Hmmm I couldn’t get this.. though it looks good on paper: with pickled grapes, truffle honey, ricotta and gula Melaka crumble. Looks Italian. Tastes Middle-eastern.
The thought of trying this dessert was exciting. But a few spoonfuls later, my taste buds were protesting. Gula melaka in yoghurt, paired with the taste of bread crumb batter and of course, camembert. Complete with granola. It's a medley that tastes as strange as it sounds.
Yoghurt Ice Cream, Gula Melaka Granola, Lavender Honey
This is a rather avant-garde dessert that tastes a little bizarre for lovers of familiar dessert flavors. The yoghurt ice cream is a tad bit sour that leaves a strange gritty texture on your tongue, the white flakes that top the ice cream has an odd styrofoam texture which melts in the mouth to a bland paste. The lavendar honey and gula melaka granola provides just a hint of sweetness to the off-tasting ice cream. The deep-fried camembert (a battered wedge of cheese coated in panko crumbs and deep-fried to golden-brown) is rich, heavy and extremely creamy, which drastically clashes with the rest of the dessert’s components.
What's not to like about deep-fried cheese? The sourish yoghurt ice cream, gula melaka granola, lavender honey and ricotta crumble all worked together beautifully as well.
Taste: 3.5/5
Happy to find a $2/entry parking at Shaw Towers (cheap thrill) 😛 on a Sunday, we cross the road and find ourselves a nice diner & bar. We got carried away by the amazing interior of @themassessg , neon light signage, a 90s' diner & bar theme. As soon as we settled down, 👀 on the menu. So here is what we have ordered:
Truffle Fries $11.90 The photo speaks for itself. Generous shavings of truffle with truffled mayo. You know how the
other shoestring truffled fries has the fainting truffle fragrant only at the first bite, this is not like that. The truffle was in every stick, top to toe. I got truffled away! 😘
Angus Steak, Medium $22.90. It is cooked just about right, between Medium rare to Medium. The remoulade compliments the steak really well.
Braised Beef Cheek $17.90. 12 hours, (heavenly) tender beef cheek, not a single bit of toughness. So good 😋
Iberico Pork Loin, Sous Vide, Medium Well $15.90 It is surprisingly tender despite the thickness of the loin that was served. Sous vide to the point. 😉
Deep Fried Camembert $8.90. Accompanied with yoghurt ice cream, just right size companion that goes well with a good slice deep fried camembert cheese. The gula melaka granola added a tint of sweetness to the dessert & ricotta crumble gives an extra crunch. So blown away! 🤭
Strawberry Popsicle $8.90. Too pretty to be eaten. Fresh strawberries, sprinkled with biscuit crumbled bits. I always love real strawberry popsicles (Not the ones with strawberry flavoured ones that tasted more milk than the strawberry)
Wo De Mei Ren, $14. Expecting a beauty that is all sweet and dreamy. Not at all! Don't get me wrong, this is damn good! Refreshing mix of fresh lime juice and fresh watermelon puree, Signature cocktail has a sour punch at the first sip and "rummed" you at the end of it. 😏
#burpple #burpplesg #burpplefood #themassessg #sundayvibes #goodforgathering #dinerbar #beachroad #beefcheek #ibericoporkloin #sousvide #dessertwithatwist #signaturecocktail #wodemeiren #feedmefood2018
Probably the more interesting one out of the duo of new desserts at The Masses. In fact, what boggles the mind here is the lack of cheese mentioned in the composition of ingredients on the menu — it features elements such as Horlick Mousse, Almond Crumble, Smoked Apple Puree, Horlick Ice-Cream, Paprika and Apple.
Yes; the dessert does taste a bit cheesecake-esque for the mousse but it's pretty light overall — cheesecake lovers might prefer a punchier profile but this does work for those who prefer their cheesecake to come a little more manageable in flavour. The Horlick Ice-Cream helps to enhance the flavours of the Almond Crumble that delivers the crunch — both elements replicating the Graham Cracker base normally found in New York style Cheesecake. What quite got us rather intrigued was the Paprika; the light hint of spiciness adds a rather oddly appealing umami flavour profile to the dessert — not sure how well it might sit with others but it did grow pretty well with me. Thought I could do without the chunks of apple; sure, they were decent to have with the entire dessert by providing a juicy crunch, but they don't quite feel like as though they fit anywhere with the other elements at the same time.
It's always interesting to see The Masses come up with inventive desserts with a twist like this (and also the Deep-Fried Camembert) — the adventurous play of ingredients that sees flavour profiles that hit all round the palate achieving a multitude of flavours. Would still recommend first-timers to go straight for the Deep Fried Camembert (the temperature contrast of the camembert is something this cheesecake lacks), but the Not Your Average Cheese Cake is a good choice to move on to try when you are done with ... erm ... that first love.
One of the new desserts available at The Masses — Roasted Rice Puffs, Crumble and Popping Candy. Something which would suit those who love having zesty desserts that refreshes the palate after a meal; the lemon curd is served cold and being flame-torched — it's a good balance of sweet and sour, lemony flavour though more skewed towards the latter while the other elements are an interesting play of textures to the smooth mousse. It's overall a pretty safe dessert in terms of execution (especially when compared to the likes of the Deep-Fried Camembert and Not Your Average Cheesecake; the latter also new on the menu) and actually feels like a twist to the Valrhona Chocolate dessert which seem conceptually similar in terms of composition and execution.
