The Banana Pie Feud Between Dona Manis & Auntie Peng: Which Pie Is Better? | On The Red Dot

In the heart of Katong Shopping Centre, two bakeries are locked in a battle over banana pie. Dona Manis Cake Shop faces tough competition from rival Auntie Peng, the original baker, who has opened a shop, Auntie Peng Banana Pie, next door.

As both shops claim to be the original creators, this sweet rivalry has locals and food lovers alike divided. Who will win the ultimate pie showdown? Food Feud uncovers the history, taste and original recipe behind this delicious rivalry in "The Pie Wars."

0:00 Introduction
0:57 What is banana pie?
1:19 History of Dona Manis and Auntie Peng
2:10 How do their banana pies differ?
4:18 How the feud started
8:25 Was Auntie Peng kicked out of Dona Manis?
9:50 Did Auntie Peng intentionally open next door?
11:05 Who has the ‘original’ banana pie recipe?
14:36 Mr Tan: the other half of Dona Manis
16:24 Blind taste test: which pie wins?
20:30 Epilogue: the next generation

===========
About On The Red Dot: CNA's weekly programme documents the stories of ordinary Singaporeans and celebrates their resilience, identity and sense of belonging. 'Secret Heroes' celebrates regular Singaporeans making an impact in quiet ways.
===========

#CNAInsider #OnTheRedDot #BananaPie #DonaManis #AuntiePeng

For more, SUBSCRIBE to CNA INSIDER!

Follow CNA INSIDER on:

[yeezeey]

last part between the daughters are the best. So sweet ... like the pies :)

[InevitableKiller]

Love how auntie peng had so much respect for her business partner mr tan. You can tell it was a truly symbiotic relationship.

[aUriginal]

Nice video showing the true history. Am definitely back going to Auntie Peng for the taste I am used to, as she is the original creator of the pie.

[alloysiusvoon]

It's middle of the night, and my bestie is asleep... so nobody to gossip with me... AND HERE I AM WATCHING SOME OLD AUNTIES HAVING BEEF OVER SOME PIE...

[ohhithere]

Thanks for the unbiased video! I enjoyed the comprehensive documentation of the complex history and relationship of the shop owners and their banana pies. I can really understand where both sides are coming from.

Also, Im excited to see the future of the both shops when the next generation takes over!

[q.ueencard]

Pretty honest answers by Esther although she seems to have to tried to link everything to her dad to support the base of her claims. I gotta say, respect to Auntie Peng for opening the shop and selling her original recipe. 30 years of working there is no joke. I have yet to try either of them before but will do so this weekend (hope no queue pls after this episode)

[anneeli]

I love the banana pie - it has a nice nostalgic taste to it. We didn't know that Auntie Peng opened her own shop and recently when my hubby bought from Dona Manis and brought it home, I took one bite of the pie and told my husband it tasted different. Now I know why 😅

[jibrasome]

Kudos to CNA for finding meaningful content and crafting the flow, researching and creating each segment of this program! CNA is truly a good channel that rivals 'bigger' international brands in creating high quality products. A proud follower!

[zhenghao]

The feud was very normal. Cause in the past Mr Tan just do the sales, admin and accounting. While Ms Peng is main baker and called the shot in the kitchen. After Esther took over her dads share, Esther is also a bakery chef so she would have a lot of idea in the bakery. Chinese saying 一山不容二虎。😅😅

[dreymin]

I stayed and worked in the vicinity, and I still frequent the area. Anyone remembered Oriental Supermarket at the far end? If you do, you are a true blue Eastie. Been patronising Dona Manis for many, many years.

They used to sell buns to the morning crowd, one can always see Auntie Peng, her hubby and Uncle Tan manning the stall. So go figure what time they actually started to work to get those buns ready. Auntie Peng from what I observed over the years, she's a straight talker and doesn't sugarcoat her words. I always see her just racing against time to present her bakes to the crowds. I used to jest with Uncle Tan that he calculates faster than the calculator. They know their roles and play them well. To be honest I didn't see Esther and her daughter till Uncle Tan passed away.

