Came across Cold Break several weeks back, which does seem to be a fairly new addition to the Jalan Besar neighbourhood. Located at 202 Jalan Besar, these folks had taken over the former premises of the now-defunct outlet of Uggli Muffins — this is also the shop unit that is situated in between other F&B tenants such as Bab & Bingsoo Cafe (also a fairly new addition to the ‘hood) and REPLYK1988 (응팔식당). With the space moving from a takeaway bakery under its former tenant into an ice-cream parlour now that it is being occupied by Cold Break, there has been quite a bit of work that has been done to the space. Cold Break has kept a mostly white aesthetic for the space that it occupies; one thing to note about Cold Break is how there is a lot of space in between the tables that really takes into the account of the privacy of different groups of patrons within the shop space itself. Following the likes of most cafes these days, the space sees the grey floors, while the furniture and fittings do come with a bit of a wooden accent to provide some visual contrast and a homely look — the addition of faux plants also help to add a bit of life to the space as well. Being an ice-cream parlour, all the ice-cream flavours available for the day at Cold Break are prominently displayed in the display chiller at the counter. Patrons can get to choose between having their ice-cream in a cup or a cone, or opt for a waffle where one can opt between the Pandan or Buttermilk Waffle and add Nian Gao to the waffle as well. Beverage options available at Cold Break includes espresso-based specialty coffee brewed using beans roasted by local coffee roastery, Tiong Hoe Specialty Coffee, as well as tea brewed using loose leaves and a line-up of tea lattes.

Having glanced through the menu that is being hung on the wall at the counter, it is needless to say that we found ourselves wanting to go for the Nian Gao Waffles having caught the item being served at Cold Break. Being told that we were able to choose between the Buttermilk or the Pandan Waffle for the type of batter, we went for the latter. We had also paired our waffle with two (2) scoops of ice-cream; the two ice-cream flavours bring the Sour Plum with Prunes Ice-Cream, and the Truffle Infused Chocolate Ice-Cream. Amongst the three, it might be more accurate to say that the Sour Plum with Prunes Ice-Cream was one of the items that felt a little more unique to the establishment — the flavour itself stood out quite prominently against the rest of the ice-cream flavours stocked in the display freezer considering how it is one with a local twist that isn’t particularly commonly found. Giving this scoop of ice-cream a go, this felt akin to the calamansi with sour plum beverage that most would find served in food courts and coffeeshops alike; something sweet but also coming with a refreshing zing — not particularly milky and creamy, and quite refreshing to the tastebuds. There are nibs of prunes that had been churned into the ice-cream that provides a bit of a pulpy bite as well. Truffle-infused ice-cream in the meanwhile isn’t something that is too new to us — we had been exposed to truffle-flavoured ice-cream during our visit to Fiordilatte at Senja. Here, the Truffle Infused Chocolate sees the familiar aroma of truffle oil as the starting notes of the ice-cream, before the bittersweet notes of chocolate starts to take over somewhere in between, carrying the rich and luxurious notes of chocolate in its finishing notes.

The Nian Gao Waffle is something that we have had ordered multiple times at The Better Scoop; the establishment, which first started out as Just Because Creamery, is also probably the first to have created the combination. The Pandan-infused batter does give the waffle here a green-hue on the inside, though the waffle still comes in a shade of brown on surfaces that directly comes in contact with the waffle press. The texture of the waffle can be described as a little cake-y, while the placement of the Nian Gao was a little off-centre; some spots requiring to be sliced further in to get to the Nian Gao though the Nian Gao itself was sufficiently sweet and went well with the very light whiff of pandan fragrance that lingers in the waffle batter. There was some attempt to create latte art with our order of the Latte here; the Latte does come with a medium body and an earthy and a nutty flavour profile — we do have an inkling that the milk hasn’t been frothed enough considering how the cuppa wasn’t as smooth and creamy as we were expecting it to be. Still a fairly decent attempt by an ice-cream parlour overall. There are a few hints and misses in the offerings served by Cold Break such as the Pandan Nian Gao Waffle and Latte that does require some refining; that being said, we were pretty satisfied with the two ice-cream flavours that we have had. Nonetheless, Cold Break is a spot that works out well for those looking for a decent dessert spot in the area — definitely one that works with its wide space between tables that is preferred by those whom enjoy having a private space to have a catch-up with friends without making their conversations privy to strangers sitting too close to them; all that with some decent ice-creams to boast.