The Alchemy.

Have gotten to know about the existence of The Alchemy. for a while when scrolling through social media — these folks are a recently-opened dining establishment that had opened its doors at Blk 133 Jalan Bukit Merah. For those whom are not too familiar with the area, The Alchemy. is just a short distance by foot away from the 112 Bukit Merah Market & Food Centre that is located in the next cluster of HDB flats beside it. From the exterior of the shop unit, The Alchemy. pretty much defies the standard of how cafes tend to look like these days — rather than adopting the usual clean and minimalist aesthetic, The Alchemy. seems to have gone for a dark interior decor scheme that gives it a sense of mystic with a somewhat grungy look. The overall interior decor is still pretty much free from clutter; we did find the dried flowers locked behind lit translucent panels to be something a little dreamy — all that being matched against rustic, black dining furniture and with shelves that are filed with books as well as some greenery hanging from the ceiling. The entire decor does seem to be relatively coherent throughout the space — this is even considering that there are some fixtures that can be found in older HDB developments that can still be found within the shop unit. The Alchemy. does seem to be an establishment that is focused heavily on its tea offerings — the beverage menu is segmented into sections dedicated to Coffee, Milk Tea, Oolong Tea, Green Tea, Glitter Soda and Fresh Milk. Also offering patrons with some dessert options to go along with their beverages, The Alchemy. does actually serve up quite an extensive variety of Belgian Waffles which patrons can enjoy with their range of ice-cream flavours that they have to offer; apart from ice-cream and waffles, another interesting feature on The Alchemy.’s menu would be their beancurd, earl grey jelly, grass jelly, Aiyu jelly and Rice Ball in Peanut Soup offerings.

Whilst most ice-cream / gelato parlours located around the island tend to serve up their Belgian Waffles plain or with just a very limited selection of fillings that would come with to choose from, The Alchemy. does serve up quite a range of flavours for their Belgian Waffles plain— notable ones that had caught our attention included the likes of the Yam Belgian Waffles, Black Glutinous Rice Belgian Waffles and the Durian Belgian Waffles. It is interesting to note that with the exception of the Plain Belgian Waffles, all of the other Belgian Waffles on the menu at The Alchemy. does come with vanilla ice cream
by default — any change of flavours would be charged a top-up of $1. We went with the Black Glutinous Rice Belgian Waffle considering how this combination does sound like a pretty uncommon one; we had also opted to change the vanilla ice-cream to the MSW Durian ice-cream instead. Some waiting time is required for the making of the waffles; digging into the waffles after they had arrived the table, we found that the waffles here do come pretty well-made to say the least. For one, we actually quite enjoyed the overall texture of the waffles which was sufficiently dense, but still plush, pillowy and fluffy with a light hint of buttermilk aroma that perfumes throughout the waffle. We aren’t quite sure about what to expect about the infusion of black glutinous rice here initially but were pleasantly surprised by how it is being done in a way that is similar to that of Pulut Hitam — all that being lightly spread in the middle; gave the waffles a bit of a roasty, nutty note that also comes with a light whiff of coconut cream that rounds off the flavours nicely without being overly sweet. When it came to the MSW Durian ice-cream, it came with a smooth and creamy consistency whilst also carrying a pungent note of the King of Fruits — the overall flavours here aren’t out-of-this-world, but should be able to satisfying the minimal expectations for those whom love durian-based desserts nonetheless.

During the same visit, we had also went for the Mango Beancurd; the Beancurd here seems to have come in a format that is rather similar to the pudding-style soya beancurd which was popularised by Lao Ban Soya Beancurd back in the days when such types of beancurd were still trendy — all that whilst being topped with cubes of mango on the top. Yet another item that carried no surprises, though we did like how the beancurd was soft, silky and smooth with some parts still being almost liquid that helped to gel the cubes of mango with the beancurd; the cubes of mango also adding a contrast of sweetness to the dessert. The Alchemy. does seem to be an establishment that is pretty much what one would find similar to most other cafes that serves up ice-cream and waffles in the neighbourhood on first sight; that being said, it does seem that they do attempt to make themselves stand out by offering rather interesting flavours of Belgian waffles while at it — something that they probably found a niche in. Also recognising the demographics of the population within the area, The Alchemy. also offers a wider selection of desserts apart from waffles and ice-cream to cater to the preferences of more folks as well. Prices of the items listed in the Belgian Waffles section of the menu that already comes with ice-cream by default range from $8.20 to $12.80, while the beancurd, earl grey jelly, grass jelly, Aiyu jelly and Rice Ball in Peanut Soup offerings are priced more affordably from $3.50 to $5.20. Overall, an interesting addition to the neighbourhood despite its seemingly hippy vibes; one that seems to be for all in the neighbourhood to enjoy.