Ever since the Birds Eye Arctic Roll ice cream cakes were reported to have been spotted in FairPrice outlets back in March 2022, I have been on the lookout for these elusive desserts for the past five months, prowling through the frozen section of every supermarket I passed hoping to get my hands on a box. Unfortunately, each and every time, the Artic Roll cakes were nowhere to be found.
However, dear readers, today, my efforts finally paid off. As I was wandering around FairPrice in Northpoint City, my attention was caught by a freezer stocked full of pink and green boxes. To my delight, I realised that they were boxes of Arctic Rolls in the Raspberry flavour!
Originally priced at S$7.80 per box, the Arctic Rolls were on discount at just S$6.90. I immediately grabbed a box to purchase.
For the uninitiated, an Arctic Roll is a swiss roll with a block of ice cream wrapped in a soft cake. These desserts are manufactured by the British company Birds Eye, and used to be sold in Singapore’s supermarkets back in the 1980s, before they disappeared from stores, until they made a sudden reappearance in March 2022 at selected FairPrice outlets.
However, soon after it was reported to have returned to Singapore’s supermarkets, the viral cakes made a silent departure once again.
As an ’02 baby, I had never previously tried the famous Arctic Roll, so this was my first time enjoying it. The roll came with a huge block of Raspberry Ripple ice cream and a layer of sponge cake wrapped around it.
The sponge cake element of the roll reminded me of London Choco Roll. It had the same slightly firm and fragile texture, with a layer of skin on its exterior. The ice cream, on the other hand, had a very nostalgic taste that was reminiscent of Raspberry Ripple ice cream sold by traditional ice cream carts in Singapore.
The combination of the cake and the ice cream was lovely, and tasted like a sweeter and softer version of the classic Singaporean ice cream sandwich.
I found the S$7.80 price to be a little steep, especially given that the ice cream itself wasn’t exceptional and tasted like any other regular vanilla ice cream, but it was certainly a lovely treat to enjoy on a hot day. While the Arctic Roll wasn’t a disappointment, it also didn’t blow me away. Despite that, I can’t deny its nostalgic factor.
I asked the staff at Northpoint City’s FairPrice outlet if the Arctic Roll was available at other outlets, but alas, none of them knew either. However, given that so many boxes were in stock at Northpoint City, there may be a good chance of them being sold at other outlets too. Why not head down to your nearest FairPrice to take a look?
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