Palate Pleasers N Tummy Teasers

Makan Post-it (11) - Gelato come-back?

It’s been some time since we were taken by a wave of Gelato craze and all seems quiet in the scene now. Along comes Gusttimo Di Roma, in a brave attempt to orchestrate a revival of the gelato craze We’re such suckers for new stuff, any shrewd business person knows “New + Foreign name (preferably French/Italian sounding to up the atas quotient) = winning formula for long queues”. Throw in a freebie or two and you’ll even have people queuing at your doorstep before you’re open for business. Darn. I should be a marketing guru

Gusttimo sure got that part right, down to explaining the meaning behind their name…

Plus points for the minimalist chic interior decor of shiny white tables and plush leather seats/bar-top stools. Even the water served at the premise reflected the attention paid to creating the ultimate gelato eating experience!

Orange and apple slices to add flavour to your water? That’s definitely a one-up from the usual lemon slices or metallic tasting tap water.

A pity then, that their key item failed to impress

Sold in your choice of cup/cone, the minimum order’s for 3 flavours. Or you could simply make that a huge serving of 1 flavour, though Papilles would discourage such blatant overdose.

We settled for Stracciatella (chocolate chip), Macedonia (mixed tropical fruits) and some flavour made from rice. Nothing stood out in particular though nothing was bad either; save for the sorbet-like Macedonia which was a tad lip-puckeringly sour for my liking. For the curious, you can check out their range of gelato flavours here.

Makan Post-it (7) - Not your average Chinese desserts

Just as papilles have covered almost all home-made ice-cream parlours in Singapore (worth blogging about), with this post, we’ve featured just about every yummy Chinese dessert stall ‘worth their salt’ in sweets. Ok. That sounded a bit odd.

Featured stall of the day:

Not exactly the most alluring of names since it brings to (my) mind images of people sneezing. Or perhaps I am just one imaginative individual. Lest I’ve spoiled your appetite with that image, here’s an attempt to rekindle some foodie interest

There’s the usual Mango Pudding, Almond Cream and the like, but what sets this stall apart from the rest is its interesting combination of well-known and well-loved desserts. Take their Herbal Jelly in Water Chestnut Puree for instance - slippery smooth with a slight bitter aftertaste, the herbal jelly was a perfect foil for the sweet water chestnuts. A spoonful of the Aloe Vera and Strawberries and you’d know it’s the real thing you’re having; something with a host of beneficial health and medicinal properties (i.e. aloe vera)  can’t taste all that good, suffice to say the aloe vera was rightly bitter. Smart of them to think of adding diced strawberries then

With the current dry spell here in Singapore, desserts like these which boast “cooling” properties are the perfect way to temper any imbalance, in your inner yin and yang, brought about by the hot weather

Ah Chew Desserts 阿秋甜品

#01-11 Liang Seah Street

Makan Post-it (6) - More goodies to be found in Chinatown

Whilst you’re wandering along the streets of Chinatown picking up some last minute bargains on CNY goodies or simply soaking in the festive atmosphere, make time to pop by Temple Street (one of the many aisles of road closed to vehicles during this festive period) and keep a lookout for the following shop:

What’s to be found here? Chinese desserts galore Here’s a preview of their menu…

Everything from Peanut/Almond/Walnut/Black Sesame/Yam paste, egg pudding, even carrot/pumpkin/yam cake

…to flavoured snow ice and coconut kueh! What better way to cool oneself down than to indulge in an icy dessert after an afternoon spent browsing makeshift street stalls under the sweltering sun

These 2 desserts aren’t particularly new or unique, but what makes them stand out from similar versions elsewhere is the stall’s generosity with ingredients. Chunks of fresh mango in a thick mango pulp and an unstinting amount of diced water chestnuts ensure fans of the desserts keep coming back for more

Not in the mood for something sweet? Help yourselves to their home-made carrot/yam/pumpkin cakes and cantonese rice dumpling.

Delightfully soft, fragrant and flavourful, you won’t be stopping at just one piece Remember to have it with their home-made chilli which packs a punch with its distinct taste of dried shrimp. Wonderfully YUM!

Interesting tid-bit: Remember Farmer Brand peanuts? They are made and marketed by the same company that owns this dessert stall.

味香园甜品

65 - 67 Temple Street

Moon Ladder Bar & Bistro fails to impress

Looking for a place to have a round of drinks and to chill amidst a scenic spot, X and I headed for Moon Ladder Bar & Bistro having seen it featured on the papers awhile back. We were drawn by their description of the place as one which offered “arresting views of the South China Sea and passing cruise ships”. Perhaps it was due to the fact that the sun had set when we got there, but we didn’t find the view particularly “arresting”; it was a sight that could be easily found at East Coast Park except this was from a higher vantage point.

Hoping a good drink would enhance my view of the surroundings, I was sorely disappointed with their drinks list that could only be described as pathetic (especially after taking into account that they market themselves as a bar no less). I have never seen a lengthier juice and mocktail list at a watering hole After staring at their very sparse list of alcoholic drinks for about 10 mins, X and I finally decided on cocktails cos’ they were probably the most interesting drinks available.

For a place that’s so inaccessible (it’s located at Labrador Park), I would think they’d have better business sense than to have a bar literally on the roof without a single sheltered area. That means this place only operates in fair weather. Which isn’t my concern really. I’m just wondering what happens to their daybeds when it rains. Do they soak it all in and then get dried up by the sun later? And who’s gonna want to lounge on the daybed under the scorching sun? Come at night? The view’s a blanket of black with blinking lights from passing ships. Hardly worth the trip here. The papers said “it’s still relatively undiscovered”; papilles say Don’t bother discovering.

Moon Ladder Bar & Bistro

30 Labrador Villa Road, Labrador Nature Reserve

Open 6pm - 11pm daily.

Alco-Chocoholics Alert!

If you love your chocolates as much as (or maybe even more than) your alcohol and the brand Royce doesn’t ring a bell, you have lived much of your life in vain. The only logical course of action now is, of course, to allow papilles to enlighten you on what you’ve been missing (before you run off to the store)

 Aside from household Japanese confectionery brands like Meiji, Royce is another name that should pop up the next time you’re craving for quality chocolates but don’t wish to burn a hole in your pocket. Originating from Hokkaido, they carry a whole range of chocolate products from the usual bars and wafers to more quirky stuff like Potatochip Chocolate.

 Chocolate bars and the like are too boring for me, and I prefer my potato chips savoury so I tend to stick to their Nama Chocolate range. Albeit having a somewhat vulgar sounding name, these chocolates look and taste absolutely refined There’s the standard flavours of dark, milk and white but why bother with these when you can have champagne, V.S.O.P and every once in awhile, new flavours such as brandy, rum and green tea!

A new flavour is launched every couple of months and here’s the current one (pictured right). These rum-infused cocoa-dusted nuggets melt in your mouth leaving you with a slight buzz from the generous alcohol content And I did mention these won’t burn a hole in your pocket - at $14 for a box containing 20 pieces, it’s almost a steal for chocolates of a quality that would put some of the other designer brands to shame.

Royce outlets in Singapore can be found at Takashimaya Basement (where the food is) and Suntec City #01-142 (opposite Carrefour).