Wild Blooms' co-owner Jasmin Tan is no stranger to the demands of the F&B industry, having grown up in a family of chefs and been a part of the industry for 13 years. While she previously helped build up brands like Symmetry, Xiao Ya Tou and Level Up, her current efforts are focused on Wild Blooms – a floral-themed fusion café tucked away in the sleepy neighbourhood of Hougang.
The entire project, from the joint's impressive flower wall and picturesque tinted windows to its food and drink items, is the brainchild of Tan herself, who had to put in countless sleepless nights to decorate the café and perfect the taste of its many dishes. It seems the hard work has paid off, because the café enjoys a steady stream of regulars who readily rave about its value-for-money fare when asked.
The biggest hit at Wild Blooms is undoubtedly its ultra-Instagrammable flower tea jelly cake ($12.90), developed in collaboration with The Utopian Botanist (T.U.B). The jelly cakes take two days to make, and Tan starts by cold brewing the tea used to form most of the jelly, before hand-piping its floral blooms when the jelly solidifies. Due to its labour-intensive nature, only 15 jelly cakes are available each week.
Other equally tasty and aesthetically-pleasing desserts include the flower in a pot ($9.90) – a moist, light sponge cake layered with white chocolate ganache; the rose apple pie ($5.90), a freshly-baked puff filled with apple slices slathered in apricot jam; and the ice-cream waffles ($10.90), which are soft and crunchy in equal measure. Our recommended ice-cream picks are the Chrysanthemum tea and Earl Grey lavender. All ice-cream flavours are made in-house.
Must-try small bites and mains include the charcoal wings (half dozen for $10.90), a moreish dish of deep-fried chicken wings glazed in a sweet and spicy squid ink sauce; and the truffle mushroom pasta ($13.90) – a creamy pasta dish generously doused in top-shelf truffle oil.
While Wild Blooms has an extensive tea menu that allows you to create your own blend (from $5.50 a pot), coffee lovers don't miss out either. The café's lavender white cold brew ($6.50) is a rich and addictive concoction, made by Tan with a coffee blend sourced from local roastery Tad coffee.
The café's location is nothing to crow about, but with food and drink this good, it's definitely worth a trip down.