Feeling the heat yet? For the 13th edition of our Munchy Monday, we will be featuring on two pretty established names around – Momolato, a familiar name to those of you who had been to the Singapore Night Festival as it is a ice cream parlour located at SMU, and Dulcet & Studio, a Western-inspired Japanese cafe, known for their cream puffs and recently, their eclairs as well.
momolato
by Kirstin Sow
Situated at the corner of SMU’s School of Economics and Social Science, slightly hidden away by all the construction works around the area, you will find momolato, the brainchild of former banker Sharon Tay. Slightly close to two year old now, the small but unique artisanal gelato store specializes in milk and sorbet gelato, as well as popsicles made from premium, authentic and natural ingredients. With quirky names, such as Neh Neh Pop, or even ingredients, such as Red Bull drinks, the name “momolato” is actually derived from the phrase “more and more gelato” – which they hope you would want to have more of!
If you recall our post from earlier this year, momolato’s entry of Good Ol’ Days had won the top award during the Gelato World Tour’s The Jury Challenge then, besting some of the other great gelato makers from all over the world. Made of coconut and Gula Melaka (palm sugar), caramel and caramelized beancurd, Sharon had intended to dedicate the dessert to Singapore’s golden Jubilee and founding father.
Food
As one of momolato’s signature desserts, the miso gelato intrigued me as it was hard to imagine how miso, a staple of Japanese cuisine as a soup, could be infused to become a dessert. Topped with almonds and infused with caramel, what greeted me on first bite was a nice unique and addictive sweet-salty combination, with the miso flavour felt immediately. Though the miso flavour was intense, it mellowed out smoothly with the caramel and almonds nicely, leaving a sweet aftertaste.
The milk and honey gelato was very true to it’s name – rich and creamy from the milk, there was a distinct after taste of honey that gave the gelato an added layer to it. With bits of digestive biscuits added in, it gave the light and smooth dessert a nice crunch and feel.
While vanilla flavoured may sound nothing fanciful, don’t be deceived by this plain and simple concoction! Made of French vanilla, it was smooth and not too sweet – a good classic to choose for those who may want something simple but packing in flavours!
The amarena cherry gelato, which was reminiscent of Raspberry Ripple ice cream to me, melds tangy and sweet notes together within. Though the slightly sourish cherries do excite the palate, I find this slightly too sweet for my liking, although for those who like their gelato being a medley of sour and sweet, I would definitely recommend this.
Nonetheless, if you are looking to have just one choice of gelato here, I would strongly recommend the miso gelato for it’s uniqueness and perfect blend of tastes.
Besides the gelato, we also got to try some of the popular and new popsicles:
The Hokkaido milk popsicle with raw honey and strawberry slices was very much similar to the milk and honey gelato – creamy and smooth but in comparison, slightly richer in flavour and texture. The strawberries which were added provided a nice contrast, giving a tinge of sourness to the overall flavour, as if one was having freshly blended strawberry milk.
Shifting away from the creamy choices, next up, we tried the watermelon kiwi popsicle – a signature and popular flavour of momolato which was not only aesthetically pleasing in it’s red and green hues, but also a great refreshing treat to have a the sweetness of the watermelon juices complemented well with the tanginess of the kiwi fruit slices.
To end off for the day, we decided to try out one of the alcoholic popsicles available at momolato. The mojito popsicle, which was made of rum, lime juice and mint leaves, was our pick. With the slight hint of rum making it not too overpowering, it accentuated the flavours of the lime and mint leaves really well, creating a perfect harmony of flavours that would put their liquid version counterparts served everywhere to shame. For this, the mojito popsicle takes our vote for being the best invigorating popsicle on a hot summer day!
Price
A scoop of gelato comes in at $3.50 for students [$4.00 for the public] and double scoops would cost $6.00. For the popsicles, the normal flavours are priced at $3.50 as well while the alcoholic ones are $7.50 [$8.00 for the public]. Prices are relatively affordable for such handmade and unique dessert flavours, and definitely more so for students in the vicinity looking for a ice-cold sweet treat.
momolato
90 Stamford Rd, #01-73
SMU School of Economics and Social Science
Singapore 178903
Opening hours: 11am- 9pm
Dulcet & Studio
by Darren Wan and Josephine Bahari
Western-inspired Japanese cuisine, known as yoshoku, has always been popular among Singaporeans. At Dulcet & Studio, a branch of the Tampopo group of restaurants, fresh ingredients are imported from Japan to ensure the quality and authenticity of their food. Located on the ground level of Liang Court, this restaurant specialises in a wide range of eye-catching desserts and pastries that are sure to satisfy the palate.
