Guilt Review: IG Cookie Bakers Open Arab Street Store, With Flavours Like Matcha Yuzu And Red Velvet
Founded by friends Grace Kim and Kirsty Tang, Guilt was a passion project that the duo dove into after Kirsty lost her job, and Grace went through a bad heartbreak, all under the whip of COVID-19. Guilt’s offerings lie somewhere in the sweet middle.
Still, stacked up against the rest of the brand’s creations, the Tinder Surprise is quite the plain Jane. My favourite has to be the Fifty Shades of Grey ($5.50).
Every taste is checked: bitter tea, nutty pistachios, sweet honey, buttery chocolate, and a lash of salt to finish. A close second was the Spill The Tea ($5.50), a yuzu white chocolate and matcha swirl packed with cream cheese. As a big fan of salt-forward desserts, the nutty, charred miso and butter duo intrigued me, but a friend commented that it tasted a touch plasticky.
Guilt also tries to be inclusive of a range of dietary restrictions, so the menu includes vegan and gluten-free options. The latter includes the Playboy Bunny ($5.50), a mix between a carrot cake and a cinnamon roll.
Apart from what I tried, the bakery in addition releases seasonal flavours on occasion. Neon accents make for small IG-worthy pockets in store, and they sell merch too! The Guilt flagship is a short five to 10 minutes walk from Bugis MRT , and easily accessible via nearby bus stops.
The verdict I have been a big fan of Guilt since their early days as an online bakery, so it made me way too excited to find out that they have moved into physical retail. What really pleased me, that said, is that their standards have remained consistent in spite of the transition. Smart recipes, witty marketing, and flavours I will return for─you won’t catch me feeling guilty about the calories when I walk out of the Arab Street store.
Photos taken by Muhammad Hafiq and Beatrice Bowers.
- Who: Guilt · Arab Street · Spill The Tea · Fifty Shades
- Money: $4.50 · $5.50