Artisan Boulangerie Company (ABC)

C says:

I've attended a few corporate events at the Asia Square branch of ABC, and it has quickly become a firm favourite. They add a lovely personal touch and take great pains to make our events very enjoyable indeed.

Some of the bites that they offer are shot glasses with a mushroom, grana padano cheese and truffle risotto, seared ribeye steak with pepper sauce, tomato bruschetta and filo pastries with minced meat. All are really yummy, particularly the beef and the risotto shots, which everyone just can't seem to get enough of.

Their tarts are legendary. While many people predictably make a beeline for the chocolate tarts, I much prefer their lemon tarts, which have the perfect balance of sweet and tart. Their eclairs and fruit tarts are pretty good too, but give me the lemon tarts any time.

I like the place so much that I brought A for dinner one night after work. We had the linguine with meatballs, and the Serrano ham and emmental cheese panini. The linguine was clean and simple, and I really liked the panini. I would have preferred the addition of a slightly stronger cheese to add a bit more flavour and saltiness - some grana padano from the risotto would be perfect.

They also do one of the best pain au chocolats in town - light, flakey and fluffy, they're even better than some of the ones we had in Paris recently.

A says:

Pastries are great. Meatballs are great. Everything else is average. The branch at Asia Square does make for a great place for quiet weekday dinners in Shenton Way though.

Seriously Ice Cream

C says:

Seriously Ice Cream is our new go-to place if we want a light ice cream snack. Their ice creams are made without preservatives so the texture is a lot lighter and less dense than regular ice cream, but that’s also what makes it so light and refreshing.

They also do interesting flavour combinations, and they even have a mystery flavour every weekend. If you can guess every element of the mystery flavour, you get a free scoop of ice cream. It may sound easy enough, but with flavours like olive oil lemon oregano, or mango cardamom cheese curds, we haven’t gotten it right so far.

Our mainstay flavour is the amazing Lychee Rose, and we’ve also tried their blue cheese waffle with a miso gula Melaka ice cream. The waffle was a bit light on the blue cheese but you can always tell them to amp up the blue cheese when you order. The owners are really friendly and extremely accommodating.

A says:

Great flavours. Lychee Rose is must-try.

Seriously Ice Cream
Block 4 Everton Park
#01-44
Tel: 9621 6889
Closed Tuesdays

Lady M at One Fullerton

C says:

Lady M has opened its second outlet at One Fullerton, offering a wider selection of its signature mille crepes (like matcha) and other dessert creations.

We tried the banana mille feuille, and one of their other signature creations, the Checkers, which has alternating squares of vanilla and chocolate sponge cake bound together with a light pastry cream, and coated with a thick chocolate ganache.

The banana mille feuille was ok - it was more cream/custard than I expected, with only a small square of puff pastry and a thin outer layer acting as the feuille. The Checkers, on the other hand, was superb. Light, airy, with just enough cream and chocolate to not be overpowering. Possibly my new favourite cake.

The ambience at One Fullerton is also much more conducive to chilling than at Marina Square, with its harsh fluorescent lighting and openness to wandering passersby.

A says:

As much as I like mille crepes, I must say the Checkers cake is even better. Win!

Lady M Fullerton
#01-10, One Fullerton
Tel: 6820-0830
Open daily: 10 am - 10 pm
www.ladym.com.sg

Lady M Bakery

C says:

Lady M Bakery from New York allegedly created the concept of mille crepes, so when they opened their first outlet in Marina Square we were curious to find out just how good theirs were. Were they better than our favourite First Love Patisserie?

For one thing, they only have one flavour of mille crepes here at any given time. Due to production and manpower limitations, they can only focus on one flavour at a time.

They only had the original so we tried that. And yes, all things considered, I think it IS slightly better than the one from First Love. The vanilla cream is about the same standard, but Lady M's crepes are thinner and more fragrant.

Still, I don't think the difference is worth almost $2 more per slice, plus I like the varied flavours that First Love offers.

We also tried their cheesecake, which was light and creamy yet intensely cheesy.

All in all, while Lady M's flavours are limited (apparently it may improve when they open their second outlet at One Fullerton), my default will still be First Love.

A says:

The mille crepe here is better than the ones at First Love, but they are also $2 more each. So ultimately, it comes down to how much you want to pay.

