108 Matcha Saro (ION Orchard)

Hadn’t really visited 108 Matcha Saro for quite a while — still recalled that there was a period of time which we were quite into their parfaits and Obanyaki when they had first opened their doors in the basement of Suntec City Mall. The concept had since expanded its operations — its no longer news that they now do operate another outlet that is situated in the basement of ION Orchard; that being said, what drew us to make a return to 108 Matcha Saro was their Mont Blanc Parfait which they had announced and on their social media pages fairly recently. It does seem to be quite a while since we have heard of a new creation that is being served up at 108 Matcha Saro, and the fact that it is a Mont Blanc-inspired item was all the more why we wanted to make the visit to 108 Matcha Saro to check it out.

Based on the marketing collaterals that 108 Matcha Saro had released about the Mont Blanc Parfait comes with elements such as Matcha Chestnut that is drizzled atop Matcha Soft Serve, which in turn sits atop Brown Sugar Jelly cubes. An item with quite a simple composition, one would usually start by digging into the Matcha Chestnut layer — this is pretty much a chestnut paste layer that one would usually expect out of a typical Mont Blanc; the only difference would be how the chestnut paste here comes infused with matcha for that green hue. Taste-wise, the Matcha Chestnut comes a little bit on the sweet side, though does come with a hint of earthiness typical or the chestnut paste. As one goes further into the Mont Blanc Parfait, the bitter undertones of matcha is especially prominent from the Matcha Soft Serve itself without any distracting notes from other additives — something which we loved and remained consistently so even after all these while; the texture still being smooth and creamy as ever as well. The addition of the Brown Sugar Jelly provided a variance of textures; soft, wobbly chunks of jelly that are easy to chew through that comes with a very slight earthiness and sweetness from the molasses to round everything off nicely. Needless to say, a dessert that is well worth the $9.90 price tag that it demands for.

Yummy yummy they taste good like good quality mochi. Soft wobbly and oh so light to eat. Why can't such quality Warabi be commonly available throughout the island. The green tea is pronounced and strong enough for green tea lovers. It won't win over those who dislike green tea because its very pronounce. The kinako flavour (original) is soft and sweet and will please most palates. I am however not impressed with the black sesame it's just average so I suggest get the x2 flavour instead of the x3 assorted. Prices at $14.90 and $15.90 respectively.

It's good. But I don't really taste such a huge difference between this and the ordinary Mr Bean pancakes. The batter has a slight bitter green tea flavour and pancake in general is less sweet. If I have a choice I would choose this stall becase of the health reason but tastewise I am afraid its nothing new.

108 Matcha Saro have been my go-to Japanese sweet treat brand from the moment they launched in Singapore. My favourite product will definitely be their Shiro Mochi Obanyaki in flavour Matcha Chocolate! Firm and slightly crisp on the outside and soft inside, the chewy, non-sticky texture is generously filled with Matcha custard and French Premium Dark Chocolate from Valrhona which is a perfect balance of smooth chocolate and roasted dried fruit notes with a slightly oaky finish, I would highly recommend this for chocolate lovers!

I really love matcha and this is honestly the most disappointing matcha latte I’ve ever had. The matcha flavour is so faint you can only taste the milk. Asked if they could add more matcha flavour since I could barely taste it, they said they can’t because it’s fixed measurement (so I guess the matcha itself is just very underwhelming?). Price range wise, it’s affordable. But I will never get it again.

𝕄𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙𝕒 𝕆𝕓𝕒𝕟𝕪𝕒𝕟𝕜𝕚 🍵🍩🇯🇵
📝 Matcha powder, Red bean paste, warabimochi, chocolate, custard, soybean powder
~$2.90-$5.50~

TL;DR— Love the obanyaki with warabimochi inside 🤤😍 However, if you want something richer/more matcha heavy, get the matcha custard! You know what, just get both HAHAHA!! Skip the chocolate. Get Mr Bean pancakes instead if you don’t want matcha related ones. The warabimochi in the cup was a little “jelat“ for me after a few pieces 😶

ℝ𝕖𝕕 𝔹𝕖𝕒𝕟 + 𝕄𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙𝕒 𝕎𝕒𝕣𝕒𝕓𝕚𝕞𝕠𝕔𝕙𝕚 🏮🍵
~$2.90~
I LOVE this. Will get this every time I pass by @108matchasanrosg !! The anko paste inside is daintily sweet and pairs well with the matcha warabimochi that was delightfully bouncy and chewy. One qualm would be that I wished the edges were crispier to provide a more distinct textural contrast.
ⓇⒶⓉⒾⓃⒼ: 𝟾/𝟷𝟶

𝕄𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙𝕒 ℂ𝕦𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕕 🍵🍮
~$2.90~
My greedy ass will get this along with the red bean+warabimochi cuz this was a delight to have as well!! The custard hit the sweet spot (double entendre intended heheh) and had the right consistency. Not too goopy or runny!! Had a really nice mouthfeel to it as well, with creamy matcha goodness spreading all across my palate 😩🤤
ⓇⒶⓉⒾⓃⒼ: 𝟾/𝟷𝟶

𝔻𝕠𝕦𝕓𝕝𝕖 ℂ𝕙𝕠𝕔𝕠𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕖 🍫🍮
~$3.50~
Bad idea. Skip this lol. Could taste that they used couverture chocolate (I think it’s 55% dark) but the texture of the chocolate custard was sooo weird and was strangely goopy unlike the matcha one 😖😖 Just get Mr Bean’s pancakes if you planning to get flavours other than matcha from this store!! Mr Bean makes 😍😍😍 pancakes. Bouncy, supple, soft, chewy and had a nice ratio of filling to batter!!
ⓇⒶⓉⒾⓃⒼ: 𝟺.𝟹/𝟷𝟶

𝕄𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙𝕒 𝕎𝕒𝕣𝕒𝕓𝕚𝕞𝕠𝕔𝕙𝕚 🍵🍡
~$5.50~
Uhhhh, have mixed feelings about this one... The outside powder dusting is not really nice as I feel like the kinako (soybean flour) and matcha powder flavour profiles don’t really complement each other, resulting in a weird taste. Tastes like the dried brown withered leaves you pick up as a child to smell LOL OK I WAS A CURIOUS CHILD I CAN FEEL THE JUDGEMENT 😭😂 However, the texture of the warabimochi mochi itself is 😍😍. Silky, bouncy and chewy all at the same time. Sufficiently sweet as well. But I had trouble having all 8 by myself. I feel like it’s way better on a parfait instead. So most probs I won’t purchase it again 😅😅
ⓇⒶⓉⒾⓃⒼ: 𝟻.𝟻/𝟷𝟶

Follow me on insta @iexercisetoeatt for more reviews!!