SUENO (Limbang Shopping Centre)

Limbang Shopping Centre’s renovation has been a long time coming; the neighbourhood shopping mall in Choa Chu Kang has had its renovation works delayed due to the safe management measures implemented in line with the Circuit Breaker imposed at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic — while some tenants had been kept open during the upgrading, it seems that much of the renovation works are coming to a close soon; there have been new F&B establishments that have since moved into the neighbourhood shopping mall in recent times. Located in a shop unit within the mall that faces Choa Chu Kang North Avenue 5 is SUENO; some whom live in the north might find the name of the establishment being particularly familiar, and that comes with good reason — SUENO had been operating as a neighbourhood ice-cream parlour at 888 Plaza in Woodlands for quite a number of years by now. The opening of their second outlet at Limbang Shopping Centre can be said as a spiritual successor to the now-defunct Three Lefts Gelato that once operated within Limbang Shopping Centre; the brand having fizzled out of the local dining scene for a long time even before the COVID-19 pandemic has hit our shores. SUENO’s space at Limbang Shopping Centre can be said as a departure to the slightly kiddy looks of their original outlet at 888 Plaza — they have since restyled their logo to something that looks more modern, whilst the interior now draws reference to more Scandinavian-styled themes featuring white and wooden accents for its furniture and fittings; the walls being painted in a half-white and half-grey colour scheme. The menu of SUENO at Limbang Shoping Centre does not differ from that of their original location; think gelato served in cups or cones, or with waffles, as well as a decent variety of bakes and cakes — they also do serve up açai bowls as well. Beverages available at SUENO includes frappes, -ades, coffee and tea (from Twinings).

One thing that we had made our visit to SUENO at its original outlet for previously would be their Original Waffles. Since we had opted for the Waffles Set which comprises of a waffle of our choice, a scoop of gelato of our choice and a beverage of our choice, our combination of waffle and gelato would be the Original Waffle and the White Chrysanthemum with Strawberries Gelato. We recalled their Original Waffles to be quite a strong offering when we last had them at their 888 Plaza outlet — we were glad that the Original Waffles from their Limbang Shopping Centre outlet did taste pretty much like how we remembered them to be; they were pretty fragrant with a buttermilk aroma which was what drew us to them previously, though the waffles felt a little bit on the drier side and lacked crispness on the exterior this time around. There was a light drizzle of maple syrup that helped to alleviate some of that; we found it to be rather adequate as well, whilst also providing the waffle with a contrasting sweetness and flavour as well. Meanwhile, the White Chrysanthemum and Strawberries gelato was just pretty decent — we do not recall SUENO’s gelato being anything memorable in the past either, though the pairing of white chrysanthemum ice-cream churned with strawberries do seem a tad unusual. It offers no surprises though; the white chrysanthemum providing a strong floral aroma that perfumes throughout the entire spoonful — it was just a pity how the strawberries didn’t feel particularly integrated with the gelato since they have became frozen pieces of fruit whilst in the freezer by the time it was served to us.

SUENO has always been “that” neighbourhood ice-cream parlour for us and our visit to their new Limbang Shopping Centre outlet could not be any much different from what we have experienced from our multiple visits to the 888 Plaza outlet previously — SUENO is probably that sort of establishment which is positioned to cater to the young families and students living in the community that their outlets are situated in; not quite that sort of spot that tries to provide their patrons with an artisanal, handcrafted sort of experience. This clearly shows in the offerings that they serve up at both outlets, and there is nothing wrong about being just that sort of establishment either; their offerings are pretty decent, though might not necessarily please those with more sophisticated taste buds. Nonetheless, it does seem that they are serving their target audience pretty well, considering how they have managed to expand their operations with their second outlet at Limbang Shopping Centre. We would think that the prices of the items at SUENO are relatively decent; the single scoop of gelato (normal flavour) being listed at $4.20, while the premium flavours would cost $5.00 — the Waffle set comprising of waffle, gelato and drink being priced at $11.80. Whilst not being a spot that one would make a special trip down for, SUENO does sound like a spot of convenience for the residents around Limbang Shopping Centre that they are likely to appreciate having around them.