The basement of Marina One has certainly become a bustling area ever since the opening of Shenton Way MRT Station along the Thomson-East Coast Line; linked directly through the underpass from the MRT station’s exit, the basement of Marina One had seen an influx of tenants that had moved into the segment between the walkway leading up to Shenton Way MRT Station and Marina One East Tower. With F&B establishments opening up one after another in the basement of Marina One, one of the tenants which have had a delayed opening for quite a while would be Tangyuan. Tangyuan is definitely one of the more peculiar additions to the surrounding neighbourhood — while most establishments in the Central Business District seem to be more focused on serving up food items that are good for an entire meal considering the office workers around the ‘hood, Tangyuan has its focus around Chinese desserts mainly in the form of Tang Shui; not too surprising considering its namesake. The space could be said as simply decked, though there are efforts in providing patrons with some level of comfort with the use of cushioned booth seatings as well as interestingly-shaped tables and rattan-esque chairs that gives it some character. The menu at Tangyuan seems to focus a lot on hot and cold dessert offerings — examples of the former include Homemade Sesame / Walnut / Peanut / Almond Paste, while some examples of the latter include Mango Pomelo and Snowy Taro Ball; just to name a few. For those feeling peckish, there is also the Specialty Herbal Tea Set where one would also be entitled to a snack item; think baked mozzarella sweet corn, a variety of fries and roasted chicken wings etc. for something savoury. There are also Bingsu, as well as fruit salad with complimentary yogurt / coconut milk that is sold by weight.

Considering how we have tried the savoury items by ordering the Specialty Herbal Tea Set which we had also paid an extra charge to upgrade our beverage to the White Blue Mountain Coffee, we would say that the highlight here is most definitely the Traditional Dessert items — the Specialty Herbal Tea Set which already costs $9.80 with the savoury snacks without the $1.50 add-on for Blue Mountain Coffee is particularly exorbitant since the savoury snacks do feel like something that is commercially sold and heated upon order; the White Blue Mountain Coffee can also be said to be rather forgettable considering how they brew their coffee using a hotel buffet-style espresso machine that although grinds fresh coffee beans that are filled up in one of the compartments, but is otherwise automated where the amount of milk and water is being added.

Moving our attention to the Durian & Black Glutinous Rice, we did like the cheeky name it carries in Chinese — named 榴莲忘返, it is a wordplay on a Chinese idiom that meant “indulging in pleasures so much that one forgets to return”. The item comes with coconut milk, a scoop of durian purée, a scoop of black glutinous, as well as some cornflakes / rice puffs that are sprinkled atop. The coconut milk here is the main driver of the dessert item; comes with a distinct fragrance and sweetness while the black glutinous rice here comes sticky and with an earthy note with a very light hint of sweetness, providing a contrast of flavours to the dessert. The durian puree is quite smooth here, though we did note that it was a little bit on the dense side and not quite as fibrous as what we would have expected; that being said it does carry a strong, pungent note of flavours that is signature to the King of Fruits — should do well enough for those whom usually a durian to their desserts. The addition of corn flakes and rice puffs add a crunch factor for an added texture; an additional detail that they have definitely looked into during the designing phase of the desserts. While the Durian & Black Glutinous Rice is priced at $7.20 — also the most expensive item for the Traditional desserts items that they have, the hot Traditional desserts such as the single-flavoured homemade pastes are priced between $3.80 to $4; patrons also do have the flexibility of going for a lower / no sugar option as well which does sound interesting and suits the health-conscious. While we would say that we are likely not to return to Tangyuan for their savoury fare served with the Specialty Herbal Tea Set, we guess we would probably return some other time to give their hot Traditional Dessert offerings a go just to see what they are all about.