The original store exists but sadly it has lost it's spirit. I am pretty sentimental about that spot actually, after patronising for donkey years including testing and buying their CNY goodies. And to be fair, I bought from both shops to test which I prefer, and Auntie Peng's version clearly stood out. Try their chocolate tarts too, they are heavenly. My take is Auntie Peng is the OG and creator of the banana pie, so Dona Manis can't claim to be the original. The form exists but the substance has gone elsewhere. How can Uncle Tan know the exact recipe when he doesn't bake at all?

I find the last part involving the daughters as a low brow tactic to evoke emotions, it felt really fake to me to be honest. Esther's daughter is much more articulate and driving the narrative. Also which staff from the documentary made Auntie Peng's daughter wear that outfit, it looked so off, she's usually very low key baking in the background.

Final thoughts, the market is big enough to accommodate both stores. There are specialised retail areas which sell the exact same items and there's no reason why K.S.C. can't be known for banana pies. I do hope both shops can make peace and reconcile, peace out! ❤

[nicholasgoh]

Actually not difficult to decipher the feud from the video:
Esther said she tweaked the recipe given by her dad so it’s no longer the original.
Aunties Peng was the baker so she will have the original recipe.
Aunty Peng said Esther was never in the shop but when she wanted to make changes to the recipe after she took over. So Aunty Peng find Esther bossy, did not agree to the changes in the recipe and obviously was not happy and did not get along well with Esther. All these probably drove Aunty Peng to break up the business relationship, even though deep inside she still want the business to go on since it’s the business she has been working on since day one for over 30 years. Aunty Peng obviously would not tell Esther she is setting up another shop so she has to find an excuse and said she is retiring and of course she can change her mind as well. Technically she is retiring as she has handed the business to her daughter. It also makes sense for Aunty Peng to set up shop in the same mall as that’s where her regular customers are. Nothing wrong with that and she already explained that it was by chance that the new shop was next to Esther’s.
My conclusion is that you should only eat banana pie once in a blue moon and don’t eat the whole slice as they are not very healthy 😂

[shanicestella]

What a Feud,
Oh my Gosh ! I watch this until I run out of my coffee

[hanweitiew]

Haven’t tried any. But will buy auntie’s Peng pie based on this video

[ctlow]

Both daughters seem like nice people! I hope they maintain their friendship regardless of their parents issues.

[graceieie.]

i think it's unfair for auntie Esther to keep insisting that her shop is the "original banana pie". The fact is that auntie peng is the true creator of the recipe. Even if she had created it under the name of Dona Manis, it's still her creation. So to keep insisting that she's the original recipe under the name of her father is morally wrong. In my perspective, I believe that Auntie Peng's decision on opening her own brand right beside Dona Manis was with the intention of carrying on her view of "the legacy". We must not forget the fact that she has been working in that area for 30 years and has already fostered close bonds and relations with her regular customers. Also it's quite evident that Esther and Esther's daughter are rather well off. Taking into account that they are both fluent in their speech and speak in a very refined / reserved manner, where as though Auntie Peng's speech is definitely more emotional, it's more authentic.

[Shortofheight]

Based on what I understood from the stories told from both sides, I didn't feel Mr Tan communicated effectively what he wanted before he left. Both of them have their own truths. At the end of the day, you can just support what you prefer. I'll try both :)

[annawong]

Both are delicious pies. I usually visited late in afternoon, , when the pies are selling out, I just buy whichever shops that still have the pie left. I just love both of them ❤️

[merrilymeryl]

my favourite part of the video was when the shop needed a banana chart to tell ripeness.

[darrenowyong]

Don't think it's appropriate to say "Mr Tan passed away and caused this feud".

[ST-pbeb]

I would say Auntie Peng is what you see is what you get kinda lady - there’s no need to guess what she’s thinking. Esther is more polished and is very careful with her words. She’s more concerned about her image. Either way i don’t really care but i hope both find peace and happiness in their own little creations.