An establishment that started operations within a rather obscure part of Ang Mo Kio, WONDERS (not to be confused with the similarly named Wonder Gelato which operates from a shop space at Blk 261 Waterloo Street) had recently expanded their operations; their second outlet being situated in the West this time round. Located at a ground floor shophouse unit at Blk 431 Clementi Avenue 3, WONDERS’s location at Clementi is just in the HDB estate that is situated right across from Clementi Bus Interchange / The Clementi Mall; itself also being a stone’s throw away from Clementi MRT Station. On first look, one can already tell that the shop unit at Clementi is actually larger than their space at Ang Mo Kio; the space being significantly wider and allows for a larger dine-in area for patrons to enjoy their waffles and ice-cream in especially. WONDERS have been quite known for their Mahjong-themed interior design at their Ang Mo Kio location; similar cues can also be found in the interior of their Clementi location — that includes the same neon signage with a mirror with the Chinese character “發” in the middle; the Clementi location also has a retail eew at the back of the store selling Mahjong-themed merchandise at the back of the space as well. Being a gelato parlour, it is needless to say that their emphasis will be on their gelato offerings, which are all available in cups or with cones as well as to be paired with their Croffles or different variations of waffles that they have to offer. That being said, WONDERS does also offer a few pastry items on their menu, and the beverage menu comprises of items like espresso-based specialty coffee, tea, drinking chocolate and bottled beverages.

We had previously given their Pandan Mochi Waffle a try when we had made our visit to WONDERS at their Ang Mo Kio location — considering how much we are a fan of Ri Ri Cha and The Better Scoop (formerly also known as Just Because Creamery) that is notable for bringing us possibly the first version of the Nian Gao Waffle around the island, we thought it would be a good idea to check out the Nian Gao Waffle that WONDERS have to offer. For our choice of gelato to go along with the Nian Gao Waffle, our choice of flavour was the Mandarin Orange with Osmanthus Jelly Gelato; a flavour that is offered as a Chinese New Year special. Coming drizzled with maple syrup and chocolate sauce, the combination of the sauces provided for a chocolate-y note with a contrast of sweetness that can be now said as a classic combination that one would associate to the waffles at Creamier / Sunday Folks. The Nian Gao is encased in between the waffle; we liked how the waffle here we wasn’t too thick and dense; mostly crisp on the exterior but not too airy within as well. The Nian Gao here provides a gooey and stretchy interior for the waffle; it is also noted that the Nian Gao here comes with a lighter shade of brown and also feels less sweet than some Nian Gao that we have had elsewhere. When it came to the Mandarin Orange with Osmanthus Jelly Gelato, the gelato comes with a creamy and smooth texture — the base hinting of a citrusy note typical of mandarin orange without being overly sour, while there are nibs of somewhat soft jelly to chew on; we did not feel that the floral notes of Osmanthus quite pulled through here, though it probably would not be considering the other elements such as the waffle, Nian Gao, and chocolate sauce / maple syrup at play.

During our visit, we also went for the Hazelnut Balls — while these were named as such in the description card placed in front of the items in the display shelf, these were named Donuts in their POS system. We were actually impressed that these came served warm; we are able to think of other establishments possibly serving us such an item at room temperature. Best to be had when still hot, the donuts come plain on the exterior through the bread is actually quite crusty on its own; we wouldn’t say that the hazelnut spread was generous here, but perhaps it would be better said as decently-filled — we felt that the hazelnut spread was also more akin to that of Nutella. The bread does feel a little dense here, and leaving them for a while at the table may result in a tougher texture that makes it a little dry. WONDERS uses a blend of beans named 24/7 Mahjong for their espresso-based specialty coffee offerings — the beans comprising of 50% Brazilian beans and 50% Indian beans, and is roasted by Tiong Hoe Specialty Coffee. Our White came with a dusting of the Chinese character “發” with chocolate powder, and the cuppa carried an earthy and nutty flavour profile with a light body — fairly decent for a gelato parlour to say the least.

One thing that stood out quite a fair bit during our visit to WONDERS at their Clementi location was the service — it is probably still early days for the outlet’s operations and that the folks are still ironing out some of the teething issues, though it did seem pretty stark that the cashiering staff does not seem to be familiar with what they have to offer; the cashier being highly confused by our order of the Mandarin Orange with Osmanthus Jelly Gelato being two separate flavours of gelato instead of a single one comprising of two elements in the namesake, and that our order of the Hazelnut Balls nearly ending us as yet another scoop of Hazelnut (Gianduja) gelato at the same time. Needless to say, it might possibly help if WONDERS can standardise the naming conventions between description cards and the POS system to avoid unnecessary confusion between their staff and the patrons. Otherwise, Clementi residents probably would find WONDERS a great addition to their neighbourhood just like the folks around Ang Mo Kio did when WONDERS had first opened their doors there — a convenient spot to catch-up over quality gelato and slightly more unconventional variants of waffles; all with decently-pulled espresso-based specialty coffee to go along with!