Desserts / Snacks in Singapore

Pretty disappointed with these ice creams. There was a good variety, but they tasted very much like those ice creams you can get from a push cart stall - icy and flat in flavour. I wouldn't complain if I'm getting these at

Nestled in an area filled with construction sites, this is indeed a fortunate find. I was greeted with a cosy interior and warm service upon entering, and the servicecrew immediately asked if I would like to sample any of their ice creams. They have a few interesting and uncommon flavours, such as pink peppercorn and 'The Apiary', which is their signature honeycomb ice cream, and I've decided to settle with blue milk ($3.90 per scoop, +$1 for cone).

As what the name suggests, it's a milk-based ice cream but coloured naturally with blue pea flowers, giving it its pretty pastel blue hue. It's also spiked with a touch of sea salt that gives a salty aftertaste as the almost-aerated ice cream glides down your throat - easily one of the softest and creamiest ice creams I've ever tried. Finally, if you follow me enough, I can't do ice creams without my cone and their cone is perfect for being crisp and sturdy yet airy/not overly hard.

This bakery is no stranger to the older generations who have been purchasing their nonya kuehs, pastries and cakes since its early years. With customers are flocking over their cakes packaged in the typical transparent boxes and nonya kuehs on their display shelves, you know that their products are testified to taste good even though they all look so damn basic.

These Putu Ayu ($5) are definitely pricey for 5 morsels, but each piece is nicely perfumed with pandan, slightly savoury coconut and sweet gula melaka that makes it a delightful treat. The cake is soft and moist, yet not too airy like how a chiffon cake is.

They produce so many other pastries which I'd love to purchase the next time I'm there again!

Located at the 6th floor of JEM, this cafe is truly a hidden gem. Take your pick from their selection of rotational flavours, 1 sauce and 1 topping to complete your popsicle treat at $4.80 (classic) / $5.80 (premium), then either sit in to enjoy the aircon or go alfresco and enjoy the beautiful scenery at night 😍

As my bf and I wanted something more refreshing, we got the grapefruit yogurt + dark choco + pecans (bottom) and mango lime + white choco + almond nibs (top) respectively. The former gave a balanced sensation in your mouth as the intense, dark chocolate gets to you first before the popsicle itself - of which the acidity and bitterness of the grapefruit managed to cut the sourness of the yogurt. Interestingly, the latter is quite the opposite as the lime hits you hard, hence making the toppings inferior and insignificant.

Nonetheless, both were great in terms of taste and would definitely drop by again to try the creamier flavours!

This is definitely one of the better gelatos I've tried in Singapore. Most of the flavours I've sampled taste amazing, but I settled with black sesame (a new flavour) and chocolate in the end. And my friends, the black sesame is EXTREMELY fragrant omg this easily wins many of the ones I've tried in Japanese cafes. The chocolate flavour is really impressive as well - although said to be milk chocolate, it actually tasted dark and had no hints of milk at all. While they were rich and creamy, they were not as sticky as another brand I've tried before. The cone, although crispy, was more on the airy side and I wished it could have a stronger butter aroma.

Some hits and misses, but the flavour of the gelato itself is really well-executed here. A double scoop with cone costs $6.40, pretty worth the money given how much gelato was given to me (I think the seller is just being generous because there were no other customers around).

At $2 per piece, this tau sar piah chain whispers "only for the atas" when they have an outlet situated at Chinatown Point (where elderly, who tend to have lower purchasing powers, likes to hang out). Still, the demand for these golden pastries is still high as customers easily leaves with boxes and the kitchen churns them out in trays.

No matter what brand it is, my favourite is always the salted bean version as I prefer them savoury. Not only does Thye Moh Chan does theirs (right) well, they also have a savoury Yuan Yang flavour (left) which comprises of salted bean with spicy floss - a very close competitor of the traditional savoury. I super love their filling for being sufficiently salty yet not overpowering, highly fragrant (guessing the use of pork lard here), and that savoury yuan yang had a nice spicy touch to add another dimension of flavour to the whole pastry. Encased in an extremely flaky skin, it's gonna be messy but don't be shy to lick it all up because it's just so good.

Definitely more worth it to get their box of 8 at $13.80!

