Honey Creme: Singapore Dessert Review

“Seemingly overhyped, but still one to watch”

honey creme singapore franchise

Honey creme was the first to start the wave for soft serve with their first outlet in Somerset, with their new outlet at JEM being launched recently in mid 2015 too.  The shop space is all out teak, pretty on the eyes but a tad bit too commercialized for my liking. Cafes tend to adopt the same hipster blend after a while so the ambience feels distant.

singapore honey creme somerset

interior honeycreme 2

Lighting inside is rather yellow so photography was a tad bit difficult. The Somerset outlet is rather cramped and can have probably about 10 people – it can go up to 18 but that will be probably a wee bit too close for comfort.  However, most people who come Honey Creme often just buy and eat on the go so i guess it would not be an issue for most people.

I would recommend enjoying some of the soft serves in the store though. First, so it does not melt as fast. Second, because I think it really helps having some water to the side when the ice cream gets too bland. Their milk/pandan flavour soft serve tends to taste rather bland after a while so a sip of water between bites can do you good.

I was really surprised to know that the Honey Creme franchise serves more than just the typical milk soft serve ice cream to include Alisan tea, Cereal and Pandan flavours as well. All produced under intensive R&D by the franchise owner of the Honey Creme Singapore, Sherry. The pandan flavor is a SG50 exclusive and only available till end September.

Given that it is after all a Taiwan franchise, their soft serve tends to be thicker with a more pronounced milky taste. I quite like the pandan soft serve which left just a tinge of green with a kiss of pandan that doesn’t make the cream too taxing. It comes served with a rain of coconut chips, rice shavings and Gula Melaka sauce in the pipette.

honey creme pandan and cereal flavour singapore

The Pandan Gula Melaka ($6) on the left was inviting on first bite, quite a tease given that it is so subtle. Yet, going further, the milkier taste tends to mask the pandan. The toss of coconut chips is refreshing given the choice of toppings, Gula Melaka provided that necessary oomph (a predicament as adding more would make it too sweet) but it is the way the soft serve was made such that you will probably not enjoy it till the last bite.

Maybe better if you have a few cups of water in between, the Pandan soft serve base is a clever R&D approach but the marriage of milk and pandan could be further improved.

The cereal soft serve ($5.90) did much better. As a soft serve sundae it was presented very simply, just the same cereal soft serve base dressed again in a sea of cornflakes parfait style. The soft serve manages to capture that residual mix taste you get when you toss up honey stars and cereal, very sweet with a slight creamy taste.

Of course when left in a the open the cereal tastes stale, but because it is served cold in a soft serve it captures that same cereal/honey-oat taste without the staleness. A brilliant job by Sherry really.

honey creme alisan soft serve singapore

I am a big fan of bubble tea (the writer descript needs no reiteration) and was really excited to hear about the Tea based soft serves. We tried the Gahdai ($6.20) – The cup is enveloped with a cloud of cotton candy, with their Alisan soft serve in the middle, accompanied with Alisan tea jelly and honey marbled pearls beneath tucked in with a roasted marshmallow.

I would have done fine with just a regular marshmallow but the prior roasting made it even harder in texture when in contact with the cold ice cream. Pretty on the eyes but lacking in form.  I love the concept of cutting the cotton candy into the alisan for an ecstacy of sugar. The best of all was the alisan soft serve which managed to capture that fragrant red tea taste. Just a hint and not too bitter that it distracts you from the creamy texture.

Pearls were not as fresh and too solid for my liking. A huge disappointment although the alisan soft serve base itself though is a massive success. I would have probably ordered it on its own to enjoy. A serving of just the alisan soft serve costs $5.20, it is quite a substantial amount and something I would prefer. Back to the basics.

This is a definite must try at Honey Creme and something that diversifies them from their other soft serve competitors. Watch and learn friends.

honey creme coffee affogato singapore

The Honey Creme Organic Cotton Candy Affogato ($6.20)  is also a recurring favorite. They go all out for the Instagram fanatics, tearing half the cotton candy serving and melting it with the soft serve before placing the other half on the soft serve again for picture’s sake.

Most affogatos tend to have more espresso and it can get too bitter – this is a much much sweeter alternative. The resulting mix of milk soft serve and espresso becomes like a very milky latte latte. It leaves you with a lot of the milk soft serve, which tends to taste too boring after each bite. Unless you are really a fan of just the milk base, I suggest you to stick with the alternatives.

honey creme singaore organic grains

The Honeycreme organic mixed grains ($5.90) is a mix of caramel sauce and a grind of six different oats that proves quite an impressive list – millet, black sweet rice, buckwheat, oats, brown rice, and black sesame.

The different textures and flavors do come through, especially the brown rice with just a hint of the sesame. The oat dust is absolutely delicious but i felt it would be finished too quickly. And hence you would be left with a lot of the milk soft serve which can be a tad too bland on its own.

I love the direction Honey Creme is undertaking, exploring further to different types of soft serve base and successfully capturing the flavors. I have paid a visit prior to their opening in late January and can tell the soft serve base itself has improved significantly.

Their caramel popcorn/affogato has been making waves on instagram but unless you are really a fan of just the milk soft serve – because that is what you will mostly be left with after quickly finishing the toppings, perhaps these are not the best options for you.

They have a whole new stellar range worth checking out, especially the Alisan tea series (comes served as a Teh C or Gahdai ) or the cereal milk. Seemingly overhyped, the place is one to watch. I am really excited to see what other new soft serve bases Sherry has in store.  

Expected damage: $5.50 – $6.20 per ice cream

Honey Creme (Somerset): 313 Orchard Road, 313@Somerset #01-37 Singapore 238895 | Tel: +6884 8468 Website

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