Having grown up in India,  I have a soft spot for ice cream parlours. After a nice meal, my family and I used to head out for dessert and try some fresh fruit flavours at the local ice cream joint. I loved the the chit-chat that followed. In Singapore, I got nostalgic about those times when I visited the newly opened dessert place – Simplicité Café on East Coast Road. There was a certain chirpiness in the atmosphere with people of all age groups frequenting the place. It is also a kid-friendly place and a nice way to spend some dessert family time. It can accommodate around 30 people and also offers takeaways. Staying true to its name, the café has truly kept it simple in terms of their flavours and ambiance. The staff exude enthusiasm and strive to make you feel comfortable immediately – I think that comes as a part of being newly opened but it was good to see the drive in them.

The Orders
Waffles are their specialty – and they have flower-shaped waffles. How cool is that! It wasn’t just a case of looking good –  it tasted delicious. They were crisp. buttery and light. I also liked the alternate use of strawberries dipped in chocolate sauce and whipped cream on the petals. It was such a pretty sight.

Our order was ‘Blossom Waffles with 2 scoops’ in which we could choose our gelato or sorbet flavours. Along with the usual flavours like Chocolate, Hazelnuts, Mango, Matcha tea, they also have a ‘Guess what’s this’ flavour. On the day we went it was ‘Cherry Tomato’. Yes! Believe it or not, the cherry tomato flavour tastes awesome as a sorbet and I instantly knew that I wanted it as one scoop layer. So I ordered Mango and Cherry Tomato as the two scoops of my choice. I was really impressed with how fresh the fruits used in the sorbets were. The sorbet was smooth and rich on the tongue with no hard-hitting ice crystals – totally delicious.

They also have some basic drinks in the form of coffee, teas and hot chocolate. When I was waiting for the waffles to be made, I ordered ‘Hot Chocolate’ which could have been a little less milky but that is purely a personal choice.

We also had a nice chat with the owner / chef on the science of food and sorbet-making. He was transparent in sharing with us about the finest quality of vanilla and chocolate sourced for their gelatos. It was nice of him to chat with every table and be open to feedback. Even though it is a bit inaccessible by MRT, the place is easily reachable by bus. For those who are familiar with Margarita’s at ECP , this place is right opposite it. For their enthusiasm, fresh quality of ingredients and their experimentation with new flavour combinations, I hope Simplicité Café blossoms into a nice dessert joint just like their waffles.