Green tea (or matcha) has undoubtedly found its way into the hearts (and mouths) of Singaporeans. Best known for its antioxidant properties, green tea can lower blood pressure, decrease fat levels…the list goes on. All this just makes the dessert version feel less of a cardinal sin…well, maybe. Here are the best places to get your green tea dessert fix in Singapore!
1. Tsujiri Tea House
100 Tras Street #01-14, 100 AM, Tel: +65 6543 6110, Opening Hours: 10:00AM – 10:00PMIf you love green tea desserts, Tsujiri Tea House is a must on your list. Located at the relatively new 100AM mall in Tanjong Pagar, Tsujiri offers a whole range of green tea desserts and drinks. One of our favourites is the Chiffon Cake Parfait ($7.50), which comes with soft serve green tea ice cream, cornflakes, red bean paste and the lightest, airiest green tea chiffon cake you’ll ever have. We also like that the soft serve ice cream has a good, strong green tea flavour and is not too sweet. There’s limited seating space though, but who says you can’t get it to go?And FYI, we hear they just opened a new outlet at the basement of 313@Somerset, so you know where to go for those mid-shopping dessert cravings…
Chiffon Cake Parfait
2. Nana’s Green Tea
#03-80/82 Plaza Singapura, 68 Orchard Road, Tel: 6684 4312, Opening Hours: 11am – 10pmNana’s Green tea was one of the first few matcha dessert cafes to open in Singapore, so of course we had to add it to the list! One of the popular choices is the Matcha Anmitsu ($8.80), which comes with green tea ice cream, red bean paste, mochi and is served with caramelized brown sugar syrup and cubed kanten (which, as the menu boasts, is a traditional Japanese jelly made of seaweed). Other favourites include the Matcha Gateaux Chocolat Parfait ($13.80) and the Iced Matcha Latte ($6.50).
Matcha Anmitsu
3. Hoshino Coffee
#03-84 Plaza Singapura, 68 Orchard Road, Tel: 6338 3277, Opening Hours: 11:30PM – 09:00PMAlthough Hoshino Coffee is famous for their hand-dripped coffee, we love their soufflé pancakes more. A must-try for any green tea fan is the Pancake Soufflé Style with Matcha and Ogura Bean Paste ($13.50). Topped with green tea ice cream, red bean paste and chestnuts, the dessert also comes with a choice of honey, maple or brown syrup. The soufflé pancake is truly the best thing since sliced bread, because it has the best of both worlds – thick and fluffy like pancakes, but light and airy like a soufflé. They take about 30 minutes to prepare, but hey, that’s the price to pay for freshly made pancakes. If you want something less filling, try the equally good Matcha Soufflé ($9.80) – an airy, moist vanilla soufflé served with thick and creamy green tea sauce.
Pancake Soufflé Style with Matcha & “Ogura” Bean Paste (Source: Daniel Food Diary)
4. SUN with MOON Japanese Dining & Cafe
#03-15/16/17 Wheelock Place, 501 Orchard Road, Tel: 6733 6636, Opening Hours: Sun – Thu: 12:00PM – 11:00PM, Fri – Sat: 12:00PM – 11:30PM, PH: 12:00PM – 11:00PM, Eve of PH: 12:00PM – 11:30PMSUN with MOON Japanese Dining & Cafe has pretty good food, but the desserts don’t disappoint either. While we love the Tofu Cheese Cake (which used to come in a green tea version as well, but sadly they seem to have discontinued it), the Matcha Tiramisu ($6.80) is noteworthy as well. Imagine layers of fluffy matcha sponge cake, sandwiched between cream and topped with matcha powder and berries.Other green tea desserts to try include the Matcha and Red Bean Mousse Cake ($5.80) and the Matcha Parfait ($9.80).
Matcha Tiramisu
5. Haagen Dazs
#02-01/03 Esplanade Mall, 8 Raffles Avenue and other locations. Tel: 6336 4022, Opening Hours: Sun – Thu: 12:00PM – 10:30PM, Fri – Sat & Eve of Public Holiday: 12:00PM – 11:00PM. For a full list of locations, visit their website.OK so I know Haagen Dazs isn’t exactly known for green tea desserts, but it does have one of the best green tea ice creams out there. So how could I not include it in this list?? To me, the true test of whether a green tea dessert is great or not lies in the ice cream. And Haagen Dazs has pretty darn good ice cream if you ask me. Let me rant a bit here – most green tea ice cream (whether they’re off the shelf or from an ice cream parlour) have barely a hint of green tea flavour, lack creaminess or have weird ice crystals buried in them (ice cream should NEVER EVER crunch…unless it has nuts or chocolate chips mixed in). Haagen Dazs’ green tea ice cream knows no flaws. The ice cream has an intense, rich green tea flavour, and is creamy (almost velvety) in texture…and all this for about $5 a scoop? Perfect for days you need a pick me up or guilty binge. Anyway, it’s green tea…how guilty can you possibly feel? Right?
(Source: Haagen Dazs)
