Desserts

I’ve always been a solid fan of Apiary for their fragrant, crispy waffles and quality ice cream. As usual, this time doesn’t disappoint.

I picked out one of my favourite flavours, Earl Grey, while my friend chose The Apiary, which was part of the popular choices. The Earl Grey ice cream here is significantly better than those in other establishments - it’s much creamier, with more obvious Earl Grey taste. We both agreed that Earl Grey was also better than the popular The Apiary, which main notes were honey and cacao nibs that added a favourable crunch and texture.

As a rule of thumb, I do prefer flavours like Matcha and Earl Grey over their popular flavour like Blue Milk as their depth in flavour is different. Go for the popular ones if you prefer lighter flavours though.

Note that the ice cream these days melts more quickly than a while back, so eat that ice cream fast!

Interestingly, I quite like this almond croissant because I usually don’t prefer them - the almonds on this were fragrant and slightly sweet. However, I think the croissant would’ve been better without the chocolate (don’t get me wrong, I looove chocolate) as the chocolate had slightly overpowered the taste of the almond. Though, I guess it was a good addition still but the slightly bitter chocolate cuts the sweetness of the icing sugar that they sprinkled on top of the croissant. Texture-wise, it’s rather compact and makes for a filling dessert or snack. Overall, would I recommend this? Yes, I think it’s worth trying at least once if you like almond croissants, albeit the steep price.

Definitely a dessert to share despite the small portion. Topped with honey-glazed cinnamon and cream of a viscous consistency, this pecan pie is loaded with the sugars. Pecans topping the pie were very fragrant, but my lasting impression of this dish is that it was just incredibly sweet. If you have a very sweet tooth, go for this. Note that the whiskey is practically nonexistent taste-wise though.

Exactly what I expected—sweet and fluffy with all that maple syrup and custard. Though fragrant, the soufflé pancakes seemed a little wet in the middle, but it was not very discernible. The fruits provided a nice bit of sourness and crunch in contrast to the sweetness and softness of the pancakes that helped to make the dessert less gelat. Ice cream was also a nice touch with the coldness and the vanilla flavour complemented the flavours well. I probably wouldn’t come to the cafe specially for the soufflé pancakes since it’s nothing special for the price and there are cheaper options around that taste the same. But if I do end up here again, I wouldn’t mind forking out the extra buck to get this again since it was overall pretty satisfying and yummy.

This set comes with two cuts of buttery brioche topped with custard, strawberries, blueberries, hazelnuts, biscuit crumbs and whipped cream. It was absolutely divine, but I believe that it is best shared by two as the sweetness may get overwhelming if you eat this whole dish by yourself.

If you ever get this sweet, definitely add the $2 for the ice cream! I was debating whether to get the ice cream, but the server recommended us to add it as the french toast alone would be quite dry (even with the whipped cream). I also found that the coolness added a nice dynamic to the warm toasted brioche. The custard on the toast was nicely blow-torched, and it really added to the decadence of this dessert. Whipped cream and strawberries are also a tried-and-true combination, though I also ate those with my toast. Toasted hazelnuts were also way more fragrant and crunchy than I had expected. :)

The bowls were a lot smaller than we had expected, seems like 1.5 times (in total) a regular bingsoo maybe? That being said, the regular bingsoos do give quite a lot. We bought this for 4 people, but I think the serving size is more appropriate for 2-3 people. I really love the milkiness and slight sweetness of the milk ice, and it’s the main reason why I like to come to Ice Lab. With reference to this set, I loved the Oreo bingsoo (but also because I love Oreo), especially since it came with chewy mini marshmallows that added to the texture and taste of the bingsoo. The mango bingsoo is also really satisfying; the mangoes are very sweet and fresh and complement the milk ice very well. I would say that this is the safest bet, and probably the healthiest with all the fruit going on. I’m not big on injeolmi, but it was pretty standard and nutty, and I quite enjoyed it. This set is good if you want to give the flavours a proper try without breaking the bank (and stomach) on three regulars. But if you want a lot of a certain flavour, I think the regular is still the best (because of the portion size...).