In an interview with Ying Yih, the brand co-founder of King Of Nests, meet the ladies who created Singapore’s tastiest Bird Nest Tarts.

Just this month, King of Nests started a new product range – Bird Nests Specialty Products. Today we dive into how the specialty products came about, and who the chefs are behind the unique delicacy. A treat often found in Hong Kong, King of Nests now offers the delicious treat to the food lovers of Singapore!

Where Do The Bird Nests Used In The Tarts Come From?

The white whole bird nests (Bai Yan Zhan) come from various parts of Indonesia which is the world’s largest exporter and producer of bird nests. These nests are house nests obtained from accredited suppliers in Indonesia, whose methods of harvesting do not endanger the livelihood of swiftlets nor interfere with their way of life. As part of King of Nests’ field trips to villages in the Indonesia islands, we visit the houses where the birds make their nests, and meet the locals who harvest and clean the bird nests.

How Did The Idea Of Making Bird Nests Egg Tarts Come About?

Out in the market, it’s either rock sugar bird nests or ginseng bird nests. Bottled and ready to eat. Even if the bird nests were home-cooked, it’s still likely to be the same flavors. So, to create new flavors and ways to eat bird nests, we began to experiment on tastes that will pair well with bird nests.

Since bird nests have this natural rich eggy taste (because it’s super rich in proteins), it isn’t hard to figure out that bird nests will go well with eggs. First, the artisans tried it in Chinese steamed eggs, the savory kind. It was delicious yet simple. Then, a friend mentioned it reminded her of bird nests egg tarts which she had tried in Hong Kong. And when we asked around, we found more people who have heard about the bird nests egg tarts in Hong Kong, but no one knows where to get them in Singapore.

That’s when the ‘Ah-ha’ moment struck. We’ll make the bird nests egg tarts! After all, Kings of Nests is a bird nests specialty store in Singapore. Anything and everything bird nests!

About The Chef Who Bakes The Egg Tarts

The chef is a super cool, super talented, mother of two, Ms Sherie Quek, the co-owner of Madame Patisserie. Before starting out on her own, she was with the Ritz-Carlton Hotel for over 10 years, working her way up from a junior cook in the pastries department to its No. 2 chef with 18 staff working under her. While working for Ritz-Carlton, work trips to Japan, Germany and Dubai had exposed her to new techniques and kitchen cultures. Sherie is very passionate about baking; everything from the scones and jams, to even the sliced white bread and cinnamon rolls, are made from scratch at her café, fresh and piping hot.

Very interestingly, Ying Yih from Kings of Nests and Ms. Sherie met for the first time at a networking session in a friend’s cafe and were seated next to each other. And as they said, the law of attraction is at work. Hard to believe the person Ying Yih was looking for to help her on the egg tarts came at the right moment at the right place. The two ladies hit it off immediately.

Where Can Consumers Buy The Bird Nests Egg Tarts?

The tarts are available for pre-order online at www.KingOfNests.com, or call 9038-0126 to order. Consumers can also order the tarts directly from café partner, Madame Patisserie, which is located at 200 Turf Club Road #01-15A, The Grandstand, Singapore 287994. Open daily 10am to 10pm. (Free delivery applies for orders above $200. $10 delivery charge applies for orders of $200 and below.)

Are There Plans To Create Other Unique Bird Nests Desserts Or Pastry?
Yes, of course! As the Mid-Autumn festival is coming up in September, the idea to collaborate with a moon cake chef has been brewing. King of Nests will have fun experimenting with more exotic flavors and doing taste tests to create bird nest snow skin moon cakes, and bird nest jelly moon cakes. We’ll tell you more about it when the products are launched!

Visit King of Nests page to find out more about bird nests and Ying Yih’s work.

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