Creamy, dreamy delights
Everyone loves having an ice cream, regardless of our mood or time of day, making it the perfect treat-in-a-cup (or cone!).
Marble Slab Creamery
The cool deal: This brand-new ice cream cafe from the US boasts super premium 14% butterfat ice cream and over 40 different mix-ins (things you can add into your ice-cream). Done the traditional way with a frozen granite slab, this is one creamery that promises to serve up the freshest ice cream (and they do).
The chill factor: Choose from 21 different flavours from a total of more than 48 at any one time -- like French vanilla, cheesecake to apple n' spice. Then there are the mix-ins -- think fresh fruit, teddy grahams, caramelised biscuits and Reese's peanut butter cups. Prices start at $4.50 for a kiddy size, $6 for the original, and $7.50 for a big dipper. Takeaways are also available at $11.50 per pint. Try the delicious double dark chocolate milkshake ($6.50) too.
Marvelous Cream
The cool deal: The first of its kind located outside Japan, Marvelous Cream offers an indulgent selection of French parfaits with nine rich Hokkaido ice cream flavours -- including European cream cheese and marsala espresso.
Chill factor: Choose one of the 28 creations offered on the menu, or customise one by mixing sweet treats such as brownies, marshmallows or macarons into your ice cream, which is prepared on a cold marble surface. The presentation is top-notch -- think crisp, golden-brown waffles and tiny sprinkles of raspberry bits on petite parfaits. Truly marvellous!
Seventh Heaven
The cool deal: Seventh Heaven ensures a rejuvenating ice cream experience by steering away from the usual flavours. New and innovative recipes are constantly created by its ingenious owner Sein Chan, who ensures that the ice cream at the parlour is always freshly-made.
Chill factor: Check out its mean alcoholic flavours such as lychee martini, black forest and chocolate and whiskey ice cream -- all popular favourites with the mature crowd. And the best part -- it's way cheaper than getting drinks at a bar!
Azabu Sabo Hokkaido Ice Cream The cool deal: Azabu Sabo's low-fat and regular ice cream is made from pure Hokkaido milk, giving it a soft texture and a rich and creamy taste.
Chill factor: The parlour offers the choice of single or double triangle-shaped cones with generous dollops of ice cream flavour of your choice. Most ingredients, like its matcha (green tea), are imported from Japan to ensure the authentic Hokkaido experience.
Delightful drinks
In tropical Singapore, ice-blended beverages are a must-have to combat the humid. Cool down with these chilly concoctions.
Rockery
The cool deal: Rock with Rockery -- a stop which specially caters to smoothie lovers who want their frosty treats made from 100% natural extracts.
Chill factor: Get tangy-zangy with Rockery's signature mango tango ($3.50) -- a cupful of thick and creamy fresh mango extract well-blended with crushed ice, or choose to get fruity with a strawberry smoothie instead ($3.50). Either one provides a chilling experience worth its price. All smoothies are served with pearls, too!
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
The cool deal: The ever popular, yet rustic Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf has recently added a new thirst-quencher to its ice blended selection - matcha green tea ($7 - $7.50 depending on cup size).
Chill factor: Specially for those who appreciate a taste of Japanese tradition, this drink is made from the finest matcha beans. You will certainly love the richness of this drink (so much so that you might even forget they serve coffee!)
KOI Bubble Tea The cool deal: At KOI, you can customise the size, flavour and sugar level of your bubble tea. Hailing from the cosmopolitan state of Taiwan, KOI has now propagated our tropics with the perky and delightful boba nai cha (pearl milk tea). Choose from small, medium and large sizes ($1.40 to $6.70 per cup) according to how thirsty you are.
Chill factor: Sure, size matters, but here, you're also entitled to choose how much sugar syrup and pearls go into your cup! We recommend that you try the hazelnut milk tea, which tastes just like the authentic Taiwanese boba nai cha. Most ingredients are specially flown in from Taiwan to assure you of the Taiwanese experience -- without having to pay for the additional hundreds in flight fares!
Hong Kong Xin Wang Cafe
The cool deal: Pay any Xin Wang cafe a visit to get a genuine feel of what life is like in Hong Kong. The cozy ambience and cushioned seating booths of these cafes are reason enough to make a trip to any of its outlets -- and that's before the frosty treats!
Chill factor: Listen to the soothing tempo of Chinese retro music playing in the background, as you treat yourself to a wide variety of 200 mouth-watering dishes, desserts and drinks. Needless to say, they go down especially well on a humid weekend afternoon. We recommend you try the snow iced series (think ice kachang). Served generously with a large dollop of ice cream, it's no wonder this dessert is termed its 'snow capped beauty'!
Each A Cup
The cool deal: The bubble tea craze may have long been over, but its trend is here to stay -- with Each A Cup's newest outlet now open at the trendy, up market ION Orchard.
Chill factor: It's cool and affordable here -- a combination we think is brilliant! We recommend that you try its red pearl milk tea -- it's refreshing and rejuvenating enough to keep your thirst at bay, especially on a hot, dry day. Ladies need not worry about putting on the extra calories -- Each A Cup's range of (skim) milk and bubble tea are specially catered to the weight-conscious females.
Healthy yoghurt
Commonly enjoyed in its fat-free form by women, yoghurt also packs a generous amount of nutrition.
Yoguru The cool deal: Redefining healthy, Yoguru offers frozen, completely fat-free delights made from fresh yogurt brimming with probiotic cultures and vitamins.
Chill factor: A serving of Yoguru's brings you countless health benefits including a metabolism boost, improved immunity, lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure. But more importantly -- it tastes great! Try the original flavour, YoguBliss -- a refreshing blend of antioxidant-rich pomegranate and dragon fruit that allegedly helps slow down aging.
