A morning at Bukit Timah Saddle Club: Ponies and cupcakes!

Pony rides and cupcakes make for a perfect combination on sunny weekend mornings at the Bukit Timah Saddle Club!

Primarily a training venue for the dedicated equestrian set in Singapore, the Bukit Timah Saddle Club (BTSC) encourages an interest in an otherwise lesser known (at least compared to the likes of golf and football) sport by lending one or two of its school ponies to the public on Saturday and Sundays, from 10AM to 1PM.

For just S$10, My Little Pony fans and budding show jumpers can get their horse fix, being led by an experienced guide around BTSC’s grounds. Supplied with a regulation safety helmet, most kids take to riding like fish to water when mounted on their little steeds.

This mama uses these short exposures to her favourite animal as an opportunity to build her pre-schooler’s confidence and to teach him that when riding a horse, you’re not only responsible for yourself, but for your four-legged partner as well. The rides are also perfect because kids these days have very short attention spans, and want to move from one activity to the next – in this case, brunch… or lunch!

Marmalade Pantry, everyone’s favourite source of sinful cupcake creations in ION, has a quaint, airy little farm house themed branch within the BTSC grounds, giving mum, dad, nanny and baby sister a place to cool off, or cool down, after watching big brother ride the big pony under the scorching sun. Personally, I’d love to sit in the outdoor area, but since my kids have heat-triggered eczema, I have only been able to enjoy it from the inside, longingly looking out.

For kids, this Singapore institution (until competitor cupcake shops started sprouting up around town) has a lovely selection, including perennial favourites such as grilled cheese toasties and sweet red pepper and tomato soup, traditional spaghetti with organic tomato sauce, and my little one’s regular order, their chicken tenders, paired with a creamy milkshake – the usual double chocolate for us, please!

For the adults, choices range from big breakfast faves such as Eggs Benedict or Florentine, Pancakes topped with fresh bananas and berries, or if you’re feeling like being good on a weekend, an Egg White Omelette filled with feta, spinach and tomatoes, to more lunch-y fare, like our family favourite, the Crab Caesar, their trademark Beef Burger and what seems to be a popular choice on other tables, the Pork and Fennel Seed Sausage Lasagne. Yum!

The service is attentive, even during busy days. Waiters seem to pre-empt my asking for water for my son, something I often have to fight for in other places, and they also know to bring an extra plate or two for the rest of the family to share some dishes, as some portions are quite large.

Then of course, you get to dessert and if you know Marmalade Pantry, you will know that there will be a lot of it, from their fluffy coconut cream cake and Eton Mess, that are so rarely made or served these days, to their extensive cupcake selection, and that you will always leave their place feeling like you should have had this cupcake flavour, or that, today. Of course, there’s always next weekend!

Bukit Timah Saddle Club
51 Fairways Drive
Singapore 286965
Tel: (+65) 6466 2782

Pony rides on Saturdays and Sundays, from 10AM to 1PM.

Marmalade Pantry at the Stables, 55 Fairways Drive, Singapore 286846, and Telephone: 6467 7748. Open Tuesdays to Fridays, from 3PM to 11PM, and on weekends, from 10AM to 11PM (closed on Mondays).