Lady M Bakery
6 Raffles Boulevard
#02-103 Marina Square
Tel: 6822-2095
Open daily: 10-30 am - 9 pm

First Love Patisserie

C says:

Mille crepes are by no means new in Singapore. We first tried them a few years ago from Classic Cakes, and while we found it quite interesting, it didn't really grab us. Since then, more places have started offering it, but we've only recently become enamoured with the ones from First Love Patisserie at ION Orchard.

I think one of the reasons we like the mille crepes here is the fact that we can get individual slices, in a range of different flavours. They have original, cappuccino, matcha, oreo, strawberry, and 2 recent additions - belgian chocolate and blueberry.

We've actually tried most of the flavours, and our favourites are the original, cappuccino and oreo. The crepes are quite thin and fluffy, and the cream is light and not overpowering.

The matcha is probably the most underwhelming, and while the belgian chocolate is a good change from the original, die hard chocoholics will be disappointed because it's not particularly chocolatey.

If you buy 4 you get 1 free, which is a great deal but not very great for our diet at all.

A says:

I love mille crepes and these are awesome.

First Love Patisserie
2 Orchard Turn
#B4-63, ION Orchard
Tel: 6238-8006
Open daily: 11 am - 11 pm

Au Chocolat

C says:

Being huge fans of the Frrrozen Hot Chocolate from Serendipity 3, we were curious to try the version (with only one “R”, since the former is probably trade mark protected) at Au Chocolat in Marina Bay Sands.
 

I wanted so much to like it, but unfortunately it was quite disappointing. The whipped cream was actually the best part – the frozen hot chocolate itself was icy, and had none of the rich, creaminess of the original.
 

However, all is not lost. Their food items were actually surprisingly very, very good. The Au Chocolat Signature Burger, which comes with cheese, bacon and a Portobello mushroom in addition to a juicy beef patty, was one of the best burgers I’ve had in a long time. I asked for it medium rare, and the patty was perfectly pink and juicy, and all the ingredients came together to make a damn good burger.
 
The fries deserve a special mention too – they were the perfect thickness (not too skinny and not fat wedges either), crisp on the outside and soft and fluffy inside. Ask for both ketchup and mayonnaise if you’re feeling decadent – the combination is heavenly.
 

We also tried one of their crepes – with parma ham, melon and gruyere. This sounded good on paper, but wasn’t quite as good as expected. I think they threw too many ingredients into the mix, and everything just ended up getting muddled together. I ended up deconstructing it and eating the ingredients separately.
 

A had their white chocolate and espresso milkshake, which was good if you like thin, drinkable milkshakes. It wasn’t too sweet, and the espresso flavour was stronger than expected.

It’s funny that for a primarily dessert place, their desserts (or at least the ones we’ve tried) didn’t impress us all that much. It’s a good thing that their burger more than made up for it.

A says:

Yeah, the food is great (especially the burgers and fries) but the desserts are very ordinary. Very strange for a dessert place. And the frozen hot chocolate is really a bad copy of the one from Serendipity 3.

Au Chocolat
#L1-03, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands
Tel: 6688-7227
Sun to Thurs:10 am - 11 pm
Fri & Sat: 10 am - midnight
www.auchocolat.com

Shake a Treat!

C says:

While most of Star Vista's dining outlets are branches of established joints like Itacho Sushi, Canton Paradise and Menya Musashi, there are a few independent one-off vendors that decided to set up shop here. One of them is Shake-A-Treat.

They serve custom-blended milkshakes, where you can select the ingredients, or go with some of their suggested concoctions.

This was all A, since I don't like milkshakes enough to waste my calories on them. He went with a peanut butter and chocolate blend, and was fairly impressed, but not blown away.

I can't comment on the milkshake but I do have a couple of general issues. Firstly, they have a durian shake on the menu, and when I asked if they had a separate blender for that, they said no, they just wash it after each use. It's still early days but I wonder if there'll be a durian taint after they've been operating for a while.

Also, their price includes one ingredient (e.g. Oreo cookies or graham crackers) and one topping (like Nutella). Each additional one incurs an extra charge. What I don't like is their inflexibility. If you wanted to pass on an ingredient and get 2 toppings instead, you still have to pay for that additional topping.

When we went they'd only just opened and I think we were the only customers. That was a few weeks ago, and I wonder if they've gotten busier since then.

A says:

Very good. Would be better if they let you swap between ingredients and toppings because I'd much rather have 2 toppings and no ingredients. Now if only I could have both a milkshake and a Sogurt without becoming insanely fat.

