It seems that ice-cream parlours are the next in-thing these days; after all that hype of third-wave coffee movement joints opening across the island, this month sees a number of creameries sprouting across the island. Situated in the Tanglin Halt neighborhood, The Milky Way definitely makes for a great addition to the neighborhood. It is opened by former Campus Superstar participant Renfred Ng, who is mostly seen behind the espresso machine during my visit here.Having tried a few flavours, I found that I preferred the Sicilian Pistachio flavour. Made from Pistachios from Sicily, the ice-cream was smooth, creamy yet nutty without having a consistency too sweet nor milky; perfect for a cold treat. Waffles ($8.00 with a scoop of ice-cream) are served at half-portions here, and they serve waffles of the classic batter here. It’s strong on its buttery fragrance, and it’s fluffy interior makes it a delight to have. If ice-cream waffles are not your thing, there is also an option of Berry Compote to go along with them.Renfred Ng may be talented in singing, but he really pulls a great shot too. Flat White ($4.50) is not in the menu, but he would gladly serve one up if you ask. It’s light bodied nuttiness was well-balanced with creaminess; soothing.For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/09/01/the-milky-way-homemade-ice-cream-and-coffee-blk-48-commonwealth-drive/

Having taken a hiatus of eight months after the closure of its Ann Siang Hill shophouse space, Kki Sweets is back, and at a more convenient location situated in Dhoby Ghaut. Located in SOTA, the new store is bright, simple and contemporary. The white walls and the wooden tables just feels modern yet Japanese. We visited on the very first day that they had reopened, and they were serving a small selection of cakes that were previously being sold in Ann Siang Hill.Kki Sweets is known for their soft-core mousse cakes. Antoinette ($8.80) is a white chocolate mousse cake encasing a Mango puree centre. The mousse was light, smooth and fluffy, and it had a subtle hint of white chocolate that could be tasted but does not flood the tastebuds with sweetness. The mango puree centre was more sweet than sour, but added a nice fruity tang to the mousse that sits atop a vanilla sponge cake.Its not difficult to see the reason why this cake is named Onigri ($9.00); it is just shaped like one. Similar to the Antoinette, it is Basil Dark Chocolate mousse encasing a Bitter Orange puree. Again, that subtle flavour of dark chocolate went well with the slightly intense citrus flavour of the puree, but I had never expected that Basil could even compliment dark chocolate. A bold flavour that had been tested and proven (think orange-infused chocolate), this cake was pretty much an eye opener for me.Probably it was the cakes that override the flavour, but I could not really find the sweetness of the Lightly-Sweetened Japanese Coffee ($4.80). Despite that, it was a nice balance of acidity and earthiness that makes it enjoyable after indulging the sweet stuff earlier.For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/08/22/kki-sweets-school-of-the-arts-sota/

Just as you thought there was no more space for cafes within the gentrified Tiong Bahru, Whisk Cafe had sprouted up in a unit that is situated right opposite the Tiong Bahru Market. I visited them on the second day of their official opening. Apart from several cakes available, there is also the signature Salted Caramel Eclair, a Lemon Meringue Tart and macarons on sale too.Cheesecake ($7.00) was smooth, creamy yet firm. The cream cheese had a consistency that was similar to the biscuit crust lined at the bottom, which made for a uniformed texture for the cake. It also did not really taste as strong as most cheesecakes available outside; the creamy zestiness felt pretty neutral but also brought out evidently in the cheesecake.Lemon Meringue Tart ($5.00) was also pretty good. The biscuit-like crumb doesn’t break into a million pieces upon one slice, and the lemon curd was tangy with a bit of egginess. Torched meringue was fluffy and not very sweet as well.For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/08/21/whisk-cafe-blk-58-seng-poh-road/

Hee Kee Desserts is one of the new tenants at Jurong Point, which had been noted for their creative and innovative take on Hong Kong desserts.Having seen photos on Instagram and Burpple on their Mango Cheong Fun ($6.00), we decided to go for it. To mimic Cheong Fun, a thin layer of coconut jelly was used to wrap the fresh mangoes. The result was a silken smooth skin that had pandan flavours, which matched the soft mangoes well. However, we found it a pity that the sweetness of the mangoes were overwhelming the subtle flavours of coconut. It was no doubt an interesting and innovative dish, but probably the flavours could be tuned to be more neutral on each other.We initially expected something more similar to a Durian Mousse for our Durian Pudding ($5.50). Served chilled, it was really pudding-like as the fibres was also mixed into the pudding thus making it a wee bit stiff but flavourful for the pudding as it was full of the pungent fruit’s flavour. The mousse added the bittersweet flavour and a chew as it contained fibres.With the trend of Liu Sha Bao getting common, Hee Kee Dessert has taken an unconventional approach by infusing the same concept to Tang Yuan. Their Liu Sha Tang Yuan ($3.80) comes with a choice of either Osmanthus Soup or Ginger Soup. The Tang Yuan seemed to be a tad thick, but the filling is full of sweet-salty goodness. We thought that there could be more fillings, but when it comes to liu sha, when can there be enough?For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/08/09/hee-kee-desserts-jurong-point/

