SALTED CARAMEL Artisan Ice Cream at Upper Thomson

It is ice cream again. And at midnight. I can hear the trainer say “Those calories are going to bed with you!” They have slept with me for a long long time already.

Anyway, this time it’s Salted Caramel… the shop and the flavor.

Salted Caramel along Upper Thomson Road

I really love.. yes LOVE… the Salted Caramel flavor here. Guess they chose the right flavor to name their shop. To accompany my salty friend, I chose a scoop of Peanut Butter. Both were creamy, rich, flavorful, and taken together – as in a teaspoon filled with half Salted Caramel and half Peanut Butter – it was heavenly. That will be my combination from today onwards! My friend had the Earl Grey. It had the same creaminess and the taste was superb. I’m so glad I live 10 minutes (drive) away.

Double Scoops of Salted Caramel and Peanut Butter. Single Scoop of Earl Grey.

The decor is clean, neat and somewhat chic, and they had some cute posters on the wall.

The competition just heated up a few notches because home-grown home-made ice cream brand Udders just opened BESIDE Salted Caramel.

Salted Caramel vs Udders at Upper Thomson

The disappointing thing is… the staff in Salted Caramel were not smiling and a little unfriendly, and the tables were not cleared with dirty plates and cups lying around. In contrast, when I walked into Udders, the place was full of smiling cheerful happy staff, who seemed to be sincere about serving you. Udders was a lot more crowded than Salted Caramel but that could be because Udders just opened a few days ago.

I’m not a fan of Udders, having tried their ice cream a few times. It’s okay, but not great. For me, in terms of flavor, texture and the “after-taste”, Salted Caramel wins hands-down. After a scoop of Udders, I don’t crave for more. After a scoop of Salted Caramel, I want to buy a tub home. Sadly, if the service at Salted Caramel continues to be how it was tonight, then I think the clear winner will be the cow’s breasts!

Salted Caramel

246F Upper Thomson Road, Singapore 574370

Opens 12pm – 11pm (Sun – Thur), 12pm – 2am (Eve of Public Holidays, Fri & Sat)

www.saltedcaramel.sg

JI JI WANTON NOODLE at Hong Lim Food Centre

Hong Lim Food Centre is usually packed with hordes of executives during lunch time, and it becomes really warm and somewhat stuffy.  I was there around 3pm and it was tranquil and calm. Yey.

After walking around, I decided to try Ji Ji Wanton Noodle.

Ji Ji Wanton Noodle

I was furiously hungry so I literally gobbled it up in minutes. The noodles were not soggy though I was expecting it to be a little bit more “Q” or “Al dente” or just more chewy. It was really tasty but it didn’t taste like wanton noodles… it was more like a really good bowl of dry instant noodles. Really. I must say that the wantons were a lot bigger than the normal ones you get… about 50% bigger! It was enjoyable but maybe a little over-rated.

Dry Wanton Noodles

JI JI WANTON NOODLES

#02-48/49 Hong Lim Food Centre

Blk 531A Upper Cross Street, Singapore 051531

Coffee World of Seoul Korea

I recently went to Seoul for business. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to take pictures of food that I ate because it’s not very nice snapping pictures in front of clients.

There was one thing I found out about Koreans… they are crazy over coffee. There are coffee shops everywhere. So while I was waiting for my biz partner, I took a walk around his office, about a 5+ mins walking radius and snapped pictures of all the coffee shops there. Total count – 12 ! Damn… that’s alot of coffee shops for a small area.

My observation was confirmed when my Korean counterpart said that in Korea… it is a “Coffee World”.

Here are the pictures:

PURPLE MUSTARD hot dogs in Icon Village

I had a breakfast meeting with a celebrity chef friend and I thought I’d better find an interesting place to eat. Since I’m doing a little project on hot dogs, I wanted to kill 2 birds with my stone, so I decided on a good hot dog place in town. I was recommended to try Purple Mustard.

