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ice cream

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i've heard so much about fatcat ice cream bar and have wanted to try it for so long. glad that the opportunity finally presented itself.

we were there on a weeknight. i was somehow expecting it to be crowded, but thankfully it wasn't. seating was limited, but we managed to get a table for four. spent a while paging through their menu- i wanted to try one of their plated desserts at first, but none caught my attention, so we ended up getting two waffles to share.

of course we had to have their signature charcoal waffles (even though i know the charcoal doesn't actually add any flavour), adding $1 for the salted egg sauce. the other waffle we got was the original brown butter one. we spent a while faffing about trying to decide what ice-cream flavour to get. my mum isn't the most adventurous person, so my sister and i were wary about getting the more out-there flavours for fear that she wouldn't eat it. i tried the butter beer because it sounded interesting, but it wasn't something that i would want to keep eating. so we stuck to the safer choices- strawberry cheesecake and blackforest (which was really more chocolate).

the waffles were served a while later. sadly the brown butter one came with chocolate sauce drizzled all over- one of my pet peeves, so i only ate a bit of that. the waffle's texture wasn't the kind i'm fond of- a bit too airy and crisp.

the charcoal one suffered the same fate. the salted egg yolk sauce saved the day, though. i found myself dunking bites of the waffle into the salted egg yolk sauce, which was more savoury than sweet.

not sure if i'll make a special trip back for their waffles. perhaps for their plated desserts, though.

fatcat ice cream bar
block 416 bedok north avenue 2
#01-25
http://fatcat.sg

i love cedele, and podi is by cedele. but... i've held off visiting podi, because of mostly negative reviews online. that, however, was a couple of years back, so i suppose it's time to give them a try, especially when their menu looks so tempting. they had quite a few items that caught my eye. i figured that it was also a place that X would want to try, so we met for dinner there on a weeknight. i'd made a reservation, but it wasn't necessary. still, we got an awesome table right by the fountain, so i guess it was worth the effort.

the first thing i noticed upon receiving the menu was that it was different from what i'd seen online. the new menu was a pared down version of the old one, with several items that had interested me taken out. meh. still, i was hoping that with a more focused menu means better execution. their menu has a lot of pulled meat items, which is right up X's alley. we spent quite a while poring over the menu and deciding. i wanted the pulled beef flat wrap ($19), but it came with sweet potato fries and salad. i didn't want sweet potato fries, but the kitchen was quite rigid about not letting me change it to anything else but more salad. the waitress was really helpful about it though- i'd already decided to just not have the pulled beef wrap, but she came back and asked what i wanted to change to, and then went back to the kitchen to ask!

in the end i got the ginger plum chicken ($20), while X went for the ginger plum pulled duck flat wrap ($19), topping up $2 for truffle fries. the food came fairly quickly, which was good because... i was starving.

so glad i got the chicken, because it was really good. the chicken was undeniably the star. two generous slabs of chicken thigh, complete with light, crackly chicken skin- yum! i could hardly taste the ginger plum on the chicken, though, but the chicken was so well-cooked i didn't mind.

the ginger plum sauce seemed to be more apparent on the wild rice. the wild rice wasn't quite what i expected- i was expecting brown grains, i suppose, but these were purplish. kind of like black glutinous rice, actually- in terms of texture as well. i did like its slight nutty flavour though, especially combined with the mushrooms, beans, broccoli and roasted cherry tomatoes. i cleaned up the entire plate easily. (X was convinced that portions would be tiny and i would be able to eat two mains easily, but no. it was actually a good sized portion.)

X's ginger plum pulled duck wrap looked impressive, but she was complaining about how it was lacking the ginger plum sauce (and even suspected that the chef'd left it out) and that there was very little pulled duck. still, she said that it was a light and refreshing eat.

X was craving waffles, so she got the waffle with a scoop of earl grey fig ice-cream ($8). i stole a bite and quite liked it. it was not the crisp, airy type (that i don't like)- instead it was more cakey.

i quite liked the food, and so did X. whatever negative reviews that they'd had previously, they seem to have taken into consideration and fixed. this place definitely warrants a return with X.

