It does seem that Warabimochi Kamakura has definitely brought a trend of Warabimochi to the island — whilst the brand has already started its expansion plans with them currently running three outlets across locations in Holland Village and Orchard after opening their doors for such a short period of time, it does seem that we are also seeing a little bit of a competition with the entry of Torori Tenshi No Warabi-Mochi into the Singapore F&B scene. The VivoCity location of Torori Tenshi No Warabi-Mochi is the first overseas outpost of the brand — the brand does however operate over a hundred locations within Japan itself; the Singapore location being part of the Japan Food Holdings group, which has brought us familiar brands such as Fruit Paradise, Ajisen Ramen, Menya Musashi and Osaka Ohsho, amongst others. Torori Tenshi No Warabi-Mochi occupies the shop unit that was previously taken up by Kyoto Shokudo (some might remember this unit being once taken up by ARTEA even way back in the day) — also directly located opposite another Japan Food Holdings concept named Kagurazaka Saryo. Whilst most other concepts serving up Warabimochi in Singapore tend to be more of a takeaway kiosk, Torori Tenshi No Warabi-Mochi is a dine-in establishment at heart with quite a decent amount of space dedicated to dine-in seating — one can also get a view of the making of the Warabimochi through the glass partition from outside the store. Being an establishment that focuses on their Warabimochi offerings, the menu is split up into sections dedicated to Warabi Drinks, Non-Warabi Drinks, Parfait, and Teapot Set — there is also a more stripped-down version of the menu that is catered to takeaway patrons as well.

It is needless to say that the item that is to be ordered at Torori Tenshi No Warabi-Mochi would be the Original Warabi Mochi (6 pcs) from the Teapot Set section of the menu — this is one to go for to try the Warabimochi that they have to offer at its best without any distractions. Torori Tenshi No Warabi-Mochi serves their Original Warabi Mochi (6 pcs) in both ala-carte and set options — the set option is priced at a $3 top-up above the ala-carte pricing and comes with a pot of Ito En’s Ryokucha. Much like the Warabimochi that comes served at Warabimochi KAMAKURA, the Warabimochi at Torori Tenshi No Warabi-Mochi is made on-site and is pretty much as fresh as it gets — the Original Warabi Mochi (6 pcs) would see the Warabimochi come dusted in Kinako powder and coming with Kuromitsu is a separate sander on the side for one to drizzle on the Warabimochi. If considering the lack of Warabimochi KAMAKURA in the Singapore market, the Original Warabi Mochi (6 pcs) from Torori Tenshi No Warabi-Mochi would have topped the charts for us for being quite a good Warabimochi — these were sized rather large and was soft and chewy; all that without being sticky to the teeth. It also came dusted with enough Kinako powder that gives it a nutty and earthy note of flavours though we do wish that it could come with a bit more Kuromitsu to balance things out just a little. That being said, the texture of the Original Warabi Mochi (6 pcs) at Torori Tenshi No Warabi-Mochi can still be described as a little firmer than that of Warabimochi KAMAKURA’s — something which made us prefer the one at Warabimochi KAMAKURA’s more still.

Aside from the Original Warabi Mochi (6 pcs), we had also given the Matcha Warabi Mochi with Ice-Cream a go as well — we went for the option for a set for this item which does see it coming with the pot of Ito En’s Ryokucha; we did note how the service staff were kind enough to actually provide us with an additional serving cup for the tea on their own accord. Unlike Warabimochi KAMAKURA’s variant of the Warabimochi, the Matcha Warabi Mochi at Torori Tenshi No Warabi-Mochi comes with the matcha-infused directly in the mochi flour itself. The consistency of the Matcha Warabi Mochi is a tad softer than that of the Original Warabi Mochi, but still nothing too alike the Warabimochi served at Warabimochi KAMAKURA — the Matcha Warabi Mochi and the scoop of Vanilla Ice-Cream also comes served in a bowl of shaved ice that seems to keep the ice-cream chilled. Accompanying the Matcha Warabi Mochi with Ice-Cream on the side would be Kinako powder and red bean paste; the latter does carry a earthy note whilst being pretty mashed-up with a smooth texture that certainly went well with the Matcha Warabi Mochi. Not forgetting on the range of Warabi Drinks that they have to offer, we found ourselves going with the Strawberry Milk. Again, the variant of the Strawberry Milk Warabi Drink at Torori Tenshi No Warabi-Mochi does differ from that of the one served at Warabimochi KAMAKURA — the one at Torori Tenshi No Warabi-Mochi does come with the standard Warabi Mochi without any infusion of flavours, and with the Warabi Mochi seemingly broken into bits when served.

This in turn quite makes up for an experience slightly less shiok than the same item at Warabimochi KAMAKURA; whilst the chewiness of the Warabi Mochi can be felt in the Strawberry Milk Warabi Mochi, the flavours of strawberry isn’t as particularly integral to the entire experience of the drink, with the strawberry being a little less sweet and being a bit more zingy instead. We did appreciate how the strawberry jam here does come with bits of strawberries to chew on though. All in all, it does feel a little bit of a pity that Torori Tenshi No Warabi-Mochi was brought into the local F&B scene a little late; if not for the fact that Warabimochi KAMAKURA had set its presence in Singapore, Torori Tenshi No Warabi-Mochi would likely be a spot to head to for some delicious hand-crafted Warabimochi. The items at Torori Tenshi No Warabi-Mochi does feel like a shadow to what Warabimochi KAMAKURA has to offer, with Warabimochi KAMAKURA being the stronger one out of the two — we were also a bit surprised by how the crowd management is done with the establishment practicing a free-seating nature while payments for dine-in shares a queue with the takeaway line. This often leads up to incoming patrons taking up tables and making orders while outgoing patrons had yet to close off the bill — just added administrative hassle for the counter staff to deal with. Still a fairly solid spot for those who need an introduction to Warabimochi, though we are likely still stuck with going to Warabimochi KAMAKURA since that is where our preferences still lies.