its three outlets. Its chef-owner, Mr Pang Kok Keong, says the craze has sparked interest in his pastries.

“The pick-up rate of these pastries has not been as good as our cakes, but more people are interested to understand what makes a good croissant,” he says.

The chain also enjoys a spillover effect on its dine-in business, as diners order the croissants to go with their meals there.

For cafes such as Kokomama Marketplace and Black & Ink, getting in on the custard croissant trend is a way to extend their existing selection of salted egg yolk dishes, such as pizza, pasta and muffins.

Kokomama director Chris Chew, 54, says: “We have been developing croissants stuffed with red beans and matcha since November, and when the trend hit Singapore, we didn’t want to be left behind.”

While there has been an increase in walk-in sales, he says business has not risen significantly.

Mr Lawrence Ngan, 35, managing director of Bridge, which sells up to 250 croissants a day filled with salted egg yolk or truffle honey custard, says: “People from the offices nearby have been ordering up to 20 pieces at a go, but we do not sell them during dinner time as diners will be full after eating one and it makes business sense to focus on dinner service.”

As salted egg yolk custard croissants gain popularity, health experts caution against indulging in them too often.

Ms Claudia Correia, a dietitian at Raffles Diabetes & Endocrine Centre, says a plain croissant is rich in saturated fat and salt, and when salted egg yolks and custard are added, the pastry can contain about 600 calories and up to 80 per cent of a person’s daily recommended intake for saturated fats.

She says: “I recommend sharing the croissant and eating it mindfully by paying attention to your senses and body cues to reduce overeating.”

Ms Vanessa McNamara of The Travelling Dietitian says: “Those with coronary heart disease or are trying to lose weight should minimise their intake of salted egg yolk croissants.”

However, diners are still drawn to the pastry.

Digital strategist Rebecca Saw, 35, who is Malaysian and based in Kuala Lumpur, came here to try the croissants from Antoinette, after her Singapore friends told her about them.

She says: “They are my second favourite after Urban Bakery’s as they have a crisp and good pastry. However, the filling could be sweeter and it lacks the full-bodied flavour of a liu sha bao filling.”

Project manager Michelle Nah, 38, who has tried the croissants from Antoinette, Bridge and Kokomama Marketplace, was curious about the social media craze over them.

She says: “I like Antoinette’s croissants best as the custard has the most intense salted egg yolk flavour and oozes like nobody’s business.

“But I think that croissants and salted egg yolks make a weird pairing. I still prefer croissants with sweet fillings such as chocolate.”

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on February 21, 2016, with the headline ’Salty-sweet, flaky-gooey and yummy’.

Compared with regular beer, craft beer offers a wider range of flavours.

Craft Singapore, an inaugural craft beer festival held as part of the i Light Marina Bay festival, hopes to shake off that snobbish image by introducing the beverage in a fun and laidback way.

A third of these breweries will make their Singapore debut. These include Stone Head Beer from Cambodia, which will bring in beers such as Morning Monsoon, an Imperial stout brewed with coffee and coconut; and Melbourne’s Holgate Brewhouse, which carries porter beers infused with Dutch cocoa and vanilla beans. They join big names in the craft beer scene such as Brewdog from Scotland and Japan’s Hitachino Nest Beer.

Craft Singapore’s festival director Charles Guerrier, 44, notes that most drinkers see craft beers as “niche products”.

“Besides being more expensive, craft beers have more intricate and complicated flavours as they are made with more hops and malts.”

Mr Guerrier, who hopes to attract 8,000 to 10,000 visitors, adds that bringing the breweries under one roof is a convenient way to get people acquainted with craft beers.

“We’re bringing the beers to the people, instead of the other way round. They can sample the beers and chat with brewmasters to discover their preferred flavour profiles of beers.”

Each serving of beer will cost $5 to $10.

Another way of introducing craft beers is to pair them with food. There will be five booths by eateries such as Full of Luck Club, which serves Cantonese-style steamed buns with fillings such as smoked duck and salted egg yolk and prawns; and Vatos Urban Tacos, which serves Korean-Mexican food such as kimchi carnitas fries and tacos. Prices are $6 to $16 a portion.

Mr Guerrier says: “Beer pairs with food better than wine, as it has more subtle flavours and aromas that complement or contrast with food.”

For example, he notes, dark ales go well with beef and pale ales with pork, as the sweetness of the malts in the beers matches that of the meats. And the refreshing citrus- like taste of a wheat beer enhances the flavours of seafood.

Craft Singapore is an extension of Craft Beer Week, a series of craft beer events, promotions and masterclasses that has been organised by Mr Guerrier, a director at marketing company Evolve Beverages, since 2012. Progressing to a full-fledged festival is in line with the growing interest in craft beers, especially golden ale, among drinkers here.

He says: “Younger Singaporeans are travelling more or have studied in countries such as Australia, where there’s an active craft beer movement, and they have an emotional attachment to the labels they have tried there.”

Explaining the burgeoning popularity of golden ale here, he describes it as an entry-level craft beer as it is mildly sweet and not too bitter, and has more flavours than lagers.

Another palate-friendly tipple that is popular among Singapore drinkers is cider. At the festival, visitors can expect quirky flavours such as blueberry and one that has been aged in a bourbon cask for six months from American cider house Woodchuck.