PODI
raffles city
#b1-45
https://www.facebook.com/podisg/

finally made it to sunday folks! it's been on my to-try list for ages now, simply because i love creamier's rendition of waffles. but sunday folks is just too inaccessible- all the way in the west. i'm rarely motivated to travel to the west, especially after graduating from university. so when i knew that i had to be at rochester mall, i jumped at the chance to finally head over to sunday folks.

it was a sunday night, but because we arrived at almost eight, we didn't have to queue for a table. the place was pretty packed though. and when we left, there was a queue.

we got two waffles to share ($9.90 each), because my friend wanted to try two flavours of the soft serve, while i wanted more waffles. so that worked out fine, because i could have more of my friend's waffle, while she could have most of my soft serve.

two flavours of the soft serve jumped out at us- the earl grey lavender and the sea salt gula melaka. didn't get any toppings, because the one we wanted (gula melaka mochi) was sold out. the two waffles came beautifully presented, with a generous swirl of soft serve on top. there was a cookie thoughtfully sandwiched between the soft serve and the waffle so the soft serve wouldn't make the waffle soggy. didn't really work though, because the soft serve melted very quickly.

i loved the waffle- exactly the same as creamier's. didn't really like the earl grey lavender soft serve though. it was way too perfumed. we both preferred the sea salt gula melaka, which was awesome- salty and sweet at the same time, with a strong gula melaka hit.

yum. i'll be back if i'm in the west.

sunday folks

44 jalan merah saga

chip bee gardens #01-52

http://sundayfolks.com

wanted some dessert after a not very filling dinner, so L and i headed over to suntec. even at almost nine, there was a queue, not just for seats, but also for orders (they had separate queues for ordering and seats). granted, the space was pretty small, with just a communal table in the middle taking up most of the space, and a couple of bar seats.

managed to get seats after probably fifteen minutes. the food came about ten minutes later, so the wait was surprisingly short given the number of customers they had versus the number of staff.

the golden toast with thai tea kaya ($3.80) came first. i found the thai tea kaya to be on the bland side- could hardly taste the tea flavour. the toast cubes were crispy, but after eating two it got to be a bit much because of its oiliness. probably wouldn't be ordering this again.

we also got the aloha coconut shibuya toast ($10.80), which fared better. the highlight was probably the creamy coconut ice-cream- really good. i don't like ice-cream in general, but i loved this one. it was so much like having an actual coconut. the toast was topped with shredded dried coconut and actual coconut flesh. given that i'm really into coconut... of course i liked this. the toast itself was not bad- buttered well, crisp on the outside and fluffy inside. it was a good vehicle for the ice-cream. this, i would get again if there wasn't a queue.

L also got a hot thai milk tea ($1.70) and i got a hot black coffee ($1.50). L liked hers- i tried it, and agreed. it had a strong tea taste, and was only mildly sweet. my black coffee, however, didn't have any kick at all. way too dilute.

for the price, it was quite a satisfying dessert. i know $10.80 is quite a bit to pay for basically just ice-cream and toast (as L says) but it's one of the cheapest shibuya toasts around. no service charge as well, so that's a bonus. will be back if i want a carb fix.

tuk tuk cha

#02-605A suntec city tower 3

https://www.facebook.com/tuktukchasg

was in the area and my friend wanted some cafe food, so i did some googling and realised that shrove tuesday was pretty close to where we were. wasn't in the mood to be picky (because i was starving- it was three in the afternoon and we'd come from the gym) so we took the ten minute stroll over.

their menu was compact- couple of mains, with the main focus on dessert. i needed something savoury, so we shared the beef lasagne ($8.50) and the chicken pie ($6.50).

to be honest, i wasn't expecting much, since it was a cafe after all, and cafes aren't exactly known for their savoury dishes. but surprisingly enough the lasagne was a passable rendition, and we easily finished it. i didn't quite like the chicken pie though. too much cream and the crust wasn't nearly flaky and buttery enough, but we were hungry enough to finish it, too.

then we moved on to desserts! they were having a promo on the waffles- 50% off between 3 pm and 6 pm, so we only paid $2.50 for the waffle. added on a scoop of rum and raisin ice-cream for an additional $3.80 (extra $0.80 for premium flavour).

my friend was also tempted by the array of cakes on display, particularly the 7 flavour rainbow cheesecake ($7.50) and the thai milk tea cheesecake. really pretty, but i've never been a fan of rainbow cakes, because the logical part of me knows that it's just colouring. but while we were at the counter and deciding what to order, the girl at the counter told us that the different layers were not just colouring- each layer was a different flavour. that kind of sealed the deal for us.

