A compact space nestled in the Hougang Green shopping district, The Stressed Stop offers a number of, proudly claimed to be made from scratch. Their gelato is supposedly done using the French custard ice cream method, which incorporates tempered eggs (hot milk into eggs and then whisked vigorously to prevent them from cooking/scrambling) into the mixture. 🍦🍳

I had a fairly decent experience here. This place spans only over a few square metres and has limited number of seatings. It felt like a take-away concept, but the owner strongly suggested on dining in instead, to ensure the food's freshness. He, who had an amiable, cheery and enthusiastic disposition, kept the ambience casual and chill, and can be frequently heard engaging in friendly small talks with somebody. When it came down to business, he was on the ball, ready to give proper introduction to his products and current promotions. That helped to prime me on what I should go for, which includes their waffles and ice cream, cookie sandwiches and even créme brûlées.

I had the Waffles w/ Butterscotch Ice Cream ($4.50). It definitely left more to be desired. The textures of the gelato were a little too sticky and gummy for my liking, but the more pronounced taste (thanks to the approach of creating their gelati) is certainly detectable. The waffles were bent on the chewy side, but I will say that I was digging the cinnamon flavour that was racing throughout in a tributary-like fashion.

The Stressed Stop is a decent and modest dessert parlour for denizens near Hougang Green to get their quick fix of ice-cream, but they can definitely kick it up a notch with a few tweaks. Otherwise, I'll be back to try more soon when I'm around the area! 🙂 (6.9/10)