Unfortunately, the restaurant has stopped the sale of its ice cream waffles now that dining in has resumed. "Who knows, maybe the Zen waffle shop will pop up again one day," teases Tristen. "Hopefully not due to another lockdown."
How much would you pay for an ice cream sandwich?
Over at Restaurant Zen, a small crowd has gathered outside the two-Michelin-starred restaurant. And almost everyone has a frozen treat in their hand: a $20 waffle ice cream sandwich that can be finished in some five bites.
The restaurant tapped into past recipes of waffles and ice cream, typically served to a dine-in crowd, to create take-out treats that are meant for immediate enjoyment. According to executive chef Tristen Farmer, the restaurant started by making 50 ice cream sandwiches every day, but that number quickly grew to 100, and at its peak, over 320 (on the final day before the dining restrictions were lifted). “We tried hard to keep up with the demand,” adds Tristen.
As it turns out, people in Singapore are willing to splurge on gourmet (expensive) frozen treats. Fuelled by demand and innovation, many of the island’s top chefs started churning out cool new ideas to meet the appetite for ice cream during the takeaway-only period.
Images of Restaurant Zen’s heart-shaped dessert were drawing likes all over Instagram. Some were charmed by its winning flavours (think sourdough bread ice cream with kaya custard and salted Hokkaido milk laced with aromatic coffee oil), and others were attracted by a more affordable and accessible reason: to finally experience a taste of Restaurant Zen – at just a fraction of the usual price (its regular menu costs $450). “We put in the same effort and philosophy into our take-out menu,” adds Tristen.
“It’s all about the ingredients”
Similarly, three-Michelin-starred Les Amis has translated its pre-dessert ice cream trolley experience into takeaway styrofoam tubs since the first lockdown. Demand surged, to the point where the restaurant has built a dedicated vitrine as part of its renovation back in July this year to facilitate to-go orders.
Chef Sebastien Lepinoy shares: “Ice cream is a sort of comfort food.” In troubling times, tucking into a cold pint could help provide comfort, which might explain why sales rose to some 500 tubs in a month at one point for the fine-dining French restaurant.
Handcrafting the ice cream allows the chef to control variables and hand-pick what goes into the production process. At Les Amis, every batch is made from scratch, using carefully sourced, seasonal ingredients. Some highlights: vanilla ($55), a personal favourite of the chef, which utilises Grand Cru Tahiti vanilla beans sourced from the idyllic island of Tahaa; Blue Mountain coffee ($32); and Sicilian pistachio ($38). It also allows chef Sebastien to control the oxygen level, keeping it low to afford a richer, more intense flavour. “It’s all about the ingredients,” adds the chef.
Playing with flavours
Owner and chef at Salted and Hung Drew Nocente echoes a similar sentiment. By taking the production of ice cream in-house, it allows the chef to churn and flex his creative juices. “I think the appeal of gourmet ice cream is the interesting flavours offered,” he adds.
This is why the freezers at Salted and Hung might come filled with lesser-seen pints of strawberry yoghurt sorbet, studded with mochi bits ($17); layered with salted toffee base, umami crumbs, liquid caramel, then crowned with a chocolate top in Gold’n Gaytime ($20); or perfumed with Manjimup black truffles ($58).
And just this month, pastry chef Janice Wong announced the opening of an ice cream kiosk, Softhaus at Great World. On the inspiration behind the dessert shop, Janice explains: “Softhaus was created with the aim of providing instant gratification which we felt would be best experienced through a takeaway service.”
On the inclusive menu are some 16 flavours, including eight keto-friendly options and seven plant-based alternatives. Scoops ($6-$7) of single-origin coffee and avocado banana exist alongside classics of chocolate and roasted pistachio – diverse flavours that cater to every taste. “The appeal of gourmet ice cream definitely lies in the quality ingredients used and the availability of intriguing flavours that diners don’t usually get with the standard version,” Janice adds.
Balancing act
Besides an exercise in creativity, there are practical reasons for adding ice cream on the take-out menu, too. Gemma Steakhouse has specifically launched a line-up of gelato on its to-go menu as a sweet counterpoint to its selection of smoke-kissed meats. Group executive chef Daniele Sperindio explains: “It is the perfect ‘yin’ to the ‘yang’ that a nicely charred, umami-rich dry-aged steak brings,” he says.
Each batch ($20) is first churned using Hokkaido milk to lend a creamier texture, before incorporating Italian flavours of savoury truffles, Lorenzini honey melon, hazelnuts from Piedmont, and more. As a nod to Gemma’s roots as a grill house, there is even a special binchotan smoked gelato that captures the alluring aroma that a charcoal grill imparts.
From the extra labour required, to the quality of ingredients that go into each tub, these invariably bump up the price tag of gourmet ice cream – making them cost much more than store-bought varieties. But Daniele, like many other chefs, believes that handcrafting ice cream has its place in people’s bellies. “Gourmet ice cream and gelato takes a lot more care and love,” he says. “They use fresh and real ingredients, which of course translates naturally to a great-tasting product.”
“There is quality in the craftsmanship of gourmet ice cream and gelato that is irreplaceable.”
