Majestic Restaurant 31-37 Bukit Pasoh Road
Open: 11.45am to 2.30pm and 6.30 to 10.30pm, daily
Cost: $6
Rating: ****
You might raise your eyebrows at the scoop of ivory-white vanilla ice cream, which peeks out from the mango puree that appears to be one shade too orange. But once you embrace the dessert with an open mind, you'll agree that this version, served in this nouveau Chinese restaurant, is sexier than other offerings out there. Mango cubes are absent but you won't miss them because the luscious puree is an unadulterated smooth mango pulp. The ice cream, speckled with black vanilla seeds, is equally delectable and surprisingly modest in sweetness. Holding the dessert together are the juicy pomelo sacs, which are of just the right sourness.
Tong Shui Desserts 101 Upper Cross Street, 02-49, People?s Park Centre
Open: noon to 8pm daily
Cost: $3.50
Rating: *** 1/2
Opened by enterprising 22-year-old undergraduate Sieng Wei Ming in February,
the store does not stint on the amount of bite-size mango chunks, which are
firm yet juicy, with the right amount of tartness. The smooth and creamy mango
puree shines too. It could, however, have done with a bit more pomelo for an
added sour kick. Shaved ice lends this dessert a lovely crunch and even when it
melts, the mango puree is sufficiently intense to retain its flavour.
Imperial Treasure (Teochew Cuisine) 391 Orchard Road, Ngee Ann City, 04-20A/21
Open: 11.30am to 2.30pm (Mondays to Fridays), 11am to 2.45pm (Saturdays), 10.30am to 2.45pm (Sundays), 6.30 to 10.30pm daily
Cost: $5
Rating: ***
The mango bits here are the size of corn kernels but thankfully, they are plentiful. The puree has a light fruity freshness, although it's a little on the sweet side. But the pomelo sacs are sufficiently juicy and sour to balance out the flavour.
So Nice 46 Upper Cross Street, 01-02
Open: 11am to 10pm daily
8 Liang Seah Street, 01-03
Open: 11am to 11pm daily
Cost: $3
Rating: ***
This three-year-old store is a side business run by Mr Ivan Peh, 30, who owns factories in the chemical industry in China and Indonesia.
He adds pink grapefruit to the dessert and the rosy streaks break the monotony of the yellow puree. While visually arresting, the grapefruit sacs are small and unremarkable in taste and so have hardly any impact on the flavour. The mango cubes are a little on the tart side, though not unpleasantly so.
The puree here is also worth a mention because of its delicate sweetness and smoothness.
Summer Palace 1 Cuscaden Road, The Regent Singapore
Open: noon to 2.30pm (Mondays to Saturdays), 11.30am to 2.30pm (Sundays) and 6.30 to 10.30pm daily
Cost: $6.50
Rating: ** 1/2
If you like mango ice cream, you would probably take to this version of the dessert. The puree veered on the creamy side, threatening to overwhelm the taste and aroma of the mango. The mango cubes were small and the pomelo sacs were too few, although the few that you sink your teeth into are flavourful.
Hua Ting 42 Orchard Road, Orchard Hotel
Open: 11.30am to 2.30pm and 6.30 to 10.30pm, daily
Cost: $6
Rating: ****
Chef Chan Kwok, 51, put the dessert on the menu in 1997 when he joined the restaurant. The dessert comes with a billowing train of dry-ice smoke. Thankfully, all the bells and whistles aren't meant to distract and mask any flaws because quite honestly, the dessert is well-rounded. The pomelo sacs at the top are more than just poetic garnish. They add nuance and complexity to it. The sacs are juicy, sour and carry the slightest hint of bitterness. The puree was gently aromatic, and the mango delicate in its sweetness. If one had to quibble, it would be to ask for more of the yummy mango cubes.
Mei Heong Yuen Dessert 65-67 Temple Street
Open: 10.30am to 8pm (Sundays to Fridays), 10.30am to 10pm (Saturdays)
Hougang Mall, 02-18
Open: 11am to 10pm daily
Junction 8, B1-K12
Open: 11am to 10pm daily
Cost: $3.50
Rating: *** 1/2
Big plump sacs of pomelo sit on top of luscious-looking mango chunks and shaved ice, saving one the trouble of fishing around the bowl for the translucent strands but the pomelo tastes a tad bland. The nectarine quality of the mango flesh is refreshing but it does not steal the thunder from the creamy mango puree, which has a compelling richness that makes you want to lick the bowl.
Lei Garden 30 Victoria Street, 01-24, Chijmes
Open: 11.30am to 2.30pm (Mondays to Saturdays), 11am to 2.30pm (Sundays), 6 to 9.30pm daily
Orchard Shopping Centre, 03-00
Open: 11.30am to 3pm and 6 to 11pm, daily
Cost: $5
Rating: *** 1/2
It's hard to find fault with the lightly fragrant mango puree, the gently sweet mango bits and the delightful contrast offered by the sourish pomelo sacs and the grapefruit clusters, which carry a hint of bitterness. But the lack of any obvious flavour statements by any of the component ingredients makes this a very restrained dessert.
Tong Shui Cafe 54 Zion Road
Open: 6pm to 6am
Other outlets at Liang Seah Street, Upper Thomson Road and Changi Airport Terminal 2
Cost: $5.88
Rating: **
This version should be renamed mango ice-kacang. More than two-thirds of the dessert is shaved ice and the mango cubes are old and fibrous. The pomelo lacks taste, as do the tri-coloured crunchy tapioca balls. What shocks is that there is no mango puree, only a cloyingly sweet lime-flavoured syrup with strands of yellow mango fibres.
Tung Lok Signatures 6 Eu Tong Sen Street, The Central, 02-89
Open: 11.30am to 2.30pm and 6.15 to 10.15pm
Cost: $5
Rating: ***
The mango bits here are a little on the mushy side. That said, the puree, which is more fluid, doesn't lack flavour or freshness and the pomelo and grapefruit sacs lend the necessary flavour contrast.