Shake a Treat!
#B1-39 The Star Vista
Tel: 6694-2161

Sogurt

C says:

In case it’s not apparent by now, we’ve become quite the frequenters of Star Vista mall. Yes, I still think it’s quite a monstrosity, but I have to grudgingly admit that it has quite a mind-boggling array of eateries, and with ample parking this has become quite a hangout for us of late.

We’re always on the lookout for good frozen yogurt, and our favourite so far is Red Mango’s original, for its creamy texture and just the right mix of tart and sweet. Sogurt comes pretty close though, and what sets Sogurt apart is a pretty extensive selection of flavours. At any given time they have 6 – original and 5 other flavours, and while most other yogurt joints only do their original well, Sogurt’s flavours are all pretty damn good.

It’s all self service – take a cup, dispense any flavours you want, and pay according to weight. Besides original, the green apple and lychee flavours are also outstanding. For a while they had chocolate, which was rich enough that you could almost (but not quite) imagine that you were having soft serve ice cream instead.

At Star Vista, they’re conveniently located right next to the taxi stand/pick-up point, making it really easy for A to swing by on the way home and wait in the car while I run in to get our yogurt fix. The fact that they close at 10.30 pm is an even bigger plus. We just need to remind ourselves that low fat doesn’t mean fat-free, sugar-free or most importantly, calorie-free.

Oh well. At least it’s good for digestion...?

A says:

So good. In terms of original yogurt flavour, it’s probably my second favourite (after Red Mango), but what sets this apart are the sweet and sorbet-like lychee and green apple flavours. We’ve been back many times so the proof, as they don’t say, is in the yogurt.

Sogurt

1 Vista Exchange Green

#01-34 Star Vista

www.sogurt.com.sg

SPR MRKT’s new menu

C says:

Actually, SPR MRKT have had their new menu for a few months now, but it’s taken us a while to visit on all 5 days to sample the whole menu. Losing our first batch of photos because of an HDD crash didn’t help either.

While I’m still bemoaning the loss of some of my favourites, like the beef broth and mushroom soup, I must say that there’s a lot to recommend from the new menu. Without further ado, then, here’s our lowdown:

Monday

The sundried tomato and parma ham salad was simple, but such a classic that it had to be good.

I really like the tomato and sausage linguine (pictured as a half portion – the kitchen nicely split it for us when they found out that we were sharing). The tomato sauce, made from scratch with more steps than I could follow, is very well balanced, without any of the tartness that sometimes accompanies a tomato sauce. 

I love their pork rib soup – a Western take on a bak kut teh, complete with super tender pork ribs, diced potatoes and carrots in a clear but flavourful broth. There was some texture too, in the form of what I thought were little bits of lard. Instead, Chef Jo explained that they slow cook pigs’ trotters, then shred them and set them in a terrine with the aspic. Once it’s chilled and set, then chop it finely and add it to the soup. Brilliant.

Monday’s cake is Lemon Vanilla Chiffon. This looks frightening large, but it’s light as air and absolutely delicious. It’s a toss up whether this is my favourite dessert, or the bread pudding (available daily).

Tuesday

Tuesday’s a good day to come. On the menu are both the awesome tagliatelle carbonara, and a new and absolutely awesome dish – Blackened Fish and Chips.

Unfortunately we don’t have a photo of the fish and chips after the HDD crash, but check out SPR MRKT’s blog for a picture and write up. The fish is superbly fresh, and coated in a crisp, light batter that’s blackened with squid ink. You don’t actually taste the squid ink, but you can just about discern a depth of flavour that wouldn’t otherwise be there without it.

Wednesday

Actually, Wednesdays are pretty good too, with one of their best dishes available – the grilled baby squid salad. The chargrilled flavour from the squid is incredibly intense, remarkably so given how tiny they are. It comes with an anchovy dressing that packs a punch – a little goes a long way.

The chicken and sweet corn soup is comfort food, but definitely elevated. The corn kernels are crisp and sweet, and there are generous chunks of roasted chicken inside a not-too-creamy soup.

The duck rillette sandwich, which I would recommend on a croissant, is a guilty pleasure, given how the sandwich oozes tasty duck fat. Not a regular choice, but delicious all the same.

The BBQ pork ribs are pretty good too, as is their oxtail pasta. The default for the latter is penne, but we hate penne so we nicely asked if we could switch to a different pasta. They suggested pappardelle, which worked wonderfully.

Thursday

Thursday’s more of a soup and salad, with only one main catching my eye. Salads are roasted daikon with sesame dressing, or warm potato with French beans and sour cream shallot dressing.