Purple Mustard at Icon Village

I was told the best selling dog was the Barnyard Dog (S$9). It’s a beef and Guinness sausage topped with caramelized onions, purple mustard and sriracha remoulade. I wonder if it’s the most popular dog because it has its owner’s name in it. The sausage was crunchy, though I don’t quite remember how it tasted like… probably because the toppings over-powered the taste of the sausage. Overall, it was very good.

Barnyard Hotdog

My friend had a Chihuahua (S$10). The hot dog was as big as mine. Hmmm…. ok ok, this is not a lesson on pet dogs. Anyway, I had a bite and it was okay… nothing to bark about. It consisted of a Chorizo pork sausage, with guacamole, roasted red pepper salsa, black bean mix, and sour cream on a honey oatmeal bun. That alone is a mouthful.

Chihuahua Hotdog

I must comment on my drink. It’s called Horchata ($2.50). Sounds exotic. It’s a Mexican drink made from fragrant rice, almond, brown sugar and spices. It tasted like soybean milk with spices.

The biggest challenge was it got really messy eating these dogs. I mean… my hands are not small and I do have a big mouth but it was still a feat for me. We ended up using forks and knives. Kills the joy of eating a hot dog though.  The owner came up to ask for feedback and said they are sourcing for bigger buns so more of the toppings can go into the bun to prevent it from spilling out. Good idea… I just need a bigger mouth. Heh.

Purple Mustard
Icon Village #01-31/32
12 Gopeng Street
Singapore 078877

Opens 11am – 9pm (Mon-Fri) / 12pm – 9pm (Sat)

CREAMIER ice cream at Toa Payoh

I love ice cream. Who doesn’t? And with the hot Singapore climate, you can have ice cream almost everyday. The Straits Times did a story of some of the best ice creams in Singapore, and my friends and I couldn’t help but be the typical Singaporean, to visit one of them – CREAMIER in Toa Payoh.

CREAMIER Ice Cream Cafe

CREAMIER’s location is not easy to find. But once I found it, I was immediately drawn to its chic and cozy decor and ambience, and curiously tickled at how it stood out among the older and “basic” looking HDB neighborhood shops.

CREAMIER has a good selection of 18 flavours. But my main objective was to taste the flavor featured in the newspaper – Sea Salt Gula Melaka. Unfortunately, it was sold out. How disappointing. Then again, I should have expected it to sell out since it was featured and I was there at almost closing time (9pm). But the young lady across the counter was nice enough to offer me a spoonful of the flavor, from scraps of leftovers sticking to the sides of the empty stainless steel container. I must say this is customer service at its best, especially in Singapore.

Empty Tub of Sea Salt Gula Melaka

Anyhow, it tasted okay but I didn’t think I could make a judgment of the flavor merely by a small spoonful. So I guess I might need to come back another time just to try this special flavor.

We ended up with a double scoop of Rum & Raisins and Roasted Pistachio plus a fresh waffle with The Richest Dark Chocolate Ferrero and Black Forest ice cream. Firstly, the texture of the ice cream is great. It was creamy yet not over-powering, with a tingling and refreshing feeling in the mouth, which keeps you going at it. The taste of the Pistachio was very good! I’m not a big fan of Pistachio ice cream but this will definitely be on my next order. If you are into chocolate and nuts, the Ferrero is a must have. The Rum & Raisin and Black Forest were mediocre. Both lacked that “wah” factor. I liked the waffle. It was crispy on the outside and soft in the inside. It was not too heavy but substantial enough if you are thinking of making it a sweet and small meal.

Belgium Waffle with Ice Cream

The lady owner approached us for feedback and said she listens to customer’s feedback to improve her ice cream formula. Another tick for customer service.

Lady Boss at Work

Single Scoop:  $2.90 ($3.90 for Premium flavour)

Double Scoop: $4.90 ($6.50 for Premium flavours)

Belgium Waffle with Ice Cream: $6

Opening Hrs: Tue – Thurs 12pm – 9pm /  Fri 12pm – 10pm  / Sat 10am – 10pm  /  Sun 10am – 9pm. Closed on Mon & Public Holidays

Address: Blk 128, Toa Payoh Lorong 1, #01-835, Singapore 310128

www.creamier.com.sg

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