Singaporeans are known to be drawn to anything related to Hokkaido. For that matter, I was definitely attracted to Hokkaido IceCream Puff, a newly opened shop in Haji Lane selling Instagram-worthy ice cream puffs.
However, it turned out to be quite misleading…
The store is a franchise chain that originated in Malaysia and not from Japan, which explains the difference in quality of the ice cream and the puffs.
A 10-minute walk from Bugis MRT will get you to the pink store-front of Hokkaido IceCream Puff.
The flavours are pretty simple with choices ranging from mint chocolate chips, cookies & cream, taro, durian and many more — flavours that you can easily find from our local ice cream push carts.
First on our agenda was the Durian Ice-Cream Puff ($3.90). The balance of vanilla and durian was perfect for my palate that does not usually favour anything durian.
It went well with the crispy puff that was baked to perfect crispness with a hint of buttery flavour on the outer layer. For those who prefer a stronger durian punch to your treat, the D24 durian flavour is also available.
The Taro Ice-Cream Puff ($3.90) came next. I love taro and had my hopes quite high, however, the generous scoop of ice cream was nothing special with an ordinary creamy taro taste to it.
Though eye-catching with its vibrant purple colour contrasted to the puff, I would say that it was rather typical.
The Mint Chocolate Chip and Cookies & Cream Ice Cream Puff were underwhelming. The ice creams were definitely not of “Hokkaido standard”, lacking the soft creaminess to it.
However, I would say that the puffs were still a saving grace. Baked every hour to ensure its crisp freshness, it complemented the ice cream rather well and would be the only reason why I would make a trip down again.
Other than its peak hours where service will be on the slow side, do head down to get an Instagram-worthy shot of these ice cream puffs and tell us what you think!
Expected Damage: $3.90 per puff