Soups are a French onion with an Emmenthal cheese stick, and parsnip with scallops. The parsnip is a particular favourite, with very generous portions of perfectly cooked scallops inside.

The crispy pork belly is divine. I like that the pork is not slow roasted and therefore overly fork-tender. It still has some bite, which is what I like in a good siew yoke. The pork is well seasoned, the skin is crisp, and it’s served with caramelised apples that go really well. Tip: get it with their fork mashed potato rather than the shoestring fries. Though their fries are awesome, I think the mash works better with this dish.

Friday

Ironically, if we had to choose, Friday would be our least favourite (relatively speaking). There’s a pumpkin and saffron risotto, with the pumpkin making a surprising appearance in the form of breaded fried cubes. The other main is a take on steak and eggs, with a grilled wagyu steak topped with a poached egg, served with mushrooms and a red wine jus.

I like SPR MRKT’s fine dining take on casual classics, and Friday’s selection is perhaps a bit too fancy for my liking. They’re still executed really well, but I’m personally just drawn to the other dishes more.

We’re just getting used to the new menu, so guys, please don’t change it anytime soon!

A says:

I could go everyday.

SPR MRKT

2 McCallum Street

Tel: 6221-2105

Mondays to Fridays: 8am — 9pm
Saturdays: 9am — 4pm (Brunch)

www.sprmrkt.com.sg

More from SPR MRKT

C says:

We've since been back to SPR MRKT a couple more times to try more of their offerings. This is a bit of a moot review though, since they've changed the menu, and some of my favourites didn't survive the switch *wail*. 

On a Monday, we tried their creamless mushroom soup, which as its name suggests isn't thickened with cream so it's actually pretty healthy. You barely notice the lack of cream - it's so flavourful and moreish. One good thing you do notice about the absence of cream is that it does make the soup less heavy and cloying.

The sandwich was a cured beef with mustard sauce. Again we had a choice of baguette or croissant, and this time we thought baguette would go better. The beef was excellent, but I personally find baguettes a bit hard to eat, so this was no exception.

The beef lasagne is an extremely hearty portion, and for the first time we found this less than stellar. It was a bit too dense and heavy for our liking, and after it we were too full for dessert.

We finally tried their carbonara, and I'm happy to report that I think my carbonara search is over. It was excellent - exactly what I think carbonara should be. Good flavourful bacon, and an eggy, not overly creamy or heavy sauce. Thankfully, this has survived the menu revamp. *Phew*

I guess this is our last post on the old menu. We'll do an update after we've had a chance to try some of the items from the new menu.

A says:

I finally had a dish at SPR MRKT I don’t like. The lasagna isn’t bad, but it was super filling. So filling that I couldn’t have my usual dessert. Boo hoo.

SPR MRKT

2 McCallum Street

Tel: 6221-2105

Mondays to Fridays: 8am — 9pm
Saturdays: 9am — 4pm (Brunch)

www.sprmrkt.com.sg

Maison Keyser

C says:

Since we were at Scotts Square, we thought we’d try what critics have labelled the second best croissant in Singapore, after the one from Tiong Bahru Bakery. Since it was a bit sad to just get a single croissant, we also bought their bread of the day – a bun studded with white chocolate and topped with chocolate chips.

The croissant definitely wasn’t as good as the one from Tiong Bahru Bakery. The latter had such a definitively buttery flavour that it was good on its own, whereas Maison Keyser’s definitely needed some kind of spread to go with it. It also didn’t have the crisp exterior and chewy interior – this one was just chewy and a bit flat. The white chocolate bun was good, but not worth a special trip there.

I think I just prefer Japanese baked goods to French ones.

A says:

The white chocolate bun we had here was better than the croissant. But if we’re talking croissants, Tiong Bahru Bakery is easily much better. Although honestly, Sun Moulin is still my favourite bakery in Singapore.

Maison Keyser

6 Scotts Road

#B1-09, Scotts Square

Tel: 6636-3672

Open daily: 8 am to 8 pm

Maxwell Chilled Bean Curd Wars

C says:

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 6 months or do, you would’ve heard the buzz about the latest queue-inducing craze to hit town – chilled bean curd. Unlike regular soya bean curd, which can be eaten hot or cold and indeed probably tastes better hot, chilled bean curd, as the name suggests, is only eaten cold. The texture is a cross between regular bean curd, crème caramel, and longan tofu.

