One place that one might have heard of if they had been paying attention to the happenings in the local F&B scene would be Tian Wang 甜旺. An establishment that is known for serving up Chinese-style desserts; and especially noted for their durian-related cold desserts, Tian Wang is a name that had been around in the local F&B scene since 2021. These folks seems to have been ready for a phase of expansion, and they had finally opened a second outlet in January 2024 — this time round within a shop space at 50 Keong Saik Road within Hotel 1929, and taking over the former premises of the now-defunct 1929 @ Keong Saik Restaurant & Bar. Tian Wang has been particularly noted for its Mahjong-inspired interior decor theme at its Jalan Besar location, and this has remained consistent in the interior design of the Keong Saik outlet; a wallpaper featuring Mahjong tiles can be found used on both the walls outside of the establishment and inside the establishment — there is also that familiar “發” character with backlit lighting that can be found on one of its walls. Considering the layout of the shop unit which they occupy, there shophouse does have somewhat of a terraced layout where the counter is actually located on the upper level within the shop unit; some dine-in seatings can also be found in that area, though most of the dine-in seatings can be found on the ground level featuring tables good for groups of four (4) to six (6) pax with stools or bench seating arrangements. The menu features local Chinese-style hot and cold desserts segregated into categories such as Tianwang Signatures, Durian Ice Series, Chendol, Mousse Series, Mango Series, Popping Series, Tropical Series, Collagen Jelly, Black Glutinous Rice and more.
Having been to their Jalan Besar outlet shortly after they had opened for business, we recalled that we have had their Durian Mousse as well as their Yam Paste with Pumpkin and Gingko Nut offerings previously — we did also recall being rather impressed especially with their Durian Mousse offerings back then as well. That being a said, considering the vast number of items that Tian Wang has to offer, we were keen on giving other items a go — whilst skimming through the menu, the Kiwi Mousse was one item which piqued our interest; this is especially so considering how Kiwi is not commonly found in the making of local Chinese-style mousse desserts around, and is a dessert item that seemed to stand out from the other items that they have to offer. Tian Wang does not provide a description of the elements which they include in the making of their desserts in their menu; that being said, we did observe the Kiwi Mousse to come with a kiwi puree, kiwi-infused shaved ice, chia seeds, and diced kiwi. Considering the light, zingy flavours of the fruit in general, we found the Kiwi Mousse to be really easy to have and rather refreshing after a heavy meal. Going through the various elements, the element with the most intense notes of kiwj is likely the kiwi puree that turns out to be sauce-like; compliments the shaved ice wonderfully that is also consistent in texture and is light and fluffy without clumping up altogether. The chia seeds helped to provide some bite, but it was the diced kiwi that helped bind them to the rest of the dessert; providing a fibrous, soft bite that compliments the entire bowl to ensures that a good variety of textures are at play here with the entire bowl.
During our visit to Tian Wang, we had also managed to give the Durian Nata De Coco Sago a go; this item came in a bigger paper bowl than the Kiwi Mousse — featured shaved ice that is drenched in coconut milk and a slight drizzle of Gula Melaka, accompanied with chunks of chewy Aloe Vera and small sago pearls and a dollop of durian mousse that comes with fibrous durian flesh as well. We liked how well the sweetness of the Durian Nata De Coco Sago was really well-controlled and allowed the pungent notes of the durian mousse to shine amidst the other elements that played a small character here; despite not being the same exact dish that we had tried previously at their Jalan Besar location, the quality of the durian mousse still feels very familiar to what we have hard during the times where they had just opened for business at Jalan Besar. Tian Wang’s desserts (at least in the form of its basic offerings) are priced between the ranges of $4.80 and $12.20; the lowest-priced items would be the Green Bean Soup and the Barley with Gingko Nut, and the priciest would be their Durian Mango Pomelo Sago and their Durian Chendol. Considering the lack of local Chinese-style in this end of Chinatown / Outram Park, Tian Wang does seem to be targeting the late night crowd as a supper spot for those staying in the area till late — Tian Wang itself being open from 3pm to 3am except Mondays. Definitely a spot that is worth heading to for those whom love their offerings during their early days at Jalan Besar, or those on a hunt for good local Chinese-style hot and cold desserts around the island.