Guest post from Bernie Yuen

There's no denying my ferocious sweet tooth, and I've been a Häagen-Dazs fan for many years now. If the two frequently-replenished chocolate Häagen-Dazs ice cream tubs in my freezer is anything to go by, I'm definitely a repeat customer (much to my husband's chagrin) and a sodding huge ice cream fan.

I still reminisce with fondness the first cup of Chocolate Chocolate Chip ice cream I bought for $3.90 over the Häagen-Dazs counter at Thomson Plaza way back when I was about six, and it was the most delicious thing I'd ever tasted. Since then, the Chocolate Chocolate Chip flavour has been phased out (sob), and I'm (only slightly) ashamed to admit that I can polish off an entire pint of ice cream by myself in one sitting. Call me gross, but let me tell you: that thick, dense concoction of wondrously sweet and decadent cream is anything but.



So it was with much pleasure that I attended the launch of the flagship Häagen-Dazs store on the fourth floor of Ion Orchard and got to sample some of their cool, new and unique ice cream, tea and alcoholic offerings. Häagen-Dazs stores have been around for yonks, but this particular one will take your breath away. It's got a delightful open concept, complete with a sleek, long bar counter (they call it a dessert bar) with hanging wine glasses, and it exudes a more premium vibe - being situated in the middle of Ion's classy fourth floor helps.

We sampled an array of new creations conceptualized by Häagen-Dazs chefs. The Brulee Banana Split ($14.90) was possibly my favourite - it's a very simple arrangement of the standard three chocolate-vanilla-strawberry ice cream scoops topped with candied banana on a vanilla pound cake, but it's a winner. I can't resist a good banana split, and this re-imagined version is ace. We also got to sample Summer Paradise ($16.50) - scoops of Green Tea, Strawberry, Mango Sorbet and Raspberry Sorbet atop crisp wafer - and Eiffel Tower ($25.90) - brownie with Belgian Chocolate and Cookies & Cream topped with cute Eiffel Tower chocolate cut-outs. 




The flagship store also features ice-cream pairings with premium teas, and we got to sample iced black and white teas, which were meant to pair with the ice cream creations. I loved how they described this pairing as "transforming your tea experience", embellishing it with some other lovely words about how pouring the hot tea over a pitcher of ice elevates the ceremonial nature of drinking tea. To be fair, the teas we sampled were quite lovely - cold, smooth and without the awful aftertaste of flavoured tea that's been left out too long and gone bitter.


Do also check out their ice cream cocktails - the Ion Orchard outlet is the first in Southeast Asia to be rolling it out. The cocktails were conceptualized by mixologist Ethan Leslie Leong of Maison Ikkoku fame and my favourite was the Creme D'Earl Grey - a yummy mixture of gin, tea and Vanilla. The other cocktails we sampled were the Vintage Caramel (a tad too sweet and punchy) and Black Tie (way too alcoholic for my liking).


It was definitely a party on my palette, and I think some of the alcoholic cocktails will definitely be a hit here. While I can definitely appreciate the artisan and playful take on regular Häagen-Dazs ice cream favourites - each exquisite ice cream or alcoholic creation lovingly handcrafted to creative perfection - I'd very much prefer to kick back in front of my TV with my favourite tub of Häagen-Dazs, and you'd be amazed how quickly the 473ml of stuff disappears down my throat.

But, if unlike me, you prefer a less plebeian experience of indulgence, the House of Häagen-Dazs at Ion Orchard is a terrific place to satisfy your craving for something sweet and refreshing, with an added touch of luxe to round off a great ice cream experience.

Thanks to Häagen-Dazs and Text100 for the invite!

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I had the honour to be invited by Singapore's award-winning Food & Travel magazine to join their Clarke Quay Food Trail one Saturday afternoon last year for lunch. I am always up for food trails, but the ones hosted by Food & Travel are always good fun - the previous one I went for was a dinner edition at Clarke Quay which involved soju bombs and riverboats.

The Food & Travel team are a good bunch of people to hang around with, so if you do read about any more food trails via the magazine you should definitely try to sign up!
In this Clarke Quay Food Trail, we visited 3 locations. First up, Bayang Balinese Cuisine at 3A River Valley Road, #01-05, Singapore 179020. We sampled a good range of Balinese food, which is slightly different from the typical Indonesian fare. 

My favorite would probably be the satay from this appetizer platter. The meat was fresh, not overcooked and well-marinated with a tantalizing mix of spices and sweet sauce.

There's also a unique chicken dish (forgot it's name!) which was interesting, but probably not something I would order again because it's too exotic for me. 

The beef rendang was fabulous though. Two people can just share this over some rice! There are two types of rice too - one that's steamed with banana leaves (the best kind) and one which is in a yellow conical shape.

And order their chicken soto soup. It was really comforting, flavorful and probably good for your soul.

There's also the grilled fish, which turned out to be surprisingly fresh and full of meat that went well with the crispy marinated skin. I really enjoyed this despite not a big grilled fish fan (due to the amount of bones).


Next stop, Xiao Cheng Gu Shi Ba Kut Teh at #01-08 Blk E Clarke Quay, 3 River Valley Road. It's just right near where the old Zirca used to be. I would normally have just the pork bone soup with a bowl of rice, but for tasting we also got some veggies and the pork trotters which was quite well done! I must caution that this BKT is probably average in terms of tastiness though. But at least there's this option now for supper after clubbing at Clarke Quay!


Lastly we headed to RAS, the Essence of India at #01-05A at Block 3D for an authentic and satisfying contemporary North Indian lunch experience. We tried all the classics like Tandoori Prawn, Palak Paneer and Butter Chicken to go with our nice naans.




I would definitely recommend that you guys check these 3 places out for some authentic and very flavorsome food from all over the world! Thank you Food & Travel magazine for hosting us and surprising us with a very cute picnic gift basket after that (even includes plates and jam!)


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