The real monsters in town

A new korean dessert bad boy has arrived on our sunny shores. Say hello to Gourmet Popcorn Ice Cream extraordinaire, Sweet Monster. Hailing from the land of KPop and Kdramas, the quirky and fiercely adorable mascots of Sweet Monster will freeze you in your tracks – for all the right reasons.

Taking inspiration from traditional American festival staples like popcorn, ice cream and milkshakes; Sweet Monster’s creative concoctions look terrifyingly good and are guaranteed to satisfy even the biggest sweet tooth. We went down ourselves to see if this dessert bar would live up to the hype.

The Sweet Stuff

1. Gourmet Popcorn Ice Cream

Feast your eyes upon the Cheese & Caramel Monster ($6.80) and the Strawberry Monster ($6.80). These are just two of the nine monstrously delicious soft-serve creations available at Sweet Monster.

The one defining characteristic of their soft-serve ice cream, is its rich, milky taste. Whilst 10-20% of your average soft-serve is made of milk, Sweet Monster’s signature popcorn ice cream uses a whopping 75%. We especially liked the crunch of the popcorn and how it added a pop of flavour to dessert.

You can choose to enjoy the soft-serve alone, or complete it with a sprinkle of cookies, wafers, or air-popped gourmet monster popcorn. Choose from milk, chocolate, strawberry, caramel or the raved mix of cheese and caramel. Of all the toppings, we loved the combination of the Cheese & Caramel monster popcorn with the milky soft-serve ice cream.

Rating: 8.5/10

2. Tiramisu Cake Ice Cream

Aptly named ‘Cake Ice Cream’ ($8.00), this sugary treat is plainly one part soft-serve, one part cake. The tiramisu cake was an interesting spin on the traditional Italian dessert, and featured only mascarpone cheese, cream, crushed Ferrero Rochers and lightly dusted with cocoa powder.

We felt that although the consistency and creaminess of the tiramisu fit the bill, it was slightly too sweet for our liking and got a little cloying towards the end.

Rating: 7/10

3. Ferrero Nutella Monster Shake

Yes, this shake ($7.50) is as sinful as it sounds. Spoonfuls of everyone’s favourite breakfast spread, a handful of Ferrero Rocher chocolates, signature soft-serve ice cream and milk go into making this delectable sweet treat. Even though this shake was rich, it was not overwhelmingly so. You won’t have to fear feeling ‘jelak’ midway through.

Rating: 7.5/10

4. BlueMon Lemon Ade

Modelled after the big and burly mascot BlueMon, the Lemon Ade was a refreshing and zingy alternative to the Monster Shake series. Made with real fruits and a splash of blue curaçao, the Lemon Ade was perfect for washing down the serious dose of popcorn ice-cream we just had.

Rating: 8/10

The Verdict

Soft-serve aficionados rejoice! We’ve found ourselves a worthy contender. The savoury element of the cheese popcorn, coupled with the mild yet milky taste of the Gourmet Popcorn Ice Cream really sealed the deal for us.

If you’re on the hunt for a new dessert to sate your sugar cravings – you’ve found it. With another two more outlets on the way, Sweet Monster is well on its way to the wall of soft-serve fame.

Also – here’s a tip to prevent your precious popcorn kernels from falling off while you eat it: Push your spoon from outside to the centre of your soft-serve, before maneuvering a quick twist and pull. This method will ensure that the popcorn stays firmly on your spoon the whole time.

Overall Rating: 8/10

Getting There

Address: Plaza Singapura, 68 Orchard Road, #B2-49 S(238839) / Bugis Junction, 200 VIctoria Street, #M01-K1 S(188021)
Opening Hours: 10 am – 10pm
Contact: 9185 7729

This post was brought to you by Sweet Monster.