it certainly was photogenic. i tasted each layer separately, and it was true that each layer was a different flavour! i was particularly enamoured with the yam flavoured purple bit. couldn't tell what the blue layer was supposed to be, but the taste of the other layers were prominent. in all, it was an interesting cheesecake, though i don't think i'd order it again.

their waffle was the light and crisp type. not my favourite type (creamier still takes the top spot) but it was alright.

we were still feeling greedy (and tempted by the display of desserts) after finishing the cake and the waffle, we decided to try another one. it was a tossup between the profiteroles ($10) and the matcha tiramisu ($8)- the matcha won in the end.

no regrets- it was a good decision. i especially liked the matcha crumble on top. it was a good play of textures- matcha crumble, creamy matcha-infused mascarpone and an alcohol-soaked cake layer beneath. the combination worked. it was probably my favourite dessert of the three. so glad we decided to be greedy (though it entails more jumping to work all the calories off).

not a very big cafe. quite liked the decor- all whimsical, with pretty prints. we were the only customers when we reached at three on a monday afternoon, but at about four, groups of people started streaming in.

spent a leisurely afternoon with my friend, chatting away and just enjoying the food. prices were also quite reasonable. will probably be back if i'm in the area. too bad it's not near the train station, though.

shrove tuesday
#01-32
94 lorong 4 toa payoh
http://shrovetuesday.sg

i've never been enamoured with bingsu, even with the current bingsu craze going around. for the price, give me cake any day. i never thought that i would be hunting down bingsu, but my friend really wanted bingsu for dessert after lunch that day (it'd been a particularly stressful day), so i complied.

didn't choose snowy village on purpose; she'd just googled and realised that it was most convenient spot. i vaguely recall reading about it a few months ago- something about it being located in a container.

we were lucky to get seats- it was a really small space. counter seats on tiny stools (i was half-afraid i would break it), facing the glass window. sitting outside was non-negotiable- it was blazingly hot.

i let my friend choose the flavour she wanted, since she was the one who wanted bingsu anyway. she deliberated between the black sesame bingsu ($12.90) and the mango one ($15), before finally picking the black sesame. (i was secretly pleased because i was rooting for the black sesame one.)

i wasn't expecting much, to be honest (it is after all an ice-based dessert). to find that i actually did enjoy it was a surprise in itself. it was adorable- black sesame ice-cream decorated with almond flakes for ears and chocolate bits (?) for eyes and a nose. there was a generous layer of black sesame powder, red bean, almond flakes, peanut bits and mochi over the milk based ice shavings. it also came with condensed milk on the side, but after having the bingsu on its own, we realised that it didn't need any extra sweetness.

its flavour was on the mild side, but it was precisely that that made it enjoyable and refreshing. i was pleasantly surprised to find that there were additional layers of black sesame powder in the bingsu itself, not just on top.

okay, maybe i don't dislike bingsus after all. wouldn't go out of the way to have this, but if i'm in the area and in need of a dessert, would probably stop by. no gst and service charge, so that was awesome. pretty reasonably priced.

snowy village
120a prinsep street
https://www.facebook.com/snowyvillagesingapore

we wanted ice-cream after dinner, so i did a quick search. i realised that there are really a lot of ice-cream places in the bugis/city hall vicinity. competition is fierce! there were three places that we could check out. initially wanted to see which one we liked best, but because it was getting late, we ended up just eating at the first stop.

we got seats- pretty cramped, and we initially had a spot at the giant communal table that was so wide it was difficult to talk across. almost wanted to leave though, when i realised they'd run out of waffles (what?????). then i decided to settle for a waffle cone... but they didn't have it either. okay... so all they had was ice-cream.

in the end, after some trying, we settled for a triple scoop of salted butterscotch, chocolate stout, and apple yakult ($9.20).

the scoops were generous- so generous, in fact, that it was difficult to eat out of the cup without bits of ice-cream falling out. we ended up getting an extra empty cup and transferred one of the scoops over. i liked the salted butterscotch best, especially the lumps of digestive biscuit. (i found myself digging through the ice-cream for those lumps.)

