Delicious dessert can turn a bad day around. Thankfully, there are no lack of ice cream shops in Singapore. The latest entrant is Van Leeuwen, a Brooklyn brand that’s garnered cult status for its decadent French ice cream.
Since its humble beginnings as an ice cream truck on the streets of New York City in 2008, the brand has opened 50 scoop shops across America. Co-founder Ben Van Leeuwen was on his way out of an interview at a financial services company when a chance encounter with a Mister Softee ice cream truck sparked an idea.
He said, “I wanted to create the world’s best ice cream using only the purest, highest quality ingredients, effectively reimagining the ice cream truck experience for the modern consumer.”
Featuring curved ceilings and playful quotes like “A life without any good is bad”, its 32-seater outpost at Singapore’s Orchard Central marks the brand’s first overseas venture.
At my time of visit, 15 flavours were available including crowd-favourites like praline buttercake and honeycomb. The ice cream embodies the classic American-style dessert with its rich cream and chunky mix-ins. Double the amount of egg yolk is used for most of its creations, making it proper French ice cream.
Meanwhile, vegan flavours are crafted with natural whole ingredients sourced from the small producers in the world.
For instance, the graham crumble in marionberry cheesecake is made in-house and the berry jam is sourced from the environmentally friendly Stahlbush Farms in the Pacific Northwest. Sicilian pistachio is made with a special variety of pistachio only grown in the rugged Bronte region, on the slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily.
This dedication to quality ingredients shows. The marrionberry cheesecake tasted like an entire sundae in a scoop thanks to its crunchy graham crumble, slightly tangy berries, and silky-smooth mouthfeel of cream cheese.
Equally moreish is the vegan churros & fudge ice cream, which could easily pass off as its regular counterpart. With dark brown sugar, pieces of churro, and chocolate fudge swirled into a cinnamon ice cream base, this flavour was a party in my mouth.
My only caveat? Each flavour was so rich and indulgent that I felt a tad full after enjoying a single scoop on their house made waffle cone. Those who fancy variety can opt for toppings like hot fudge, salted caramel, whipped cream, cookies and cream crumble, and more at $1 each. The scoops come in classic ($6.50) and vegan ($7.50) flavours; both of which can be crafted into sundaes and milkshakes.
Those who prefer tucking into ice cream in the comfort of their home can purchase pints, including pint-exclusive flavours like Malted Cookie Dough Shake and Buttermilk Berry Cornbread.
While savouring my scoops, I spotted a rainbow-clad entrance at the back of the space. Rumour has it that another familiar local F&B concept will be launching soon —check back for more updates.
Orchard Central, 181 Orchard Road #01-19/20, Singapore 238896