Food
Prepared with crunchy lettuce, fresh radishes, juicy tomatoes amongst other healthy vegetables, this was dressed with a light, tangy sauce that lent the salad its Japanese flavours. While simple, the slightly cold salad served as a refreshing introduction that whetted our appetites for the rest of the meal that was to follow.
The pasta noodles was, for us, definitely the star of the dish. Freshly made in Hokkaido and imported into Singapore frozen, the pasta was well-formed and was cooked to al dente perfection. Dulcet & Studio, along with the associated Tampopo restaurants, pride themselves for being the only Singaporean restaurant chain to import fresh Hokkaido pasta. The classic Bolognese sauce was, however, mediocre as we felt it didn’t had any oomph to it to make it stand out. Although made with Kurobuta (black pig) pork, sadly the minced meat did not lend any unique flavours to the dish. On a whole though, it was a decent dish.
If you’re craving for something light and airy to end off your meal after feasting on all that meat, Dulcet & Studio’s signature super light cheese chiffon cake could just do the trick. With no compromise in flavor – straight up cheese with a tiny hint of vanilla – this delectable cheesecake, made fresh daily by their Japanese executive chef, is most probably suitable for people who’d love to indulge their tastebuds in something sweet, but not too heavy and rich. The layer of cream blanketing the cake was neither too creamy nor too sweet. It all felt very honest and simple – the perfect end to a good meal.
Alternatively, if you still have room for more desserts, the cafe is also serving eclairs these days. The chocolate eclair, garnished with peanuts, tasted very rich and creamy. Filled with a generous amount of chocolate custard, it may overwhelm some, but nonetheless, it was delicious. However, I wouldn’t recommend this for those who like their sweets light.
Another choice which you can try here, would be the cream puffs that the cafe is pretty well-known for. We had the matcha cream puff, and found that this was surprisingly refreshing. The vanilla and green tea swirl of a cream attracted us as it looked really delicate, and sinking our forks in, both of the flavours went really well together with the fragrant and slightly bitter matcha panning out the smooth and sweet cream nicely. The crusty and airy pastry puff enclosing the cream is a unique selling point of the cafe, although we found it to be pretty dry and flat on the day we had it.
To end off together with our desserts, we too had the Ethiopian Sidamo Siphon Coffee ($5.50) as well as the Darjeeling Tea ($7.00). The coffee, with a mild yet deep flavour profile, was slightly acidic and served in an elegant glass carafe. On it’s own, we felt that it was abit too bitter, even with the sugar, and it could be better improved if fresh milk instead of the creamer that was provided was served instead. However, the taste balances out well in offsetting the richness of the chocolate eclair really nicely.
The Darjeeling tea, while slightly pricey, was light and refreshing, which worked very well with the lighter desserts, especially the super light cheese chiffon cake, serving as a palate cleanser to an otherwise heavy meal.
Ambience
Located at the very entrance of Liang Court, Dulcet & Studio felt very casual and relaxed, which is great for a lazy afternoon tea or for brunch during the weekends. Mostly occupied with office workers on their lunch break during lunch hours, the air was filled with a few chatters here and there, although pass lunch time, it was pretty quiet and relaxing. The cafe is divided into two zones – the entrance area with some sofas and items for sale as a relaxing corner for coffee and tea, and the back area for dining instead.
Price
For lunch, it tends to be a bit expensive if all you merely intend to do is to have a quick and simple lunch. The pastries and desserts, considering their level of detail and clean flavours, are well worth your money nonetheless as the flavours really pull through intricately. Drinks are somewhat on the pricier end here, although there are a range of choices which include matcha latte. We do recommend the puddings that are available here too as they are simply delicious!
177 River Valley Road, #01-41/42 Liang Court, 179030
