Ah Chew Desserts (Cineleisure)

Yam Paste with Ginkgo

Was pleasantly surprised when I saw Ah Chew opened at Cineleisure. Like their Bugis outlet, tables were small and pretty cramped. Went with my usual order of Black Glutinous Rice, was wasn't too satisfied with it as it's not as thick as would've liked.

This almond paste is too bitter. Fyi it is not my first time eating almond paste. This after taste is really not pleasant.

Maybe the chef today too generous with the almond powder. 😫

There are several signatures from Ah Chew Desserts’ menu but one item that remained a favourite among fans is the Mango Pomelo Sago. As pomelo is a rather seasonal fruit, it really depends on your luck on how the flavour turns out. During our visit, the pomelo bits were rather bitter which made this bowl rather underwhelming.
••••••••••••••••••••
🍽️ Ah Chew Desserts
📍 8 Grange Road, Cineleisure, Unit 01-03, Singapore 239695

Today’s orders:
- yam paste w ginkgo
- watermelon & honeydew sago
- durian & mango sago
- black glutinous w tang yuan

Traditional desserts are always to go!

Ah Chew Desserts has been quite a mainstay in the local F&B scene for a while now — having first opened in 2003 at Liang Seah Street, Ah Chew Desserts had subsequently opened a second outlet at Goldhill Plaza in 2014. They had since maintained their operations to these two outlets until fairly recently; Ah Chew Desserts had announced earlier this year that they would be closing down the outlet at Goldhill Plaza, and the outlet will be making its move to Cineleisure at Orchard with operations starting in March 2023. Dropping by Cineleisure in April 2023, Ah Chew Desserts had already been in operations at its new location for quite a while; the outlet at Cineleisure attempts to re-create that same look and identity that its now-defunct outlet at Goldhill Plaza and its original location at Liang Seah Street carries, barring some limitations on what can be done considering this is the very first time which Ah Chew Desserts had opened an outlet within a shopping gallery. That being said, those whom are familiar with Ah Chew Desserts would find the wooden furnishings and lanterns hanging from the ceiling pretty familiar. The new outlet of Ah Chew Desserts sticks to serving up the same menu that regulars of their now-defunct Goldhill Plaza outlet as well as their Liang Seah Street should be quite familiar with — the menu is split into several sections, including sections dedicated to Hot / Cold Desserts (i.e. desserts of which one can opt for either the hot or cold variant), Cold Desserts, Ice-Cream and Durian Desserts. Beverages available at Ah Chew Desserts include that of. Freshly-Brewed Arabica Coffee, tea, as well as a Cold Grass Jelly Drink and the Home made Honey Lime Juice.

Having been to Ah Chew Desserts at their Liang Seah Street location quite a number of times, our standard order would usually involve their variety of Fresh Milk Steamed Egg desserts. That being said, we felt that we were in the mood to switch up to something else and give their other offerings a try; we eventually found ourselves settling for the Durian Taro Sago. Being an item which is offered in both hot or cold options, we opted for the cold version of the Durian Taro Sago — we were in fact quite torn on whether should we order the dessert hot or cold considering how durian mousse typically goes better with cold desserts, though Taro Sago is usually enjoyed hot. The cold version of the Durian Taro Sago is served cold from the addition of ice cubes — while we felt that the cool temperature of the dessert made it feel particularly refreshing, the ice does somewhat dilute the rich flavours of the coconut milk that went into the dessert here; not particularly bothersome in our opinion, though something that would be highly dependent on the tastebuds of the person who is having it. Another minor issue we have had with this was how one would find themselves unnecessarily crunching on the chunks of ice; takes away some of the chewiness from the bouncy sago pearls included in the dessert. Otherwise, there was plenty of taro cubes found in the Durian Taro Sago; crests a good bite and provided an earthy contrast against the sweet, buttery and pungent durian purée that came with fibrous durian flesh — a great combination on its own that we would have really enjoyed if we ordered the hot rendition of the dessert.

Despite being a relatively new dessert house as compared to some other heritage brands around the island that have been in business for way longer, Ah Chew Desserts has garnered a strong following — this is easily affirmed with the long queues at their Liang Seah Street outlet waiting for their turn to enjoy the Chinese desserts that they have to serve up. With such a strong presence, it is undeniable that Ah Chew Desserts does their Chinese desserts well for them to reach the level of success that they enjoy today — we are also fans of their Fresh Milk Steamed Egg desserts; something that we would usually opt for if we ever swing by their Liang Seah Street location. It might be early days for their Cineleisure outlet; that being said, the Cineleisure outlet is already enjoying quite a remarkable footfall on a weekend night — whilst there is no queue forming outside the establishment during any point of our visit, the establishment was actually filled up near to its maximum capacity as more patrons came along for dessert after their dinner elsewhere. One thing worth commenting about Ah Chew Desserts at their Cineleisure outlet is how they have seemingly kept their prices low despite being it being located within a shopping mall — at least for now; there have been mentions that prices have been maintained here from its Goldhill Plaza days, with most items kept under the $5 mark. It is needless to say that Ah Chew Desserts is probably a spot that is welcomed in the Orchard neighbourhood — there aren’t quite many choices for Chinese desserts around this area, though Ah Chew Desserts would work as an option for some really comforting Chinese desserts to go for without breaking the bank in the heart of town.