Tie Guan Yin Coconut Ice-Cream Got to learn about the opening of a new cafe that had recently sprouted up in the Joo Seng neighbourhood rather recently — whilst specialty cafes have been popping up all over the heartlands in the past decade for now, the Joo Seng neighbourhood hasn’t really seen much of such establishments opening around its vicinity. Situated at Blk 2 Upper Aljunied Lane, July’s Cloud is probably the trendiest F&B operator to have located itself in the estate. The exterior of the shop space that it occupies already attracts attention with the use of geometry — think arched windows and arched doors alongside white walls with a signboard that comes with a font type that replicates handwriting; a rather attention-grabbing yet cute look for a cafe. As one enters into the premises, the clean and modern aesthetics of the space extends towards the interior with the use of white walls, wooden fixtures and fittings, as well as cushioned dining chairs that provides patrons whom choose to dine-in with comfort. The addition of some cloud-esque features from the ceiling does give a dreamy look to the whole space, though quite peculiar would be the placement of two camping chairs that faces the counter that does not seem to be belong anywhere. One would have noticed the words “Coffee . Snack . Cake” on its signages; the menu at July’s Cloud lists only its range of beverages which is split across categories such as Coffee, Non-Coffee and Tea — the range of desserts available at July’s Cloud would consist of the variety of ice-cream flavours stocked in their display chiller, as well as the cakes, cookies, brownies etc. that are stocked in the display shelf and chiller (separate from the ice-cream at the counter).
We had given one of the cake offerings and one of their ice-cream offerings a go; between the two, we do seem to prefer the Tie Guan Yin Coconut Ice-Cream more than the Matcha Strawberry Cake that we had ordered. July’s Cloud actually does carry quite an extensive line-up of ice-cream flavours in its display fridge; while most of the flavours that they have to offer lies towards the more conventional side, there are some rather interesting ones like the Tie Guan Yin Coconut that we had opted for, as well as Almond Black Sesame that sounds similar to the Chinese Tang Shui served in a Yuan Yang-style that some establishments serving up Chinese-style desserts will offer. The Tie Guan Yin Coconut ice-cream was the flavour that caught our attention for how it is a rather odd combination that we hadn’t seen before; after all, coconut has rarely been seen as an element that would compliment tea-based ice-cream flavours. With this in mind, the Tie Guan Yin Coconut ice-cream does feel more like a coconut-based ice-cream flavours; the refreshing notes and soft saltish-ness of coconut being fairly prominent as one first goes for the ice-cream, with the said flavours fading out to the bitter undertones of Tie Guan Yin in its finish. The ice-cream does come with a smooth and creamy consistency here; definitely a plus point here.
In retrospect, the Matcha Strawberry Cake was an item which we felt was decent if sold as a homemade creation but was something that we felt wasn’t quite as refined. This mostly had to do with the fresh cream on the exterior of the cake which was a little denser and clumpy than what we had expected it to be; otherwise, the rest of the cake was decent with the matcha sponge carrying a light hint of the bitter undertones of the Japanese tea, while the slices of strawberries in the middle do provide a contrast of textures to the entire cake. We also went for the Caffe Latte, which was brewed using the Golden Cup blend of beans that is roasted by local microroastery named Cowpresso Coffee Roasters which also runs its own cafe space at Lorong Kilat. The cuppa was actually surprisingly well-pulled for an establishment which we aren’t expecting a lot from especially given the offerings that they have; smooth and creamy and while slightly acidic, it still carried a medium body with an earthy finish.
Whilst being a rather simple set up considering how specialty cafes these days usually do serve up a food menu that usually comprises of brunch fare with a more progressive contemporary approach, July’s Cloud seems to have kept things a little more accessible to the demographics of the population there — keeping their concept as one that serves up only bakes and ice-cream and coffee, it does give the residents around Joo Seng a slightly different sort of establishment to hang out at whilst making do without all the fuss that could be intimidating to some of the older residents around whom wish to give them a try. Not an establishment that aims to provide a gastronomical affair, though one that aims to give the folks within the neighbourhood that it is in a fresh dining experience that the area has been missing out on for quite a while.
