The battle of the Banana Pies
Source: TimeOut
From Kueh Lapis to TuTu Kueh, over the years, Singapore is known for their variety of desserts. However, a dessert that has stood the test of time from Singapore’s past would be the banana pie.
Made using caramelised bananas and coconut shavings, the banana pie is a pastry made by cooking down bananas and then layering them onto pastry topped with coconut shavings and chopped almonds
Source: SETHLUI.COM
If there is one place in Singapore where you can get a good banana pie, it would be Dona Manis Cake Shop (Dona Manis), a small bakery nestled in the heart of Katong Shopping Centre. Located mere steps away from Dona Manis, Auntie Peng Banana Pie (Auntie Peng) sells almost identical banana pies as Dona Manis. Started by the other half of Dona Manis, Auntie Peng (real name Soh Toh Lang) left the business after the passing of Mr Tan Tieow Teong, her previous business partner for over 25 years. This sparked a rivalry between the two shops with both claiming to have the original recipe. With years of experience shared between the two shops, I wanted to find out which of them truly had the better classic dessert. This led me to going down to Katong Shopping Centre to purchase and try both their pies to determine which was better in my opinion.
Price
When it comes to the pricing of the pies, the long-standing Dona Manis prices their pies at $3.50 a slice while Auntie Peng prices their pies at $3.30 a slice. With both stalls selling the dessert for under five dollars, I would say that both the pies from Auntie Peng and Dona Manis are reasonably priced. However, Auntie Peng does take the lead for being 20 cents cheaper than Dona Manis.
Appearance
Appearance-wise, Dona Manis’ banana pie boasts a higher pie with the top layer of almonds noticeably more caramelised than Auntie Peng’s. The top border of the pie also seems to resemble the crust of an apple strudel, with an almost clear sheen over it. One can presume that this is due to Dona Manis using an egg wash, a common practice in baking. Auntie Peng’s pies, albeit not as tall, do appear to be longer than Dona Manis’. The pie also lacks the level of caramelisation that Dona Manis' Banana Pie had. Lastly, the top border of the pie is much more flaky, akin to a curry puff. In the end, I feel that Dona Manis takes the lead for appearance.
Taste
When it comes to how the pies taste, Dona Manis has a very strong banana flavour with a noticeable grain from the chopped almonds. It also was not too heavy and ‘Jelak’ – an overwhelming rich sensation in the mouth. The texture itself however, was very wet and struggled to keep its structural integrity. Auntie Peng’s pie also had a strong banana flavour, though not as strong as the prior. It also had a way more coconutty flavour. The aspect that sets the two pies drastically apart would be the texture. Auntie Peng’s pie had a very cakey feel to it, mostly due to the top layer of pastry and coconut shavings. This resulted in the pie having a more dense filling compared to Dona Manis. When it comes to the overall taste, in my opinion, Dona Manis takes the lead once again.
Winner
While the pies from both the stalls are very similar and flavourful, overall, Dona Manis ‘takes the cake’ and comes out on top. For only $3.50, you get a taste of old school Singapore that isn’t too heavy or overwhelming.
