You may be familiar with Vincent Lim through the TikTok videos that his daughter @annalimsm posts—that recognisable “Siao ah!” that has gained him a load of fans and then some when she pranks him on camera. Now, you might just get to meet him in person at his latest venture: Crazy Scoops, a new gelato cafe in MacPherson!
Crazy Scoops opened on 12 December, and according to Anna’s TikTok video, it’s always been Vincent’s dream to run an ice cream cafe post-retirement. As for the name of the cafe, it was inspired by the catchphrase which made him famous on her account.
On to the offerings—they’ve got a selection of 16 flavours that are made fresh at their factory. A single scoop of gelato is priced at $4.50, with an additional $1 a scoop for premium flavours.
Go for a double scoop, and that’ll set you back $8.
They’ve got run-of-the-mill flavours such as Dark Chocolate and Simply Hazelnut, but those looking for something out of the ordinary can go for Coriander, which isn’t as gross as it sounds. It’s delicately herbaceous and vegetal-tasting, complemented with a vanilla base.
For an easy favourite, check out Thai Iced Tea, which has the requisite punchy kick of cha yen, and comes in the unmistakable reddish-brown hue.
You can have your ice cream in a cup or a cone ($1), but we opted for a single scoop of Seasalt Matcha with our Croffle ($5.50).
Pressed fresh to order in a waffle maker, the croffle sported a beautifully caramelised exterior.
It’s not the flakiest inside, but the croffle does have the requisite layers of laminated pastry that you’d expect.
Back to the Matcha Seasalt, which is a premium flavour. The first taste that assaults you is the strong bitterness of green tea—which I enjoyed, but things got a bit confusing after, when the savoury sea salt kicked in. They’ve been quite heavy-handed with this, resulting in an overall impression of briny seaweed in the mouth.
Following that, we also ordered Crazy Scoops’ Waffle ($7): made to order with a house-made buttermilk batter.
I was glad to find the insides of this waffle nicely fluffy, with an evenly brown and lightly crisp exterior.
This, we chose to have with Black Sesame, which was our overall favourite for its nutty, earthy flavour and creaminess.
A flavour that was popularised by Birds of Paradise, I couldn’t pass over White Chrysanthemum with Cacao Nibs when I saw it on the display here too.
The iteration at Crazy Scoops, like their other flavours that we tried, was much punchier with the chrysanthemum, unlike the more delicately floral version at BoP.
Both the waffle and croffle come with a small jug of syrup that you can drizzle over your gelato.
Besides sweets, they serve savoury finger food too, such as Truffle Fries ($11) and Spicy Drumlets ($11). Pair them with drinks including Affogato ($7), which you can have with your choice of gelato. Fair warning that their espresso is brewed with an 80% dark roast, so it’s rather intense in flavour.
Otherwise, go for Butterflypea Yuzu Honey ($6.50), a ‘gram-worthy sparkling cooler that’s lightly sweet and refreshing.
Walk into the cafe, and you’ll find a custom neon light signage in yellow on the wall that screams “SIAO AH!” in shouty caps. If you’re looking to meet Vincent, he’s said to frequent the cafe in the evenings, or occasionally in the afternoons too. The cafe is a five-minute walk from Mattar MRT Station, or 11 minutes from MacPherson MRT Station. Done up in clean white, Crazy Scoops is minimalistic in decor, and seats about 30 diners at a time.
We were pleasantly surprised by the gelato we tried at Crazy Scoops, for as much as it popped on our radar thanks to a TikTok-viral personality. The location might be rather out of the way, but for a neighbourhood hangout, plus the fact that they open till 1am every night of the week, this ice cream cafe is a worthy spot to add to your list of late-night dessert joints. I liked how the prices were kept pretty friendly, and the gelato flavours packed the necessary punch. The ones we tried also didn’t taste artificial and had just the right amount of sweetness, so it’s definitely somewhere I’d return to if I’m in the area.
For a comprehensive list of where to get your cravings sorted, we’ve got a guide to ice cream and waffles cafes in Singapore. We also checked out OnlyCreamery, the ice cream cafe run by OnlyFans celebrity Titus Low!
Address 77 Circuit Road, #01-460, Singapore 370077
Opening hours: Daily 11am to 1am
Website
Crazy Scoops is not a halal-certified eatery
Photos taken by Daryl Lim.
This was an independent visit by Eatbook.sg
Summary
Pros
– Affordable prices
– Fluffy and crisp waffle
– Gelato had good flavours
Cons
– Matcha Seasalt was too salty
– Location isn’t the most central
Recommended dishes: White Chrysanthemum with Cacao Nibs ($5.50), Croffle ($5.50), Waffle ($7), Black Sesame ($4.50)
Opening hours: Daily 11am to 1am
Address: 77 Circuit Road, #01-460, Singapore 370077
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