We are definitely late to the game on this one as some may put it, but we still do think that it is worth a mention somehow that Tom’s Palette had just recently seen a revamp — and one that probably had been long overdue for the brand. Whilst Tom’s Palette had previously been established at the now-demolished Shaw Towers just right at the end of the row from where they are currently located at Middle Road, we had always thought that the Middle Road space looked particularly aged even when comparing it to other establishments of similar age when they had made their move to Middle Road — one particularly thing that had always stood out for us in its new premises were the hand-painted stools that were used in their old premises. Whilst it does evoke some nostalgia for their regulars, it does seem like those furniture just did not quite age as well over time. With the revamp, the establishment sees a new look — from the modernised brand logo to even the interior decor which feels minimalistic with modern elements of geometry and a touch of nature. The space now looks tastefully designed with planter box being the centrepiece; filled with potted plants and bottles of maple syrup which they also retail, the planter box also doubles up as a table top where patrons can dine at while facing it. Still offering a wide variety of flavours of ice-cream to choose from, the flavours available for the day can be viewed from a menu board that is placed outside of the cafe; they are still that Tom’s Palette that carries a range of really intriguing flavours such as the White Chocolate Nori that we are big fans of ever since the first time we had tried the flavour. With the re-branding, Tom’s Palette serves it ice-creams in cups or cones, though one can also opt to go for a Belgian Waffles to go along as well — there is also a “Tom’s Palette” that sees an artist’s palette being used as a platter for six flavours of ice-cream; speak of word play indeed.
With so many flavours of ice-cream being served up at Tom’s Palette, we were pretty much spoilt for choice whilst deciding on which two flavours we would be going for with our order. One thing about Tom’s Palette that we have liked since the early days was how they allowed patrons to opt for two different flavours of ice-cream even if patrons decide to opt for a Regular-sized cup — they have always been known to serve their cups of ice-cream in a half-and-half format; two flavours being layered side by side in the same cup rather than circular scoops that are stacked on top of each other. After pretty much eliminating all the more usual flavours of ice-cream and the flavours which we have had during our previous visits to Tom’s Palette (bye bye to the White Chocolate Nori this time round), we found ourselves opting for the Butter Stout and Crack Candy Ice-Ceeam (i.e. the one in a lighter shade of brown), and the Menghai Pu’er Ice-Cream (i.e. the one in a darker shade of brown). The Butter Stout and Crack Candy Ice-Ceeam was the sweeter flavour of the two; based on what is mentioned on the description card placed at the display fridge, it comprises of elements such as brown butter and stout gelato, gelatine crackers, toffee, pecans and dark chocolate. With such a composition, it is no wonder that the Butter Stout and Crack Candy Ice-Ceeam tasted like a mix of bittersweet chocolate and nuts; something that came with a crunch, while also a little boozy — close to what some might remotely associate to Rum and Raisin ice-cream. This is in retrospect to the Menghai Pu’er; a flavour that is probably meant for the purists who enjoy the bitter undertones of the tea — despite being gelato, the Menghai Pu’er felt pretty free from any distractions; not even milk in particular and is pretty much tea through and through. So glad that these folks had finally decided to rework on their image after all these while — the revamp definitely feels like a fresh breath of life to an established name in the local F&B scene; we would definitely return for more in the future, just like how we have had!