As Singapore reaches its peak of cafes sprouting innovative and ridiculously “Insta-worthy” creations, Stateland Cafe comes along and just throws everyone out of the ballpark.
Hidden in a little crevice in Bugis called Bali Lane, Stateland Cafe is a two-storey joint with soothing vibes that put you at ease as soon as you plonk your butt down on their oddly comfortable wooden benches.
On top of their game-changing mochi donuts, the rest of the menu, if not as colourful or innovative, are even more controversial. With items like Kimchi Carbonara, Hainanese Risotto, Wasabi Calamari, and just plain insane waffle flavours, I think Stateland puts most of the other cafes in Singapore to shame.
Riding the wave of the salted egg yolk hype currently looming over Singapore, Stateland Cafe came up with the Liusha Burst ($15) – deep fried mochi balls packed with salted egg yolk filling, and served with cookie butter soft serve.
Okay, so maybe cut one open, watch that enticing liu sha flow and snap a photo for your Instagram post, but trust me, these balls are best consumed as a whole. Pop one in your mouth, and once you bite down on it, all that glorious golden goodness will literally EXPLODE, filling you with sensations like no other.
Their salted egg yolk isn’t as sweet as I’d hoped, but it’s still awesome because its mellow sweetness actually allows me to savour the “salted” component of the salted egg yolk custard.
Their deep-fried mochi ball of extreme chewiness and viscous elasticity has a thin layer of crispy skin on the outside. When you have it with the cookie butter soft serve, the mingling of sweet, salty flavours, contrasting temperatures, and the chewiness of the mochi will send wave after wave of endorphins straight to your noggins.
Plus, they’ve got crispy cereal flakes that add extra texture and wheat flavours to this already heavenly dessert.
Raspberry Burst ($15) – deep fried mochi balls jammed with raspberry filling, served with watermelon soft serve, macarons and almond crunch.
The watermelon soft serve is made from a blend of watermelon and strawberries; refreshingly perfect for our ridiculously hot Singapore weather.
The macarons, surprisingly, were also watermelon flavoured and mingled well with the soft serve. Just make sure not to leave them there for too long or they’ll get soggy and lose their original crunch.
When I popped a raspberry mochi donut in my mouth, I expected a sour burst, but the raspberry filling wasn’t sour at all and was actually just berry sweet (haha get it?). All jokes aside, it was a rich and sweet delight that slightly reminded me of bandung with its soft hints of rose flavours.
The mochi’s consistency is the same as the liu sha one, as chewy, as thick, and as amazingly delicious. This sweet treat went really well with the almond crunch that has a faint salty tinge to it, very much similar to the peanut-sugar powder used for mua chee.
Being a thrifty spender myself, I can recognise how the prices of these desserts might be quite lofty, and one probably wouldn’t keep returning to have these for fear of a huge lobang in one’s wallet.
However, trust me, try these liu sha babies at Stateland Cafe out at least once, because you definitely don’t want to miss out on this glorious experience.
Expected damage: $15 – $20 per pax
