Michelin-starred Araya, Colombian restaurant Latido now selling their popular South American breads

CNA

28-04-2025

'All sorrows are less with bread', wrote Miguel de Cervantes, the Spanish author of Don Quixote. Fellow lovers of loaves have cause for rejoicing as two of Singapore's South American restaurants have made their popular breads available for purchase.
Bakes by talented pastry chef Fernanda Guerrero of Michelin-starred Chilean restaurant Araya are now ready for retail, while Colombian chef Fernando Arevalo of Latido has opened a standalone stall offering bread and more: Boronas at Asia Square.
They aren't the first restaurants to do so – Burnt Ends, with its bakery off its Dempsey Hill restaurant, naturally comes to mind – and won't be the last, either, with chef Daniele Sperindio of now-closed Michelin-starred Art planning an upcoming Italian bakery offering bread and pastries.
The motivation in all cases comes from rave reviews of these restaurants' bread courses.
'Guests kept asking if they could bring the breads home, and that meant a lot to me,' Guerrero said. 'Bread is such a personal thing in Chile. We eat it every day. It is also something we share as a gesture of care. At Araya, we put the same level of attention into it as we do the rest of the menu, and over time, it became something people remembered long after the meal."
She added: "Making it available for takeaway just felt like a natural next step – an extension of that experience. There is something really special about having it the next morning and remembering your night with us. I love the idea that our breads can create that kind of memory.'
Three types of artisanal bread (all S$3.67 each) rooted in Chilean culture are available for ordering and self-pickup through Araya's web shop. The chapalele is a potato sourdough roll inspired by the Mapuche culture of southern Chile.
'The original is usually steamed and is quite dense. At Araya, we ferment the dough over 38 hours with sourdough culture and fold in mashed South American potatoes,' Guerrero explained. 'It is earthy, tangy, and textured.'
Then there is the marraqueta, 'a symbol of national identity', she said. With a crispy crust and a fluffy interior, it's 'known as 'the people's bread'. It is as important to us as the baguette is to the French. It has no fat and is a lean, plain bread. It is an integral part of life, and you find it at every table, from the most humble homes to corner bakeries'.
Lastly, the Bocado de Dama, meaning 'lady's bite', is a type of layered bread from colonial times. 'We flavour ours with nori, which is not traditional, but gives it an umami note which I love. We also use the beef fat from our picana to make the bread, which gives it a really nice savoury richness.'
Bread 'is seen as a small but delicious pleasure, and when people find out everything is made fresh in-house, and grounded in our traditions, they are often surprised,' said the pastry chef who co-helms the restaurant with husband Francisco Araya.
'Many households in Chile still make their own bread, using techniques passed down through generations – kneading by hand, shaping the dough, and baking in wood-fired ovens. The traditional methods and care give the bread its unique texture and taste.'
Over at Boronas, the star item is the Pan de la Casa (S$8) or 'homemade bread' in Spanish, paired with smoked butter.
Arevalo began serving this rye bread with fermented mushroom and maple glaze, bacon fat and a sprinkle of thyme and salt at his previous restaurant, Preludio, and, during the pandemic, received many orders for it. Since then, 'I thought opening a place for the bread would be a good idea,' he said.
Sharing diners' enthusiastic feedback about the bread, he said, 'I love how everyone finds something familiar in it. Some Asian people think it has oyster sauce; Australians tell me it must be Vegemite; Colombians also compare it with treats we have there. I love how it is new yet familiar'.
Diners at Arevalo's current restaurant, Latido at Tras Street, still get to enjoy it, but now, so does the CBD crowd.
At Boronas, which opened last month at Asia Square's food court, 150 to 200 of these are sold every day.
But, that's not all, as Boronas also offers quick breakfast and lunch items such as a meaty Colombian-style sandwich option, as well as Colombian coffee.
An unexpectedly popular menu item has been a house-made beverage: The Chispa (S$6), a palm sugar lemonade with coconut foam inspired by a traditional Colombian drink called agua de panela.
Also gaining popularity is the 'La mananera' (S$10), a sweet corn arepa with egg and avocado, he shared.
It's doing so well that the menu is expanding.
'We initially started mainly focused on the bread, but now, we are about to launch a full range of arepa rellena or stuffed arepas, starting in the second week of May,' Arevalo revealed.
The arepas – a flatbread made of ground corn dough – will be available with five different types of fillings including beef short rib with melted cheese and chimichurri, pulled pork with pickled onion, chicken with chillies and guacamole and Colombian scrambled eggs.
'My mum eats arepa with chorizo for almost every single dinner back at home, so, why not bring some here?' said Arevalo, who hopes to open Boronas in more locations in Singapore.
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Meanwhile, Araya is also set to expand its retail options.
Currently, in addition to the bread, you can also purchase Guerrero's 13-piece artisanal chocolate box, inspired by the chocolate trolley rolled out at the end of each meal at Araya designed to 'feel fun and varied', she shared.
The handmade chocolates 'use single-origin cacao from South America's top regions, including Amazonia, Peru, Brazil and Venezuela, and are inspired by the flavours we grew up with, like cocadas, made with digestive biscuits; coconut and dulce de leche; dark chocolate with merken (a smoked chilli pepper powder) and walnut cookie; banana toffee; or raspberry in white chocolate.'
Soon, 'we will be introducing our merken butter and empanadas for takeaway.'
She added: 'We are taking it one step at a time, but I would love to eventually introduce more. We are still fine-tuning how best to package, making sure everything travels well and keeps the quality we care about.'
In an ideal world, one of the things she and her husband would like to offer is sandwiches. 'Chilean sandwiches are delicious and full of character and I would love to share something like that with our guests one day. Right now, it is not part of the offering, but who knows? Maybe in the near future we will have a version of our favourite sandwich, done the Araya way.'