The pioneer stall is Lao Ban, which opened at Old Airport Road and has since opened several more outlets, including one at Maxwell Food Centre. Queues at lunchtime are legendary – we were there for lunch on Saturday, and when the shutters rolled up a queue of at least 15 formed instantly. In contrast, a few stalls down is one called Bean, also selling chilled bean curd but with no queue to speak of. Naturally we thought “hmmm, atetoomuch taste test!”.

They’re actually very different from each other, and both are also very different from regular soya bean curd. Lao Ban’s texture is the most different of the lot – it’s the least like any form of bean curd, and more like a smooth longan tofu/jelly. It also had the most prominent almond flavour, which may also have contributed to the longan tofu association.

Bean, on the other hand, is more like regular soya bean curd, just lighter and smoother. The soya bean flavour is also more prevalent, rather than almond.

Comparing these to the Rochor soya bean curd, which in my opinion is the best regular bean curd in town, I actually think Bean is better, because it still retains some element of the traditional. Lao Ban is a totally different dessert to me – a very good almond-flavoured longan tofu, but too far removed from the original.

A says:

Lao Ban is an interesting change, but overall, it’s not worth the queue and I’d rather go with Bean.

Canele

C says:

Canele usually isn't on our radar at all, at least not for food, but I had a sudden urge for carbonara, and I'd heard that they do a good one at Canele.

Traditional carbonara, at least in some parts of Italy, doesn't have any cream at all. It consists of all of a few ingredients - crisp bacon/pancetta and the fat rendered from it, parmesan cheese and eggs/egg yolks, all of which are tossed together with hot pasta so that they emulsify and form the sauce.

The sauce should be thick enough to just cling to the pasta, and should be flavoured with the bacon fat. The pasta certainly shouldn't be swimming in a thin, cream-based soup with insipid pre-cooked bacon. Unfortunately, the latter is almost the norm in most restaurants in Singapore, which is why I was quite keen to see if Canele's would buck the trend.

Alas, it was extremely disappointing. It ticked all the boxes of what a carbonara shouldn't be/have. Epic fail. I need to elsewhere for a carbonara fix - any recommendations?

At least Canele still get their desserts right. Their nutella crepe with salted caramel was still a winner, and their apple crumble is one of the better ones I've had.

A says:

Carbonara fail. Dessert and service both rock though. Go there for that.

Canele

350 Orchard Road

#05-21 Shaw House (Lido cinema)

Tel: 6735-5855

Open daily: 11 am to 10 pm

www.canele.com.sg

SPR MRKT

C says:

SPR MRKT, short for supermarket, is a bistro at McCallum Street that also sells gourmet ingredients and lifestyle products. It's co-owned by A's friend's sister and the chef, Joseph Yeo, whose previous experience includes Les Amis and recently Waku Ghin. Their pastry chef makes all the cakes, bread and pastries in-house. Read their story in greater detail here.

They firmly believe in only serving the freshest of ingredients and not wasting food. That's why, even though they have a fairly extensive menu, only selected items are available on any given day (2 soups, 3 mains and 2 desserts). The only downside is that if we can only come on Fridays, then we'll only ever try the same dishes. 

Friday's menu included a brilliant beef broth with oxtail ravioli. This was an intensely umami beef soup with potato, carrot and amazing ravioli filled with shredded oxtail. It's worth noting that because it's located in the CBD, all their dishes are designed for takeaways, hence the paper soup containers and bento boxes.

Because we'd ordered the beef soup, we passed on the beef lasagne and ordered the mushroom and emmenthal cheese egg sandwich (you can choose between baguette and croissant) and the pork chop. The sandwich was good - light croissant with creamy egg, swiss cheese and sauteed mushrooms. Go for the croissant if you're not hungry, and the more substantial baguette if you are.

The smoked pork chop with crispy mustard crust was awesome. The pork was lean yet still amazingly tender - when we raved about it to the chef, he said it could be because they don't use frozen pork. Maybe he's being modest - I'm sure his cooking skills have a lot to do with it too. The mustard crust was crisp and not overpowering, and even the fries and salad were good.

When you come, don't pass on the desserts, because their pastry chef's skills are something else. Friday's dessert is supposed to be caramelised banana tart but not tonight because apparently their banana supply wasn't up to scratch. Instead there was pear tart, which was really good.

The star of the night was the bread pudding with vanilla sauce. They make individual muffin-sized portions, ensuring lots of browned, crisp edges. Instead of bread, I think they use their in-house pain au chocolat to make the pudding. The result is an awesome, really light pudding studded with chocolate, served with a warm vanilla sauce. Amazing.

