It took me a while before I decided to dine in at restaurants again because I’m a little more than paranoid. When I chanced upon this Glasshouse cafe recommended by Mothership and Daniel Food Diary, I was really excited to try it out, especially a bonus when it’s so near my house.
Around Cafe is literally situated outside around The Alps Residence Condominium, and you don’t need to access the main condo to reach the cafe. For those who are driving, park at the HDB multistorey carpark of BLK 837 (across the road) as the security wouldn’t allow you to park in the condo itself.
Tip: Bring an umbrella because the waiting area is non-sheltered, and there might be a long queue!
We went there at 1pm as I remember seeing on their IG that they are only opening at 1pm that day. There were only 1 group of people in front us but the wait was really long. The queue was barely moving for 45 minutes (probably because the first batch of people were seated in when we arrived). There were no seats or shelter so the 1 hour wait under sun (+ short rain) was slightly unbearable.
I understand that good things are worth the wait. The saddest thing is that – Waffles were completely sold out when we were next in line. There were only 2 pax in front of us the entire time, you mean the staff didn’t know that they are running out of waffles batter when everyone inside the cafe were already halfway eating?
If we were informed earlier, we wouldn’t have continued to queue because we specially came here for the waffles. But escalation of commitment.. and we already waited that long, so we just ordered 2 scoops of ice-cream and a cookie before cafe-hopping to another place.
It’s not even the first day of opening and we’re really surprised that they cannot even estimate the amount of batter to prepare. I suggest you arrive at their opening hours on the dot or try your luck at other timings if they do happen to make new batches of waffles, or perhaps just wait till the hype is over.
Anyway.. Back to the ice-cream..
We ordered Pistachio and Hazelnut Rocher ($5.20/ scoop, premium flavour). The flavours were pretty intense and rich. I could tell from just a small bite that the Hazelnut Rocher resembles Ferrero Rocher, and I appreciate that they added some crumbs for added texture.
Nutty flavoured ice-creams are always my top favourites because of its fragrance without being overly indulgent and sweet. While Hazelnut Rocher was really delicious, it got slightly gelat towards the end. On the other hand, Pistachio might be a better nut flavour if you have a lighter palate, and the crushed Pistachios provided a more natural taste to the overall flavour profile.
The overall texture was quite smooth and milky but C commented that he have tried better ones, and yes I do agree that it’s not worth an hour of wait.
I think it’s better than average and wouldn’t mind dropping by to try their waffles in the future when the crowd dies down since I live nearby.
We ordered the Yuzu Cheesecake Cookie ($5.9), and the price was pretty steep for the size. Yuzu, I’m not a fan of it, but I love how the savoury cheese balances the tartness of the Yuzu flavours. I found the Yuzu aftertaste quite acceptable, but then again, this means that it might be quite subtle for Yuzu lovers. The overall texture is also more cakey which didn’t really felt like cookies.
Around Cafe Menu:
Around Cafe
Location: 117 Tampines Street 86, The Alps Residences, Singapore 528538
Contact: +65 94891849
Opening hours: 12pm- 2am
Read District Sixtyfive’s review here.
