Singapore - Ice Cream Chefs

So, on a recent trip back home, I went to yet another ice cream shop since Udders at Siglap had a queue.  Ice Cream Chefs was crowded although a little more manageable.  The 2 teen girls in front of us were milking the counter literally, trying every flavor, and trying the helpful staff person helping them.  So we decided to forgo the in-house experience which includes the "fry-up" and buy a pint home.

The "fry-up" as I coin it, is actually what the Ice Cream Chefs call a mix in.  So all you do is select your ice cream flavor(s), select your choice of toppings, then the "chef" smashes them into one big mashed up glob on the Chef's Rock.  A twist to just having your toppings sprinkled over, huh.

Our pint of Durian Decadence was pretty decent.  It is creamier to what I generally prefer which is a milkier finish but I know there are fans of the creamy version out there.  The emphasis is more on the ice cream here and so I felt it was about converting the durian fruit into a palatable ice cream flavor.  By comparison, Udders' Mao Shan Wang was more about the fruit and it was using the ice cream medium to bring out the fruit so the emphasis felt a little different.

From a price point perspective, perhaps a fairer comparison would be against Udders' D24, which is the cheaper pint and closer in price to Durian Decadence.  Between the 2, perhaps more would take to the Decadence simply because it feels richer from the creamy finish.  The D24 is fairly light and for those who like their durian and cannot get any but are slightly more lactose intolerant, then that's your choice fix.

In short, to each his/her own.  But I would go back and try ICC's other interesting flavors like Kaya Lotee and Milo Peng for that local twist.

520 East Coast Road
#01-06 Ocean Park
Tel: +65-64466355

Singapore - U.d.d.e.r.s. Ice Cream

The rage of Singapore's ice cream scene has moved into the Siglap neighborhood and so made it easy for me to grab a pint over a short visit.  Ice cream artisans as they call themselves have developed a range of ice creams which more than 6000 people have "liked" on Facebook and probably counting.  Mom raved about the Durian ones she tried.

There are 2 - the classic range's D24 but since I had a limited window, I went with the Connoisseur's range of Mao Shan Wang (猫山王) or King of Cat Mountain Durian.  The Mao Shan Wang is a stronger durian fragrance and taste over the D24.  The latter, when made into ice cream, tended to be sweeter but a little flatter, probably made so by the milk.  On its own, the D24 is good, but when the server gave me a lick of the Mao Shan Wang, the choice was obvious.

The King of Cat was way slicker and hit the palate like a swift leopard would.  Obviously durian but with a lingering fragrance and taste that I would hazard to say even neutral durian eaters would enjoy.  But if you're a beginner, go with the D24 first.

Either way, these are great if you can't get access to the real thing since it's probably going to be as close as you can get.

87 Upper East Coast Road
Tel: +65-64488732

Hong Kong - Crumbs

The frozen yogurt war in Hong Kong continues and Crumbs in definitely on the list, as the long queues outside its hole in the wall in busy Causeway Bay will attest to.

The yogurt is not my favourite, with a texture and taste more akin to cream and can be a little heavy.  You would do well to share.  However, the tartness does make up for it, as do the toppings.  My favourite is the combination of soft and chewy mochi balls, and Cinnamon-flavoured crumbs.  Take a mouthful with the 3 together, and you have a burst of flavours and textures and the chill is always welcome on a humid summer's day.

But what I really like is Crumbs' alternative offering to frozen yogurt - the scones.  There are 3 flavours to choose from - cheese, raisin and chocolate.  It is the cheese hands down for me.  Crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, it is one of the better scones around.  And the very fragrance of cheese coming through as you sink in, great for breakfast with coffee, or tea with tea!

The war continues but it is no battle to embrace these as snack alternatives to crisps or chips, depending on where you hail from.  Let the battles begin and may everyone win so that the consumer continues to have choice!

Shop 1C, G/F
Central Mansion
8 Cannon Street
Causeway Bay
Tel: +852-2793 9393

Good mornings..

Yoghurt...  a lot of goodness to wake up to.  Easier on the body in place of milk in my opinion especially now where variety is the order of the day.  At the better supermarkets, you can literally spend minutes poring through the various types of fruit and then again every brand has a different recipe - I like the moderately creamy, slightly tart with no overwhelming aftertaste to speak of.  Not quite the consistency of frozen yoghurt (a great dessert), breakfast yoghurts should be more akin to "eating milk" but without the heaviness like so.