They're apparently introducing new menu items in a month or so, though they'll still be sticking to limited items each day. Guess we'll have to mess with our routine at times, so that we get to sample their other non-Friday offerings.

A says:

Mega-awesome! Not exactly cheap for a little café but not the most expensive I've been to. You do get fantastic food, and you’d probably be paying a lot more for the same quality at a proper restaurant. And the bread pudding dessert is a mmmm…must-try. The coffee has an interesting flavor too. Must remember to ask where it’s from the next time we go. And we’ll definitely be back. Highly recommended!

SPR MRKT

2 McCallum Street

Tel: 6221-2105

Mondays to Fridays: 8am — 9pm
Saturdays: 9am — 4pm (Brunch)

www.sprmrkt.com.sg

Plain Vanilla Bakery

C says:

I'm usually not a big fan of cupcakes, mainly because more often than not, they're more about aesthetics than flavour. The cake base - usually a dry vanilla or chocolate cake - is an afterthought and simply a carrier for elaborate frostings and toppings, showcasing the baker's artistic abilities at the expense of fundamental baking skills.

That's why I like Plain Vanilla Bakery so much. Each of their cupcake flavours utilises a different cake base, so the fact that they're cute little cupcakes is secondary; at the heart of it, they're still really yummy cakes. As it should be.

Cousin L introduced them to me at a family tea, so I promptly placed an order for W's belated bday dinner. I was really impressed that everything was packed and ready for me when I popped by to collect them, and they even remembered my request for a little candle.

We haven't tried all the flavours yet, but so far my favourite is (surprise surprise) the Salted Caramel, which actually isn't on the mainstay menu. It's a special that will only be available till the end of the month. The cake has swirls of caramel, and I like that the caramel is quite boldly salted.

The Dark Chocolate Ganache is good for those who don't like things too sweet, nor too much frosting. It's coated with a thin layer of ganache, then topped with crushed cocoa nibs. What was most surprising was the cake - I expected it to be quite dense and heavy, but it was anything but. It was really light and fluffy, with a very fine crumb yet still very chocolatey.

A found the Chocolate Banana a tad too sweet, but really liked the Chocolate Chip because the cake base, a vanilla studded with chocolate chips, was less sweet and therefore complemented the sweeter frosting.

I won't lie; the fact that they're in Holland Village is definitely a plus for us. But that aside, what'll keep me going back is just really good cake. Now, if only they'll put the Salted Caramel on their main menu.

A says:

The texture and fluffiness of the cupcake is the best I’ve ever had. Unfortunately, most of the icing/frosting/topping mixes are really way too sweet. I’m talking “omg I need a triple shot of espresso just to cancel the sweetness” kind of sweet. The only ones that didn’t put me in immediate risk of diabetes were the Dark Chocolate and surprisingly, the Chocolate Chip. I’ll be back for those and maybe ask if we can get some special orders that are a bit less sweet.

Plain Vanilla Bakery

34A Lorong Mambong

(2^nd floor, above El Patio Restaurant)

Tel: 6465-5942

Tues to Sat: 12 noon to 8pm

Sun: 12 noon to 6pm

Closed on Mondays

www.plainvanillabakery.com

Ci Gusta

C says:

Ci Gusta, an Italian gelato chain, has opened its first Singapore outlet at Anchorpoint, which I thought was quite a surprising choice of venue.

They serve artisanal gelato as well as tenero, which is kind of like a soft serve ice cream. The gelato comes in quite a range of flavours, whereas for the tenero there was only yogurt and mascarpone cheese.

We ordered the waffle with a scoop of salt caramel and one of Donatella - a chocolate hazelnut that tasted like nutella. The salt caramel was good but, like the vast majority of salt caramels out there, could have pushed the boundaries in terms of saltiness.

We tried the crepes with the mascarpone tenero. The mascarpone was really good - tasted a bit like a honey yogurt, and was nice and smooth and not too rich.

Unfortunately, while the ice cream was good, the waffles and crepes were disappointing. Both could've been cooked a bit longer; they were a bit too pale and soggy.

Bottom line? The gelato isn't so good that we'll make a special trip there.

A says:

The yogurt and mascarpone flavours are great. The rest are a bit average. The waffle looks better than it tastes. Luckily, the crepe tastes a lot better than it looks.

Overall, I’d say it’s worth getting some if you’re there, but doesn’t justify a trip.

Ci Gusta
370 Alexandra Road
#01-04, Anchorpoint
www.singapore.cigusta.com/index.php