Mayflower is that neighbourhood in Ang Mo Kio that has been under the spotlight for a very long time — the opening of the Thomson-East Coast Line had since brought a lot of convenience to the residents nearby, whilst also putting the neighbourhood onto the map now that a Mayflower MRT Station exists in the MRT system map. New to the Mayflower neighbourhood at Blk 114 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 is F.I.C.; basically an acronym for their name Fried Ice-Cream & Viet Bites. Situated just a short walk away from Exit 1 of Mayflower MRT Station, F.I.C. is very unlikely that of other cafes that we have visited over the years — rather than being an air-conditioned establishment, F.I.C. takes on the direction of being an open-air dining establishment instead. This creates a look and feel that makes it bind together with the community it serves; this is especially so when the interior decor consists of really cosy-looking decor with its wooden furniture and fittings and plants that we found to be especially welcoming. F.I.C.‘s main offerings would revolve around their various fried ice-cream flavours — a dish that was fairly popular in the early 2000s and was one that was especially easy to find in Golden Mile Food Centre in its heydays, the hype for fried ice-cream has since been long gone and the dish is also one that is rather difficult to find in Singapore. Apart from their signature fried ice-cream, F.I.C. also serves up a good variety of Vietnamese and Western light bites — an iconic offering here would be their Paper Pizza, while other menu items includes Vermicelli Bowl, Chicken Wings, Salad, Rice Plates, Viet Rolls and Fries; an off-the-menu item which we were told that was available would be the Banh Mi. Beverages available at F.I.C. includes Coffee Phin (i.e. Vietnamese Drip Coffee), Floaties (i.e. soft drinks with ice-cream) and other concoctions such as the Fizzy Lime, Grass Jelly Bandung and Milocino.
Having come all the way down to F.I.C. to check out on what they have to offer, it is needless to say that we had to give their Fried Ice-Cream offerings a go. There was quite a variety of Fried Ice-Cream offerings that they offer — each coming with different toppings; we found ourselves going for the Mango Tango Fried Ice-Cream after hearing that the Cloud Nine Fried Ice-Cream was unavailable on the day of our visit as they had ran out of the meringue cookie which they make in-house that comes along with the the Cloud Nine Fried Ice-Cream. Settling for the Mango Tango Fried Ice-Cream, this was one flavour that we found would appeal to those who love tropical fruits and flavours in their dessert. The fried ice-cream is at the bottom here, whilst in gets topped off with fresh cream and diced mangoes over the top. One may call the offering simple based on its composition — and sure it is, though we did feel that they had gotten the execution somewhat right here. Encasing the scoop of Vanilla Ice-Cream is a fried golden brown batter that was crisp and free from grease or any undesirable stench of overused oil; as one digs in, the cold Vanilla Ice-Cream within reveals itself without having been all melted — a good control of temperature as it gets deep-fried right here. The ice-cream here is nothing much to shout about; after all, we aren’t expecting one that is artisanal with specks of vanilla beans here — F.I.C. isn’t quite that sort establishment anyway. Pairing the fried ice-cream with that cream and the diced mangoes over the top, the cream attempts to gel the fried ice-cream together with the diced mangoes with a neutral flavour profile, while the diced mangoes here felt closer to being on the tangier side and would suit those who prefer their desserts to be on the sour-ish side instead.
F.I.C. does feel like a spot that is created out of love — that sort of small neighbourhood family-run business that is born out of trying to make the world a better place, and that spirit and passion to serve the community at large. The non air-conditioned, open concept of the space does feel like it was done purposefully, while the folks running the business to feel very humble and down-to-earth — eager to chat up with their patrons to find out how they are doing, and also to give an extensive introduction on what their concept is about and what do they serve up; all that whilst sharing smiles with their patrons and making patrons feel welcome with the sincerity through they in their interactions with them. No doubt the food offerings at F.I.C. are simply-made; there are many cafes out there that can push out more delicate dishes that would satisfy the typical cafe-hopper, though it is also pretty clear from the get-go that F.I.C. just isn’t this sort of establishment at heart which makes it worth supporting even despite being a little different from the other specialty cafes these days. That said, F.I.C. still creates food items with its own identity — the offering of Paper Pizza being just one of the examples where an inventive attempt on using Vietnamese Rice Paper that is typically used for their Fresh Spring Rolls as a pizza base (replacing the standard crust) with toppings like Chicken Sausage and Lemongrass Chicken to choose from. F.I.C. is not just a cafe as it seems — a space which seems especially “human” in this day and age where specialty cafes are just simply about coffee culture, and a spot to catch up over brunch and coffee. Time seems to slow down at F.I.C., and one just feels like they could absorb some of those positive vibes not just from its environment, but also the folks who are running the space. We are looking forward to be back some day — the Coffee Chicken Wings definitely sound interesting on paper; all that whilst watching the day go past over a cup of Vietnamese Drip Coffee.