There will also be 10 workshops on topics such as cooking with beer and understanding what goes into ciders and ales. The workshops are free for ticket holders. Other activities include music performances, face- painting and balloon sculpting in the festival village.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on February 21, 2016, with the headline ’Crafting a good time for drinkers’.

After six years, bright eyed and bushy tailed, Gallard was ready to move on to greener pastures.

He couldn’t have chosen better than Thierry Verrat’s La Ribaudiere, the only Michelin-starred restaurant in Cognac.

At 31, Gallard is himself young. While many chefs his age are still in training diapers, he’s already a pro with 17 years in the business behind him.

When met at The Olive restaurant in Genting Highlands where he held court for three days to bring a menu paired with the famous wines of his region – Saint Emilion – he spoke of his aspiration to have a wine-forward restaurant.

“Diners choose the wines and the chef then creates a menu around the wines.” It makes sense as his restaurant is in the middle of a vineyard and close to Bordeaux, the world’s most famous wine region.

At any rate, we were at the Genting Grand and surrounded by car parks and theme parks rather than vines so this utopian dream remained a pie in the sky for now. But we did get served a neoteric menu competently paired with some very good grand cru wines from Saint Emilion.

After the Three Toast Surprise amuse bouche three disparate tastes which I found on hindsight, missing the simple eloquence of the rest of the meal – the show rolled out.

Dive under a round sea of bubbly yellow curry to find the oyster under the smoked herring caviar in the appetiser of Madras Curried Oyster. Oyster, curry and caviar – each one full of umami but perfectly balanced in strength, the briny oyster and caviar eliminating the need for salt.

The warm and slightly spicy notes of the curry found an interesting counterpoint in the Chateau Haut Brisson 2008, a velvety smooth Bordeaux style red with good acidity and freshness; a less adventurous pairing would be Chablis or a crisp white.

“Salt, pepper and piment d’Espelette,” said Gallard of the three ingredients he reached for most often in the kitchen, piment d’Espelette being the precious and pricey chilli pepper grown in the south of France for its bright, rich and deep flavours.

While the 24-hour pressed foie gras terrine with onion confit and melba toast was declared “the best foie gras I’ve ever tasted” by someone at our long table, it was the Riveyrac 1965 which got others quite excited. The 50-year-old natural sweet wine from the Rivesaltes appellation of Roussillon in southern France is a blend of Grenache which we first mistook for Muscat, also made in the region. Marmalade notes and a slight rancidity provided the beguiling difference.

While this wine has been accused of rather lacking in complexity – 1965 being a bad year for wine – we appreciated the chance to taste the sweet wines from this region not often available here.

Another soupy dish followed – lobster ravioli in tom yum-inspired miso given a blast in the siphon to transform it into a foam, giving it great texture and lightness. A dusting of dried caviar was the only decoration. Again, dive under the sea of foam to find the treasure – not unlike harvesting seafood, when you think of it.

A pattern of simplicity had begun to emerge, along with modern French food with touches of Asian. Gallard admitted to a love for Asian flavours and a flirtation with modern cooking techniques like aeration, jellification and spherification.

This was evident in the main course, a big black ball sitting in a pool of sauce. The French duck in Burgundy wine, truffles and wild mushroom jus’ simple looks belied the skills that went into making the fabulous deluge of tastes: dried bread powder, squid ink powder, shredded slow-cooked duck and mashed potato held together by kappa and anointed with orange peel infused olive oil, in a pool of trumpet mushroom sauce laced with truffle oil.

“My kitchen is full of simple pleasures built around local products which I revisit according to my mood,” Gallard said.

The duck was paired with the flagship wine of Chateau Haut Brisson, La Reserve 2010, an impressive Merlot aged in 100% new French oak. Aromatic, full-bodied and rather intense, the tannins have rounded out and the plummy flavours were excellent with duck.

Like the others, the cheese course was elegant and restrained: just a triangle of brie sandwiched with truffles and mascarpone, which allowed the limited edition Enclos Tourmaline 2012 to be enjoyed properly. There are only 1,000 bottles of this wine, the 2012 being the first vintage for this label which was acquired in 2011 by Chinese investor Peter Kwok, who also owned Chateau Haut Brisson.

Of the 36 bottles of the wine available, the Genting cellar snapped up 12 bottles to add to its collection. This dinner is a good example of the kind of excellent food and wine pairing experiences you can have at The Olive, a restaurant with one of the best wine lists in the country; it won the coveted Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence (2015) – equivalent to a two star rating, you can say.

Finally the dessert, a modern take of the traditional Floating Island dessert, a concoction of eggwhite cloud blitzed with black truffle to add a savoury flavour, and creme anglais in a surprise custardy base.

Did we just dine on seas of foams, airs and a whimsical puff of cloud? We should feel cheated but it was delicious! So simple, yet brilliant.

Or perhaps our euphoria had something to do with the wines.

Note: Genting Resort’s Celebrity Chef Series brings noteworthy chefs from around the world to The Olive to offer Malaysians a chance to enjoy great food and wine without leaving home.

Basic shapes – especially circles – connive to convey the philosophy of simplicity in Gallard’s cooking.