Citysuper and Mamie Nova have ignored my pleas to bring back their honey yoghurt back.  It's been 8 long months.  Yoghurt mornings have not been the same.    http://edeats.blogspot.com/2009/08/bad-yoghurt-karma.html

But I have found a new friend - German to be exact.  Landliebe is his name.  We are getting to know each other but cherries seem to be his thing.  This might be the start of a wonderful relationship.  We had a mid-morning rendezvous..  I'm not waking up to you yet but it could be soon...

Hong Kong - Yo Mama

For those coming of age, ice cream can be heavy if a regular feature.  But with the summer heat fast approaching, a cold dessert is always welcoming.  Good news: the frozen yoghurt revolution is here to stay.  Thanks to the increasingly health-conscious in all of us.  I'm not saying ice cream is out - it will never be because nothing is a replacement but frozen yoghurt is great as an intermission to break the excessive sugar and fat.  And a huge bonus: it actually tastes good!

My new fave is Yo Mama!  Their outlets do a brisk business for good reason.  And with the smiling cow, why not?

Although there are only 2 flavours (I prefer original over green tea), there are a myriad of fruit and other toppings to choose from.  It can be a serious decision, or you end up with a cup so full of toppings you can't see the yoghurt.  For the kid in me, coco pops and mochi balls are great, and I leave with a smile on my face...

16 Wing Fung Street
Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Tel: +852-2865 5600

Singapore - Yoguru

After much feasting, it's always nice to try and cut back.  Desserts are a good start, but do you really want to do that?  After all, it's still the holiday season!  I like Yoguru and it's a great healthy fix for those who still need  to satisfy their sweet tooth.  With fresh cut fruit toppings, and nuts, and cereals to top of your choice of original or Yoguberry or both if you can't decide, it's an excellent way to top off a meal.  OK, enough advertising.

For those who grew up with Yami Yoghurt like I did, this is also a great to reminisce with!

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Kallang Leisure Park

5 Stadium Walk, Unit 01-01A

Tel: +852-63448860

Bad Yoghurt Karma

I miss waking up to you... I hope you are traveling safe on the Airbus all the way from France to our island. I've seen your peach, strawberry and other undesirable cousins but where oh where art thou?? I need you back...

Why hasn't City Super stocked Mamie Nova's honey yoghurt for 2 weeks now???

Hanoi - an afternoon around Hoan Kiem Lake

Happy New Year and greetings from Hanoi!

New Years' Day was spent traveling to Hanoi and as soon as we landed and checked into the hotel, we started our food exploration of the Hoan Kiem Lake area, near our hotel.

Of course, you can't start a trip to anywhere in Vietnam without the national food, Pho Bo or Beef Noodles Soup. So we head to Pho 24 just by the lake. It is not the best, but if you are not that adventurous, the cleanliness of the joint, and the many people that stream in and out, certainly gives the tourist a whole lot of comfort. For the McDonalds'-type set up, I was satisfied enough with it although my suggestion is to have the pho with beef brisket since the beef slices used tend to be too chewy given the ordinary cuts.

A short walk away, we found dessert. Or rather, curiosity got the better of us since we had never seen so many people squatting or leaning over the scooters along the sidewalk for ice cream. Yes, you heard right. Since 1958, Kem Trang Tien has been serving up ice creams on sticks and more recently, soft serve in a cone.

The soft serve is not served when you order but brought out from a "kitchen" every now and then in trays such as the above. Our choice of each of the coconut and milk ice creams on a stick were reminscent of childhood in Singapore where the ice cream from the traveling vendor is not too milky but has enough of ice in it to allow any kid to down more than one! If you like traditional tastes, try it although the pushing and shoving (there is no queue system) might get you down.


After ice cream, you gotta have coffee so we explore a little bit more and then chancing upon Aqua, which we realised was a full fledged restaurant after we stepped in. But in my opinion, probably has one of the best Vietnamese and French-pressed coffees I've had and the Creme Brulee is traditionally good with enough egg and cream for just the right texture, creamy but firm enough and most importantly, eggy enough! And with the crystallised top, very impressive.

A great start to a promising trip of more foodie adventures.. stay tuned!