Epilogue Sweets (Borders) (Closed)

The re-opening of Borders is a cause for celebration for some people, but while there is nothing like browsing a bookshop and losing yourself among rows and rows of brand new books, I wasn't exactly planning a trip to Borders any time soon since I have Book Depository and Kinokuniya for all my books needs. That changed when I learnt that the Borders store at Westgate is also housing a dessert cafe on its premises. And they are having a promotion for new member sign up that includes a free waffle with two scoops of ice cream + 1 complimentary scoop of ice cream at the cafe. In my book, that is cause for celebration.And definitely worth making a trip for! "Epilogue Sweets" is actually a new dessert concept cafe from the existing Epilogue Cafe, and is located right at the entrance of the Borders bookstore, which makes it great for stopping by before or after you start browsing the store. With its simple clean but modern look that seems to match and blend in with the rest of the bookstore, this small cafe was inviting enough for us to just choose a random table and plop ourselves down on the comfy seats! This one-stop cafe has a range of western desserts from Macarons ($2.20) to cakes like the Red Velvet ($7.50), Devilish Brownie with Ice Cream ($6.50) and even an Oreo Heaven Cheesecake ($7.50), although their cakes selection is subject to availability. There are also bread and pastries like Muffins, Caramel Hazelnut Tart ($5.50), and Mini Butter Croissants ($4.00 for two pieces) at the display counter outside, which is good for takeaway. We were also surprised to see that they also have a healthier range of Asian desserts like the Osmanthus Wolfberry Jelly and Traditional Herbal Jelly which we found to be a refreshing addition to the menu aside from the usual Western desserts selection. For the health conscious, there is also a range of Fruit Parfaits ($6.80) and Fruit Juices and Smoothies!The highlight of the cafe though, seems to be the Waffles. Their lowest priced waffle is the normal Waffle with 2 Condiments ($6.20) that you can opt to have with two choices of sauces from Chocolate, Caramel, Strawberry, Honey or Maple Syrup. You can also add on a scoop of ice cream with your Waffle with 2 Condiments ($7.80) or top up with yet another scoop ($9.00). Alternatively, you can get the Waffle with Caramelised Fruits like Banana or Apple ($9.90) which will also come with a scoop of Ice Cream. Then, there is also the rather interesting Milo Waffle with Kaya or Peanut Butter Custard ($9.00) which sounds equally yummy. If you prefer something savoury, fret not. There are also savoury waffles like the Waffle with Chicken Chipolata ($8.00) or Waffle with 2 Scrambled Eggs and Smoked Salmon ($10.20). Talk about being spoilt for choices! I'd seriously have a hard time choosing but luckily, the decision has already been made for me with the free waffle promotion! Waffles with Two Scoops of Ice Cream ($0.00)Since this was free, it didn't came with additional add-on like fresh fruits or custard, which I'd have loved to try. Instead, this came with two scoops of Vanilla and Chocolate Chips ice cream and a small separate cup of maple syrup which was good for deciding how sweet and how much syrup to add to your waffle. The waffle was quite thick and crispy on the outside but soft on the inside which we liked. The ice cream were both soft and smooth, creamy and milky with a strong fragrant vanilla and chocolate taste. The complimentary scoop of strawberry ice-cream which came in a small, separate cup was equally creamy but I found it to be a tad sweet for my liking, although my mum liked it and cleaned out the whole cup. For me, I liked the chocolate best, as it also came with crunchy chocolate chips and I found it a delight to have with the waffle!Nutella Swirl Cheesecake ($7.50)I can't resist anything with Nutella, so I knew I was going to get this the moment I saw it in the display counter! My mum doesn't like cheesecakes so I was more than happy to have this all to myself! I like that the cheesecake was rich and dense with a hint of tartness. The pie crust base was thin and slightly moist and crumbly which I also liked. However, I couldn't really detect much of the Nutella which I found to be quite faint in taste. For the price, I'd have preferred the chocolate-hazelnut taste to be slightly bolder, but as a normal cheesecake, this was quite decent enough. Caramel Macaron ($2.20)There was no chocolate macaron when I went so my next best choice was to get either the vanilla or caramel macaron. I opted for the latter. This little macaron had a crispy shell with a soft and slightly chewy interior. The caramel filling was sweet with a bitter aftertaste which I supposed was to balance the flavours since the macaron shell was already quite sweet, but I personally wasn't too fond of the bitter aftertaste. Because of this, I found myself wondering if I should have taken the Vanilla instead .Traditional Herbal Jelly - 8 Treasure ($6.60)My mum was more than relieved that it wasn't just all cakes and waffles here, so she opted for the alternative Traditional Herbal Jelly, 8 Treasure choice which came with shaved ice and 8 other fresh ingredients like the Gingko Nuts. Barley, Melon Strip, Wolfberry, Dry Longan, Red Dates, White Fungus and Honey. Although we thought that the entire portion was a little small for the price, which we also felt was a little on the high side for a traditional Asian dessert, there was quite a variety of ingredients to go with the Herbal Jelly. I personally liked the gingko nuts and melon strip. This was also quite cooling and very refreshing to have!Iced Earl Grey Tea ($6.00)We initially thought the serving size was just a normal glass so we were hesitant to order at first due to the price, but upon seeing the Iced Lemon Tea that the table beside us ordered, we decided to get the Iced Earl Grey Tea to share instead. This came in a jar which was definitely good for sharing, although I personally still found it a bit pricey. There was a hint of citrus with the tea which I liked but my mum found it to be a tad bland, probably because it got somewhat diluted after the ice melted. This was also not sweetened by default but there are sugar satchets in a small basket on the table that you can add if you want the tea sweeter.Overall, we found the waffles and ice-cream to quite decent and worth a try. I also liked the cheesecake despite the somewhat-lacking Nutella flavour. I did find it to be a bit pricey at $7.50 per slice but Borders members get a further 10% off their purchases here, which helped to lessen the sting. On the other hand, the Traditional Herbal Jelly and iced Earl Grey Tea were okay although we both wondered if it might be more worthwhile spending that same amount of money on something else on their menu. For me, I'd have loved to try the French Hot Chocolate ($6.50), Caramel Hazelnut Tart ($5.50) and either the Milo Waffles with Peanut Butter Custard ($9.00) or the Waffle with Chicken Chipolata ($8.00). But, that is for another time. Our meal came up to a total of $23.63 after a 10% Borders member discount. As we spent more than $20.00 in a single receipt (not including the free waffle and ice cream), we also got to redeem a free book from Epilogue's shelf! Not a bad deal if you ask me!That said, it's pretty worthwhile to get the Borders membership now while the sign up offer is still ongoing. There are other sign-up bonus including a Borders voucher, although I am probably one of those weird few who signed up for membership just for the cafe's privileges! In my defense, there were also several customers asking about Epilogue's promotion for Border's members. This is where you can really see the quality of service provided here. While there were one or two stoic ones, the rest of the staff were generally polite when explaining to the customers or directing them to the correct counter. The young cashier at the display counter who was also mostly the one who attended to me was very friendly and bubbly. Although she wasn't sure about the macarons' flavours when I asked, she took the effort to check it out for me. She was also patient when answering my queries about the various desserts on display and the promotion!So. Whether you just want a short break, or even just to enjoy a nice treat, I think a stopover at Epilogue Sweets might be a nice way to end your trip to Borders on a sweet note! continue reading