When it comes to chocolate desserts, I like mine rich and indulgent, and this sadly didn't meet the cut. While I acknowledge the fact that the chocolate flavour from the cocoa powder is distinct, this chocolate castella cake is dry and unappetising (what happened to chocolate making people happy?!). Perhaps it was an error on my part for letting it sit in the fridge for a day and having it chilled, so I suppose a warm and fluffy cake right out from the oven may be better?

Earl Grey and Lemongrass? Strawberry Basil? White Chrysanthemum? Definitely not the flavours you usually see in an ice cream parlour. BOP offers botanical-inspired flavours that are derived naturally. Loved how the White Chrysanthemum tasted mild but not bland, delicate but not boring. Studded with cacao nibs, they sure gave a good textural contrast of slight bitterness with perfumes of the flora aroma. The dark chocolate sorbet may not be the most unique here, but they were sure rich and indulgent without being cloyingly sweet.

ALSO, the thyme cone here is AMAZING. It was so, so fragrant, but I'd definitely appreciate if they can make the cone crispier (having a more biscuit snap to it) as the current state is more airy and on the brink of becoming soggy.

A single and double scoop with cone cost $5.70 and $8.70 respectively.

Thanks to DT line, heritage is brought closer to the people with this long-standing bakery situated right outside Beauty World MRT. Nope there are no breads here, but look forward to 60¢ muffins, old-school cakes and homemade pastries (starting as low as $1) on their shelves.

The salty tau sar piah (top left) was a delightful treat of savoury bean paste encased in their handmade flaky pastry, while the egg tart had a crisp crust cradling a smooth, fragrant custard which can easily win their more "atas" friends. The char siew sou (bottom) was decently made as well, with a flaky pastry puff filled with bits of bbq pork which could be better with more sauce. I've also tried their pandan chiffon cake and it was soooo fluffy and fragrant!!

With cakes and pastries so cheap and good, they'll definitely evoke pleasant memories of your childhood 😊

Finally got my hands on this highly-raved egg tart! I love the custard for exuding an amazing eggy aroma without being overly sweet, but I disliked the tart crust for being so fragile and lacking structure that I couldn't hold it without worrying that it'll crumble :( While being buttery, the crust is also sweeter and more cookie-like than TongHeng's and Honolulu's.

So here's my take:
• Cheapest: TongHeng (though they're just few cents apart)
• Best custard: Tai Cheong
• Best crust: Honolulu
• Overall sweetest: TongHeng
• Most value-for-money: TongHeng (if they can cut the sugar level by 30%, it would've been perfect)

Getting a birthday cake for a group but feeling lazy about cake-cutting? Then try these Hokkaido cupcakes from Swee Heng as they come in handy square cups with neatly swirled cream on top, hence leaving no mess behind. What my friends and I love was that the cakes were super fluffy, the portion is just right for one person, and the cream isn't overly sweet. These cupcakes come in 5 flavours - matcha red bean, chocolate caramel, roselle, sweet potato, and yam with purple sweet potato - and are priced at $2.80 each and $10 for 4 pieces.

This shop may not catch your eye at all due to its dim lighting, lack of displays, and unwelcoming vibes. But take the leap of faith to walk through the glass door and you'll be greeted by the friendly granny or grandpa with an array of homemade kuehs in the most unfanciful trays and on the most ordinary-looking tables.

The granny wakes up in the wee hours of the day just to prepare all the kuehs (with the help of her co-workers) in time for her shop opening at 8am. Most of the common kuehs can be found here and I've picked the following: (clockwise starting top left) soon kueh #1 (filled with turnips), chives kueh, soon kueh #2 (filled with bamboo shoots), and yam kueh. They all have the normal-sized versions but I love how the mini ones allow you to sample different flavours without making you too full for tea. The skin is soft and the fillings are flavourful, with my favourite being the yam kueh for having savoury and chunky yam and the least favourite being soon kueh #2 (as I personally prefer turnips to bamboo shoots).

These kueh may not be the cheapest (4 boxes of these kuehs with 5 pieces each cost me around $16), but I'm giving it up to them for the quality and effort put into each kueh. Heritage foods like these that still taste good and made by hand are hard to come by, and I'm glad to savour them before they're gone forever.