still slightly annoyed that they could actually run out of waffles and cones. i need a little something to go with ice-cream, else it gets a bit cloying. then again, i'm probably just not an ice-cream person. not sure if i'd want to come back- their ice-cream was okay, but not spectacular, and there are so many other options in the area.

merely ice cream

sunshine plaza #01-13

http://merely.com.sg

near the end of our less than satisfying meal at deli moroccan, we were brainstorming about what to eat for dessert. L wanted waffles, so i was trying to come up with (less overpriced) waffle places in the area. suddenly recalled that i've always wanted to try tom's palette (for a few years now it seems- every time i walk past i tell myself i want to try and then promptly forget about it) and brought it up. amazingly enough it has also been on her to-try list for ages, so we headed there.

before we reached i already knew what i wanted- the salted egg yolk ice cream has been calling out my name every time i walk past. while choosing flavours we still tried it though, and it was just as good as i'd imagined. the other flavour was harder to decide upon. after trying a myriad of flavours, some of which left us startled (maple apple nutmeg sounds good, but it wasn't for us), we finally settled on the roc-star. the roc-star was made of ovaltine, chocolate and honey stars- familiar, comforting flavours and nothing too out of this world, though i initially wanted something more exciting.

one of the things that makes tom's palette different from other ice cream places is that they allow two flavours for any size! good for indecisive people like me.

we ordered the waffle with two scoops of ice cream ($12.40) and it was served to us after a short wait. we were there at about seven-thirty on a saturday evening, not quite dessert time, but the place was quite packed and business was brisk.

the waffles came on a long white plate, with the two scoops of ice cream separate on the other end. i liked that they served the scoops not on top of the waffle, which makes the waffle less prone to sogginess. also came with cookie crumbs- bonus! didn't like that they poured syrup onto the waffle though, but that's just personal preference since i like my waffle plain and simple (i poured it out before it got too soaked into the waffle).

the flavours we chose went really well together. the salted egg yolk ice cream reminded us of moon cakes. mm. the roc-star, while a safe choice, didn't disappoint as well. it was chocolatey and had bits of chocolate bar inside, providing a textural contrast.

can't express how much i loved the salted egg yolk ice cream. will be back just for it. makes up for the meh dinner that we had. the ice cream here isn't as good texturally as creamier, but they make up for it by having exciting flavours. some of them don't quite work (for me), but the salted egg yolk is enough to make me come back. the waffle was alright, but i suppose they're good for their ice cream, anyway. added bonus that it's so accessible- just a short walk from bugis.

tom's palette

shaw tower #01-25

i've always had a soft spot for ice cream gallery. first had it by chance a couple of years back. we were looking for desserts along the tanjong katong stretch, and stumbled upon it. there was another ice cream cafe on the same stretch, but for some reason we compared the two and decided that ice cream gallery was the more tempting one. and from then onwards, i've liked ice cream gallery, especially the sea salt caramel, even though i'm not an ice cream kind of person.

we had the brownie with sea salt caramel ($8.30)-

as well as a triple scoop waffle ($9.50 for double scoop waffle, additional $3.90 for extra scoop).

glad to see that they've changed the waffle. the first time i had the waffle, it was the rectangular type, and they just took it out of the fridge and heated it up (!). it was of course terrible and cardboardy. for some reason i decided to give them another chance, and thankfully it paid off. the waffle was decent, and reasonably priced in comparison to other cafes (it goes for $2.90 alone). had the waffle with honey nut, salty peanut and valrhona chocolate ice cream.

the brownie was fudgy and served warm. it was pretty good, but of course, the star was the sea salt caramel that came with crunchy almond bits.

they seem to be doing a promotion for different days of the week. monday seems a pretty good deal in particular, with 1 for 1 on single scoops. their ice cream is just as smooth and good as i remember, though some of their flavours lean towards the sweet side. still, their pricing is reasonable, and they'll always be my go-to dessert in the tanjong katong area.

bing bing ice cream gallery

242c tanjong katong road

www.icecreamgallery.com

noms.

fatcat ice cream bar, bedok.

podi, raffles city.

sunday folks, chip bee gardens.

tuk tuk cha, suntec city.

shrove tuesday, toa payoh.

snowy village, prinsep street.

merely ice cream, sunshine plaza.

tom's palette, shaw tower.

bing bing ice cream gallery, tanjong katong road.

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