7 Ice-cream Stalls in Singapore You Cannot Miss!

As temperatures continue to climb in sunny Singapore, there certainly is no better way to beat the heat than with a delicious scoop of ice-cream! Join us on our adventures around Singapore to learn more about ice-cream and the people behind the art.

Also, read to the end to find out how you can enjoy these cold treats without the fear of experiencing sensitive teeth!

Island Creamery

This was my first time visiting Holland Village for something other than beer. Surprisingly, I still left extremely happy, full, and a little tipsy! While David manages the operational side of the cafe, his father handles the production of ice-cream.

Out of 18 different flavours, I sampled 5 classic local flavours which stood out to me at Island Creamery. They are namely Fresh Coconut Milk with Gula, Chendol, Black Glutinous Rice with Coconut (Pulut Hitam), Teh Tarik, and Rose Syrup ElderFlower and Lychee! All of which I found simple but brilliant and intensely nostalgic.

While I was there, I ordered their Mud Pie which consisted of crunchy oreo cookies, caramel, cookies and cream, and a reversal flavour of dark chocolate with oreo. It was insanely chocolatey with a thick base of oreo that I especially loved. If you’re a chocolate-lover, this is a definite must try!

Next, I tried their Mini Baked Alaska. It is a personal portion of sponge cake coated with a thick layer of meringue on the outside with strawberry and raspberry ice-cream on the inside!

The meringue is made by whisking a mix of egg white and sugar before torching it for a remarkable toasted finish. Taking in a mouthful of the Mini Baked Alaska, the pastry had a spongy and creamy texture which was followed by a refreshing rush of ice-cream. Accompanied by a sweet and sour aftertaste from the strawberry sauce which is drizzled over the dessert, my life was complete.

Island Creamery also has a few playful and experimental flavours like Milo and Marshmallow and Mao Shan Wang Durian (made using pure and fresh durian – very strong durian taste!). David also mentioned that he champions Singapore products as he offered me a sample of his Milk flavoured ice-cream which was made from milk produced at a local dairy farm! I found it to be perfect as it was fresh with a creamy texture and not too sweet!

Dopa Dopa Creamery

The idea behind the name of Dopa Dopa Creamery is inspired by the organic chemical called Dopamine, a hormone produced in our brain which creates happiness and excitement!

Leonard, the owner of the ice-cream cafe, explained to me that his passion had always been with ice-cream and coffee. After working at various cafes in Singapore to gain experience, he then decided to open one of his own to share the joy!

I ordered two flavours, one in a cup and the other in a cone for $10.40. Quite affordable!

After sampling his Banana flavour, Leonard explained that it is slightly brownish instead of a bright yellow because he does not use artificial colouring or flavours! Instead, he uses fresh ingredients in order to achieve a refined and authentic taste. I found this to be 100% accurate because his Banana flavour was extremely rich and fresh!

Leonard’s Pistachio and Hazelnut flavours which are home-roasted were also immensely flavourful. Although it requires more work, Leonard does this to better control the texture, consistency, and purity of his ice-cream!

Aside from a few exciting local flavours such as Coconut and Pandan (which tastes a lot like Kaya), Leonard’s Matcha flavour is also different from the conventional Green Tea taste. Instead of being either sweet or slightly bitter, it is both savoury and toasty!

Creamery Boutique Ice-cream

It has been 2 and a half years since Miss Tan opened this franchise from Bangkok! After falling in love with the dessert herself, she received training at the original outlet’s central kitchen before returning to open an outlet in Singapore!

There are 6 cookie set meals which include a choice of 1 of 12 flavours that are on a rotational basis at Creamery Boutique Ice-cream! Some of the interesting flavours include Milo Dinosaur, Wasabi Tofu, Zombie Food (passion fruit and custard), Lychee, and Black Sesame! They also offer Thai Tea as a tribute to the origin of the dessert!

Their non-lava cookies are their Classic Butter Cookie and Brownie Cookie which go for $7.90. The Red-Devil (with Red Velvet Cream Cheese Lava), Chocolot (with Chocolate Lava), and Monster Matcha (with Matcha Green Tea Lava) go for $8.90, and the Volcano (with Salted Egg Lava) goes for $9.90!

While I was there, I tried their Volcano (with Black Current ice-cream) and Red-Devil (with Strawberry ice-cream)! The Volcano’s Salted-Egg Lava was grainy and extremely flavourful, reminding me of Liu Sha Baos (流沙包) I had while I was travelling in Guangzhou, China. As Liu Sha Bao literally translates to “flowing filling buns”, delicious Salted-Egg Lava started to spill from Creamery Boutique’s Volcano Lava Cookie the moment I broke into it. It was a glorious mess.

The Red-Devil’s Lemon Cream Cheese Lava was a little more sour and tangy but I loved it! Being a fan of Red-Velvet cupcakes, I’d have to say the Red-Velvet Cookie certainly satisfied my craving! Both Cookies were exceptionally crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, with a slight cakey flavour. It kinda just crumbles in your mouth, unlike Subway Cookies which are a little more on the chewy end.

To achieve this crispy texture, Miss Tan, owner of Creamery Boutique Ice-cream, mentioned that the oven temperature has to be carefully monitored and the cookie has to be served just when it’s baked to a golden brown!

I also ordered their Lychee Ice-cream Soda ($5.50)! It was refreshing and the lychees juicy and fresh! It also helps with neutralising the jelak feeling you get from having too much sweet dessert!

Lickers

Compared to the majority of other dessert cafes which are located in ulu locations, I was pleasantly surprised to find Lickers at the void deck of HDB housing estates!

Owner of Lickers, Felix, mentioned that he chose this location because he desired a work environment that was not too fast-paced so that he could cater to the residential community of Hougang.

