Swensen's - Super Nasi Lemak Sundae

Yeah I know some of you have been waiting to see this one come up.
Ever since we posted the discovery of a Nasi Lemak Sundae at Swensen's about a month ago, we've heard some pretty mixed reviews about the whole thing.

Quite a few of you must be having second (or maybe even third) thoughts about ordering this at Swensen's when you just as well order something you know you'll enjoy like a Sticky Chewy Chocolate for example.

So, as always, The Halal Food Blog is ready and willing to test it first.
LOL like mana punya hero ajer...

Super Nasi Lemak Sundae ($10.90)

Lo and behold! THE SUPER NASI LEMAK SUNDAE!!

Yeah I know. Doesn't tickle your fancy right away does it? Maybe it'll taste super nice who knows.

Let us dissect what this unique local sundae is made up of.

The main part of this sundae has of course got to be the ice-cream right?
It's a Spicy Coconut ice-cream which really does taste like coconut for the most part of it. Quite a rich and creamy flavour which is actually not bad on its own.

A reader commented on our Instagram about a "tajam2" feeling in the throat after awhile.
Well, I know what you mean now!! I think it's the 'spicy' aspect of the ice-cream! Swensen's has cleverly incorporated some chilli or something into the ice-cream. And I say clever because it's very very subtle and only hits you later. It's not like 'my mouth is on fire' kinda spicy but just a hint.

The toppings is what makes this sundae really... errrr... special.

You've got some peanuts which I guess is not that bad. After all, we do have peanuts on sundaes right? But the Ikan Bilis is definitely the kicker here.

Yeah I love Ikan Bilis especially crispy fried Ikan Bilis.
But I don't think they have any place in a dessert.

I know nowadays the line is very thin and we have savoury desserts and salty this and sweet that.
But this somehow doesn't quite go together very well...

And in case you were wondering, that's a Keropol Belinjau stuck in some whipped cream on top.

Adam's Verdict:
Super Nasi Lemak Sundae 1.5/5

I can really appreciate that Swensen's is trying to come up with new and exciting local flavours.
And I have no doubt that their other Local Infusions like Salted Gula Melaka Heaven, Chendol Delight and Durian Supreme are pretty okay since they are flavours we would be able to associate with desserts and sundaes.

But the Nasi Lemak Sundae idea.... well.... full marks for thinking out of the box that's for sure.

Swensen's (ION Orchard)

ION Orchard
B1-31

www.swensens.com.sg
Tel: 68845967

Operating Hours:
10.30am til 10.30pm Mondays to Fridays
8.30am til 10.30pm Weekends and PHs

Swensen's - Breakfast

My darling wife tells me one day that Swensen's offers a special breakfast menu on weekends and public holidays. This is big news because they were offering a dish that I was absolutely obsessed with at the time...

So we put in our best efforts to wake up early on weekends when I wasn't working so we could visit Swensen's. It would only be like 2 months later that we finally managed to make our way down!
Would it be worth it?

Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict ($12.90)

Eggs Benedict!
I'm a sucker for Eggs Benedict and I'm a sucker for smoked salmon.
So with this dish, I'm automatically a double sucker!

And it's pretty rare to find a Halal version of Eggs Benedict because it normally consists of ham or bacon instead of the smoked salmon. So thankfully there seems to be a new trend of this Halal version being offered at a few eateries so that's great!

Did you know that Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon (instead of ham) is actually called 'Eggs Hemingway'?

So how were the Eggs Benedict at Swensen's?
Well....

Unfortunately the eggs were not very well-poached. When I think of Eggs Benedict, I think of poking into the egg and the runny yolk just flows out and spreads the whole thing with yolky goodness. The yolk in this case was pretty much just about 4/5 cooked so it was mostly solid with just a little bit of runny parts left as you can see from the picture above.

The Hollandaise Sauce (normally egg yolks, butter and lemon juice) was a little bit on the sour side. Perhaps too much lemon juice I reckon? Plus it only came with some baked beans and no other trimmings like a side salad or anything like that so many might find the price tag a little hefty.

The best part of the whole dish was the sourdough bread the eggs are served on.
Swensen's still has some of the best sourdough I've ever had and that was the best part of this dish.

Hearty Steak & Eggs ($14.90)

The other dish we tried was the Hearty Steak & Eggs.
That's right. Steak for breakfast. Fierce or what!

It comes with a slab of steak (which is a pretty decent size) smothered in sauteed onions and mushrooms, a sunny-side up, BBQ baked beans and 2 special buns with a surprise inside!

In case you were wondering, those are the BBQ baked beans that come with both the Eggs Benedict and the Hearty Steak and Eggs. They're actually not bad at all!

The 2nd picture shows the steak all sliced up. Not really the thickest steak ever (well, it IS breakfast) but it's cooked well enough so that it's still tender and juicy. Unfortunately the sunny-side up was again a disappointment. I guess Swensen's just doesn't do eggs the way I like em...

Oh and I almost forgot the buns!

Surprise!

That's actually baked honey butter cream in the middle of a Ciabatta bun!
It's actually really tasty! Just think of soft butter with a sweet honey tinge to it!

Adam's Verdict:
Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict 2/5 -- Hearty Steak & Eggs 3/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict 1.5/5 -- Hearty Steak & Eggs 2.5/5

There are actually quite a number of other breakfast items being offered. More traditional breakfast favourites like pancake, waffles, french toast, omelettes and even sandwiches!

But yet again, the service at the Tampines Mall Swensen's left a lot to be desired.
Not the first time but I sure hope it's the last time.

Swensen's (Tampines Mall)

Tampines Mall
4 Tampines Central 5, #03-30
www.swensens.com.sg
Tel: 6781 5489

Operating Hours:
10.30am-10.30pm (Weekdays)
8am-10.30pm (Weekends)