Legendary Hong Kong is the only F&B tenant within the Mongkok-themed area. It is more like a restaurant per-se, as despite having four different stalls occupying the area, patrons have to queue to get seated and write their orders on forms to place orders. The sprawling 300 seater restaurant also boasts different themes in its different sectors, so patrons could be dining in a setting of a Chinese restaurant in a meal but come back another day to find themselves in a traditional tea room the next visit. Currently Legendary Hong Kong is undergoing its soft launch period, only three out of four of its stalls are open; namely Kou Yu Roast, Lung Fung Dim Sum and Hong Kong Congee & Noodle. While the full menu is also not available, there is already quite a spread ready to be ordered on the temporary ordering chit.First to arrive the table was the Traditional Glutinous Rice Dumpling with Assorted Meats ($5.50++). For a non Glutinous Rice lover like me, the light tastes were just to my liking as it did not feel to jelak on my first take. It also did not carry the strong peppery flavour that local renditions has. Salted egg and sausage were also added to the glutinous rice apart from the meat, which all contributed their flavour as they get soaked into the Glutinous Rice which made it really tasty.The Custard Crust Bun ($2.50++) had an option of being served plain, but we ordered ours with butter at an additional cost. Soft and fluffy bun coupled with the milky crust on the top, this was simply something that was simple, but really satisfying.Steamed Sponge Cake ($4.00++) was also light, soft and fluffy, but it was not sticky enough so it crumbled rather easily. What we loved was the subtle sweetness that it carried, light and aromatic. It also felt significantly less dense and felt barely filling; a good thing since we could get more items to share this way.Aesthetically, the Deep-Fried Prawn Wantons ($6.80++) looked more Malaysian than Hong Kong because they reminded me of the ones I would get from the Pontian Wanton Mee stall in coffeeshops and hawker centers. Ignoring that fact however, the dumplings were well-filled with a fresh whole prawn, which was succulent and sweet too.We found the Steam Pork Dumplings ($5.00++) rather run-off-the-mill. Firm pork with prawns in between. Those who prefer to meatier Siew Mai May have a liking for this, though honestly there is not much to comment about this one.Legendary Hong Kong seems to serve one of the smallest Steamed BBQ Pork Buns ($4.00++) amongst Hong Kong inspires eateries. We were honestly not too impressed by the thickness of its skin, which is made worse when we realized that the filling contained more charsiew sauce instead of meat. We did not mind about the well-balanced sweet and savoury flavour of the sauce, but the bite of fatty meat or even stray pieces of meat was barely there.In comparison, the Rice Rolls with Fried Shrimp Spring Rolls ($5.50++) won the hearts of everyone on the table. It was a mistake on my part as I was trying to order the Rice Rolls with Prawns & Chives but I got too trigger-happy when I saw the word “prawn” and ordered the wrong item. While the rice roll did not come swimming in soy sauce, it came with an ample amount that was enough to made every piece savoury. Wrapped inside the silky smooth rice rolls were a spring roll with a prawn in them. The light tempura-like batter used for the spring roll and the sweetness of the prawn and its succulent meat just provided a well-matched combination of taste and texture for this dish which all of us just cannot get enough of.I have a weak spot when it comes to carrot cake in XO sauce, so the Sautéed Turnip Cake with XO Sauce ($5.50++) was a clear winner for me. Each Turnip Cake was slightly charred to invoke a bit of crispness along the edges, which is a sweet-savoury combination with the addition of XO sauce. Even better was the fact it came with beansprouts, which quite evened out the greasiness of dish so it feels cleaner to have.Wanting to try something different, my dining partner and I also decided to try their London Roast Duck ($14.80++) which we had been tempted by since when we were in the queue. It comes in three sizes, portion (pictured), half and whole. According to one of the wait staff, the portion size is “a little more than a quarter, a little less than a third”, so use that as a gauge if you want to order this. Each slice of duck was succulent and tender, and because it was marinated in honey it was also slightly sweeter than your average roast duck with a bit of smokiness. Accompanying it was a Citron dip, which gives the duck a slight tang which makes it even more addictive. We were so impressed we wished there was more, but we were already were almost full from the other orders that we had.While there were some hits and some misses with the food, the beverages are undoubtedly bad. Our Hong Kong Style Milk Tea & Coffee Mix ($2.20++) tasted no different from the Hong Kong styled Coffee, which was really diluted that it felt like plain water and having a weird aftertaste of 3-in-1 coffee. Go for the Green Bean or Red Bean Ice when you are there; it definitely looks a lot more promising than what we had.
For more photos and the full review, please visit: http://jiaksimipng.wordpress.com/2014/08/03/legendary-hong-kong-jurong-point/