While Felix manages the operational side of Lickers, his wife handles the production of ice-cream by experimenting with new flavours every 1-2 months when she has the inspiration!

Their signature flavours include Dark chocolate, Yakult Oreo, Honeycomb, and Macadamia Popcorn!

I ordered one scoop each of Yakult Oreo and Honeycomb for $6! I immediately fell in love with the grainy texture which was complemented by the fine oreo bits in the Yakult Oreo. It retains the slight sourness I remember from sipping on a small bottle of Yakult when I was younger!

The Honeycomb was mesmerizing too! Improving on a chocolate flavour called the Hokey Pokey from the U.S, Felix and his wife had made the Honeycomb airier and less sweet. It tasted a lot like the Cadbury Chocolate Bar called Crunchie, which used to be one of my childhood favourites! There were also chunks of crunchy honey bits in the ice-cream that crackled in my mouth like sparks before melting!

Tom’s Palette

Having produced more than 180 unique flavours such as Nasi Lemak, Chee Chong Fun, Potato Chips & Ice-cream and Teo Cheong Rocky Road (marshmallows with toffee almonds coated with chocolate and black bean paste – conventionally used for pork ribs!), Tom’s Palette is by far the most experimental and adventurous ice-cream parlour that I’ve ever come across!

Owner of Tom’s Palette, Chronos, has been involved in the operations of Tom’s Palette for over 14 years, while his wife does research on new flavours all around South-East Asia. Together, they travel to immerse themselves in different cultures to create special flavours that are close to a local taste.

For his Parmesan Cheese with White Chocolate ice-cream flavour, Chronos experimented with Parmesan Cheese aged to different degrees in order to balance out with White Chocolate to achieve a taste that is both savoury and sweet!

Never neglecting the importance of ingredients and the process of which his ice-cream is made, Chronos even studies the different breeds of coconuts and pandan leaves by linking up with suppliers in foreign countries!

After much deliberation, I finally ordered a scoop of Soursop and White Chocolate Nori with waffles ($11.70)! The Soursop flavour is a seasonal flavour, extremely refreshing and not too sour, I had no doubt that Chronos had picked the freshest batch of soursops in order to achieve this taste.

The nuttiness and sweetness of the White Chocolate Nori was exquisite! It was made by soaking Nori Seaweed overnight in the ice-cream mix in order for the flavour to develop. Roasted almonds were also sprinkled on top of the white chocolate!

Another flavour which caught my attention was the Chocolate Sorbet which contained no dairy products. Somehow the chocolate taste was still intensified, retaining its creamy texture unlike the iciness of sorbets! Do try their salted egg yolk flavour (which has been a customer favourite for 8 years) and their brownie waffle (containing chocolate couverture and 56% cocoa, it gets crispier the longer you leave it out – Chronos instructs his staff to let the waffle rest for 1.5 minutes before serving)!

Apiary

From the get-go, you can tell that Apiary has a wide selection of ice-cream (18+ flavours) that are constantly on rotation once they sell out, but what you may not know is that they use premium ingredients!

The flavour that has left a lasting impression since my visit to Apiary is their Blue Milk! Its nice pastel blue colour is derived from blue pea flowers. It was unlike anything I had ever tasted. It was milky and creamy but not too sweet; very well balanced with a certain lightness that lingers on even after the ice-cream has melted. MUST TRY!!!

Ice-cream is priced at $3.90 for a single scoop, $7.30 for double, and $10 for a triple! You can get your ice-cream in either a cup or cone, together with a brownie, inside a brioche bun, or with a crispy waffle (choice of either a normal waffle or charcoal waffle).

This is their Brioche Bun ($3)! The idea behind the Brioche Bun is to give Singaporeans a pang of nostalgia! When I held it in my hands, I was reminded of my childhood days when $1 ice-cream carts were the in-thing, and I would always pester my parents to get me an ice-cream sitting in rainbow-coloured bread or between wafers.

Birds of Paradise Gelato Boutique

The minimalistic design and theme of this ice-cream parlour breathes an air of sophistication. Birds of Paradise creates Botanical-based flavours by infusing flowers, spices, nuts, fruits, and herbs to make their gelato.

Some of their signature flavours include White Chrysanthemum, Pandan, Lemongrass Ginger, and Strawberry Basil for $4.70 a scoop.

I ordered a scoop of White Chrysanthemum because I heard it was the best amongst their signatures! The flavour was gentle, smooth, and natural. For the first time, I actually felt healthy eating dessert. Together with cacao nibs that had been sprinkled over the ice-cream, I’d say Birds of Paradise really lives up to its reputation for creating unique botanical ice-cream flavours!

When asked what was so special about their handmade waffle-cones ($1), the staff at Birds of Paradise told me that thyme is infused into their waffle batter to derive a more aromatic flavour and scent! True enough, I thoroughly enjoyed my waffle cone – the waffle was crispy and not too thick! The only downside, I feel, is the ice-cream parlour’s lack of a seating area.

It is evident that the ice-cream culture has become exceptionally ingrained in Singapore’s culture! However, if you’re not prepared, issues with teeth sensitivity may arise and hinder the enjoyment of cold treats!

To continue enjoying my favourite flavours of ice-cream, I use Sensodyne Repair & Protect, the World’s No. 1 sensitive toothpaste brand* to prevent sensitive teeth from spoiling the moment.

Sensodyne Repair and Protect is clinically proven to relieve sensitivity and provide long-lasting protection. As long as you brush twice daily, this toothpaste will form a protective layer over the sensitive areas of your teeth!

To find out if you experience sensitivity, start the Online Check Up now! Sensitivity can get worse, don’t ignore it!

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*Retail value sales data 12 months ending December 2017.

This post is brought to you by Sensodyne.