Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
As an avid ice cream lover, I’ve always kept a keen eye on ice cream places, and Dopa Dopa Creamery was the parlour that recently caught my attention.
Just a few minutes away from the bustling Clarke Quay MRT station, this quaint ice cream shop serves up eight different flavours of artisan ice cream.
The name “Dopa Dopa” was derived from the happiness-inducing neurotransmitter dopamine, with the hopes that the gelato here would bring joy and happiness to their customers. With this, we were filled with expectations and high hopes that this ice cream would make our day.
Usually, most ice cream parlours would welcome you with a display of pretty colours and flavours that would entice upon entering. However, for Dopa Dopa Creamery, the typical ice cream freezer was nowhere to be found.
Instead, the gelato was hidden away from plain sight – and we were greeted with eight unassuming metal lids (what I would come to understand were pozzettis).
Keeping gelato in pozzettis was the traditional Italian way of storing them, to ensure optimal freshness. This was an interesting change and it gave the lathering process an element of surprise.
Watching the Leonard, the owner of Dopa Dopa Creamy, lather the stretchy gelato onto our cones and croissants was a feast to our eyes. Get your phones ready because it’s an Insta-worthy moment to capture!
To start us off, we got the Watermelon and Mint Sorbet (S$4) in a cup. The watermelon sorbet was one of the more unusual fruity flavours, with Dopa Dopa Creamery focusing on heavier and creamier ones.
I had my doubts before trying it as most of the watermelon ice cream I’ve tried were usually artificial and overly sweet. To our surprise, you could taste the natural sweetness from the melon as it is made with watermelon puree.
The mint gave it an extra refreshing touch, making this sorbet great for a hot summer afternoon. We also noticed that the sorbet did not melt as quickly as the other flavours, so if you’re gonna be chatting for awhile, this is the one to try.
Moving on to their nuttier flavours, the Home Roasted Pistachio (S$4.60) is a crowd favourite. One would expect a pistachio ice cream to be a bright green, but the pistachio ice cream was of a hazel brown instead as the pistachios were roasted, thus getting rid of the usual distinct green hues.
The good thing about this is that it isn’t as sweet as other pistachio ice cream that I’ve tasted. It tasted so unique and authentic that I was lost for words!
For those who are fans of nut flavours but want something sweeter, do try their Hazelnut (S$4.60), which tasted like Ferrero Rocher.
For their tea-inspired flavours, we had a scoop of their Green Tea Toasted Rice (S$4.60). When I first heard of a green tea ice cream, I assumed that there would be a strong tinge of matcha. Instead, the toasted rice stood out more in this combination. The taste of the green tea was mild and subtle, a change that I appreciated from usual matcha fanfare.
While the gelato in a cone makes for an Insta-worthy picture, the waffle cones were nothing out of the ordinary. If I were you, I would go for a cup and get a double scoop to save the calories, or try sandwiching their gelato between some flaky, buttery croissants (+S$5.50).
The sinful croissant and gelato combination would be more suitable for sharing, but if you’re feeling indulgent, why not order one for yourself!
To go along with the croissant, we chose the Speculoos with Lotus Biscuits (S$4.60). This flavour was pretty close to heart, as the sweet lotus biscuits was a childhood favourite of mine.
The sweet burnt caramel taste had overwhelmed the gelato, bits of speculoos were also embedded within the gelato and gave it a bit of a crunch from the different texture. I wished that it could have been less sweet, but I guess this would be the flavour for all the sweet tooth out there.
To balance out the sweetness, opt for getting a Flat White (S$5/S$6) – the bitterness of the coffee does complement well with the sweetness of this Speculoos ice cream.
Do note though, that nothing is permanent and the flavours do alternate, with new additions monthly. Psst, perhaps you could look forward to some avocado gelato in the near future? I got to try a scoop of this experiment in process, and I would love to go back to try the final result.
Dopa Dopa Creamery definitely left me a sugar high by the end of my tasting and was definitely worth the calories. While they may not have the most exotic flavours out there, they are a stand out in terms of quality. It’s definitely the place I would drop by the next time I have an ice cream craving.
Expected Damage: S$4 – S$10 per pax
