[CLOSED] Man Tang Hong Desserts

A beautiful and small dessert shop with a few seatings, this is where you could grab some Chinese dessert in this comfortable space.

For something refreshing and cold, I definitely recommend their Cheng Tng. You could find dried longan boiled with fragrant red date, handmade sweet potato balls and crunchy white fungus in the bowl.

There is really no shortage of great indie cafes and food establishments in this part of Bedok — already well serviced by Percolate Coffee, Hay Gelato, Nakhon Kitchen, Nangfa Thai Kitchen and the market and food centre at Blk 216, Man Tang Hong Desserts now joins Lick D Cream as the newer F&B establishments which had recently opened in the vicinity.

Unlike most shops serving up traditional Chinese desserts where the decor usually carries a hint of nostalgic oriental elements (apart from the eye-catching sort and slightly exaggerated look which Smile Desserts and Sweet Hut carries), Man Tan Hong Desserts have seemingly opted for a clean, minimalistic design that involves pastel pink walls, terrazzo-esque tables and wooden platform benches decked with cushions that feels more cafe-like — a look which we found to be soothing and welcoming. Man Tan Hong does serve up a decent variety of hot and cold desserts, such as Rock Melon and Watermelon Sago, Burbur Cha-Cha, and Black Glutinous Rice.

There was no doubt in us getting the Yam Paste (Orh Nee) when we skimmed through the offerings in their menu. The Yam Paste (Orh Nee) here comes with hand-mashed yam, Gingko nuts, pumpkin purée and coconut milk — also comes with complimentary cup of Pokka Oolong Tea on the side to “refresh the palate”. While looking like as though it was doused in copious amounts of coconut milk on first look, digging into the hand-mashed yam paste was telling of why it is so in the first place — the yam paste here comes really sticky, and evidently hand-mashed since there were still bits of chunky yam within of different sizes; nothing close to the velvety smooth, commercially made ones. While this may be a deal-breaker for some, the sucker for handmade yam pastes with love and effort in me really appreciated this as a fact. The yam paste itself also carried a very distinct earthy note without being particularly saccharine — mixing it with the coconut milk will result in a smoother paste that is rich with a light fragrance; the pumpkin purée lends a hint of natural sweetness to the yam paste. The Gingko nuts also comes with a soft bite, without being overly bitter.

Whilst being an establishment with a modern look, Man Tan Hong Desserts seem to be a place where a lot of attention has being placed in the details — from how they serve up Pokka Oolong Tea to allow patrons to cleanse the palate for the Yam Paste (which works especially well if one is trying more than one dessert here at one go), to the execution of their desserts in general, Man Tang Hong Desserts is pretty much on track for being a spot for some well-made traditional Chinese desserts served in a modern setting. Being dedicated to serving their patrons with painstakingly hand-made desserts made from the heart, this is one spot that traditional Chinese dessert lovers should check out!