Had been wanting to visit Tipsy Panda ever since they had opened their doors at Woods Square — did not manage to try the various “Tipsy” concepts all around by The Tipsy Collective, so it was great to know that there is one conveniently located around the neighbourhood that serves as a watering hole for the folks in Woodlands.

More suited as a sharing plate over drinks than being a main, the XO Carrot Cake is one of the few spruced-up local fare that Tipsy Pandan serves up — their rendition also seeing the addition of XO sauce, garlic crumbs and Sakura Ebi, whilst also coming with a dollop of their house-made chili on the side. For an item served in a gastro-bar, Tipsy Panda’s version is pretty decent. If anything, their rendition comes with rather large chunks of carrot cake that is sufficiently bouncy; the egg blanketing all of the cubes of carrot cake in one entire piece. Otherwise, this can be said to be a gentrified version of the usual — the additional ingredients helping to add a hint of saltishness and slight sweetness, whilst also added a variety of textures to the all-familiar item. The chili was pretty decent; adds a slight tanginess and saltishness to the dish whilst also providing a bit of heat to tingle the taste buds — a level that those with lower tolerance to spiciness should be able to handle.

Admittedly there are other items such as the Moonlight Truffle Beef Hor Fun and the Szechuan Panda Noodles that seemingly feel more like a highlight than the XO Carrot Cake, so I reckon those would be the items that I probably would order if I ever find myself at Tipsy Panda again. That being said, Tipsy Panda does make for an interesting dining option in Woodlands — one of the few watering holes that the neighbourhood has (along with their neighbour, OT Bar — also a concept by The Tipsy Collective); an establishment that folks residing in the area would appreciate having for a wind-down without having to travel out of the area.