Oddity is one of those places that we got to know about whilst travelling past the area around Serangoon on a weekend afternoon out; a cafe that had opened its doors in late March 2024, the space of which Oddity occupies is what some would recognise as the former space that the now-defunct Amber Ember had used to be situated in at Yeley Buillding along Upper Serangoon Road. Turns out, Oddity is a space that sees two concepts by the same folks being situated under the same roof — one being Oddity itself that is run as a cafe, while there is also Oddballs Ice Cream which is the sub-brand that had been created for their ice-cream offerings. Interestingly, Oddity and Oddballs Ice Cream is by the same folks that used to run the now-defunct Kindred Folk that was previously located situated within kap mall near King Albert Park MRT Station along the Downtown Line. Taking over the space that was formerly occupied by the now-defunct Amber Ember, it seems that the folks of Oddity / Oddballs Ice Cream have kept much of the interior furnishings and fittings of the previous tenant intact; the dim lighting and marble-esque tables matched with wooden furniture and fittings bringing very familiar vibes apart from some slight switch ups of the quirky paintings and neon lights that had been added by Oddity / Oddballs Ice Cream.

Whilst Kindred Folk had previously been an establishment more known for their ice-cream offerings, they had also served up a small variety of hot food back then as well — it does seem that the split of the branding of Oddity / Oddballs Ice Cream is to draw a line in between its hot food and ice-cream offerings. The menu of Oddity is being section into categories that are dedicated to All Day Brunch, Light & Easy, Pastas, Burgers and Sides — all of the dishes are available throughout the day from opening to last order times with the exception of the items listed in the All Day Brunch section of the menu which is available from 11am to 5pm. The ice-cream available for the day are all displayed within the display chiller located at the counter; patrons can opt for their ice-cream to come with waffles (available in half and full portion sizes), as well as other pairings like with a Fried Mantou or with a Double Dark Chocolate Brownie. Beverages available at Oddity / Oddballs Ice Cream includes espresso-based specialty coffee, drinking chocolate and tea lattes, tea, house-made sodas, canned drinks, beer and cocktails — just to name a few.

Having made our visit to Oddity / Oddballs Ice Cream during a weekend dinner service, we were skimming through the menu for the various items that they have to offer for dinner and found ourselves being pretty intrigued by the listing of the Bangkok Rush in the Pastas section Oddity’s menu — the Bangkok Rush is being described in the menu to come with elements such as Creamy Thai Green Curry Sauce, Spinach Tagliatelle, Pan-seared Chicken and Zucchini; the part that intrigued us being the use of green curry as an element to the pasta that provided the dish with an Asian-Fusion element. Digging into the Bangkok Rush, we felt that the pasta definitely came with enough Thai Green Curry Sauce to coat all of the Spinach Tagliatelle for flavour — all that without having a pool of excess sauce puddling at the bottom. The pasta was done al-dente like it should have been, and we liked how the Creamy Thai Green Curry Sauce wasn’t too overwhelming — there are some Thai Green Curry dishes out there that can be overly sweet or comes with an excessive use of coconut milk to give the dish a rich flavour but this came just about right. The use of zucchini seems to be an attempt by Oddity / Oddballs Ice Cream to use a more western element to replicate the texture of the Thai eggplant that is more commonly found in traditional Thai Green Curry dishes; the thinly-sliced zucchini adding soft texture to chew through amidst all of the pasta and pan-fried chicken. The pan-fried chicken felt almost akin to the chicken strips that one can find in the chicken variant of Thai Green Curry; provides a meaty bite and also coated with all of that Thai Green Curry sauce goodness for a good flavour.

During our visit, we had also given their Intrusive Tots a try; these are essentially Tater Tots that comes with a torched cheese blend for a oozy, stretchy and gooey cheese pull with a slight smokiness, as well as bacon bits that provide a savoury note typical of cured meat for an extra burst of flavours. The Broccoli Poppers on the other hand featured deep-fried broccoli in a thin batter that provide some crispness amidst the distinct crunch of the vegetable itself; it comes with a Garlic Aioli Dip and is said to feature a Masala Spice, though the notes of the Masala spice wasn’t completely noticeable here. Considering how Oddity / Oddballs Ice Cream does also have a focus on their ice-cream offerings, we also went with their Fried Mantou Ice Cream Sandwich — our choice of ice-cream being the Okinawa Purple Sweet Potato Ice-Cream. Here, the Mantou comes fried freshly upon order; the scoop of ice-cream coming in between the Mantou that has been sliced into two halves. The Fried Mantou itself comes in a golden brown hue and is crisp on the exterior with lingering sweetness from the dough on the inside. Our choice of the Okinawa Purple Sweet Potato Ice-Cream was a rather dense and really creamy — there is a hint of earthiness from the sweet potato that runs through at the back of the tongue without being overly sweetened. Given how Okinawa Purple Sweet Potato Ice-Cream also serves espresso-based specialty coffee, it was needless to say that we had given the White a go — the one here comes pretty well-pulled with a good balance of milk and coffee; comes with a medium body and a nutty flavour profile. Overall, Oddity / Oddballs Ice Cream does feel like an evolution of what Kindred Folk used to be; Kindred Folk had been a venture that was born as their entrance into the local F&B scene — Oddity / Oddballs Ice Cream does feel like an establishment where it is created upon what had worked at Kindred Folk alongside what they could have done better back then, and can be described as a more matured establishment than what Kindred Folk used to be. The loss of Amber Ember might be rather hard-hitting for the neighbourhood, though the entrance of Oddity / Oddballs Ice Cream might be able to close that gap a little for those residing in the area.