Wimbly Lu / Little Wimbly Lu
152 Jalan Riang
1 Maju Avenue
#01-09 MyVillage @ Serangoon Garden
http://www.wimblylu.com/
Excellent Desserts, Especially Their Waffles
(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Ambience & Setting: 6
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 7
Value for Money: 8
Spent about SGD $10 per person.
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From the minute you walk in, Wimbly Lu / Little Wimbly Lu strikes you as a quaint dessert cafe. Barring their small, rather limited menu of main dishes, Wimbly Lu / Little Wimbly Lu has a wide range of desserts, displayed attractively in their large refrigerated cabinet near the entrance. Replicating the best examples of American, British, and French pastries and confectionerys, Wimbly Lu / Little Wimbly Lu also specialises in gourmet chocolates.
Ambience at Wimbly Lu / Little Wimbly Lu is quaint, attractive, and homely. The space is closely packed, but the attractive furniture which doubles as decor is sadly, not very comfortable. I like that they have a lot of natural lighting, and they've also touched up the rafters with decorations. The main attraction is their vast display of desserts, all of which look so appetizing and decadent!
Service at Wimbly Lu / Little Wimbly Lu is pretty good, as the young staff are friendly, chirpy, and efficient, able to meet requests quickly. Wait time for orders is generally short as well, taking less than 8 minutes before you're served. I also like that staff have a basic working knowledge on their desserts and chocolates, able to describe simply what it's made from.
Food at Wimbly Lu / Little Wimbly Lu revolves around their desserts, though they have a small finger food menu. But as a gourmet chocolatier, a lot of their items contain chocolate in some form. Portions are sufficient for 1 person to finish, even without sharing, and I like that the sweetness of their desserts isn't too overwhelming. Prices are affordable as well, budget about SGD $10 or so per person for an after meal (or before meal) snack here.
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It's easy to miss the place if you don't know it's here, as the wording on their signage is rather small and unclear. Quite a lot of youths seem to like this as a hangout place, partly because of the low prices on desserts and finger food.
Wimbly Lu Signage & Bug |
I felt the Classic Hot Chocolate (SGD $6) was smooth, but rather lacking in that rich chocolate taste that I like. But as it was served scaldingly hot, the marshmallows quickly dissolved into the beverage. Below average.
Classic Hot Chocolate |
Loved the Affogato (SGD $6), done in classic Italian style. A shot of strong, hot espresso, poured over a smooth, silky vanilla ice cream, resulting in a sweet, luxurious beverage dessert. Lovely.
Affogato 01 |
Affogato 02 |
Felt the Chocolate Milkshake (SGD $7.50) was slightly below average. The taste was good, with a decent amount of chocolate taste, my issue is that for a milkshake, the texture is too thin, seeming more like just ordinary chocolate milk.
Chocolate Milkshake |
The Bacon & Egg Crepe (SGD $9) is only available on weekends till 2pm, and consists of soft, creamy scrambled eggs, infused with smoky bacon bits, stuffed into a thin, light, French style crepe, with a side of fresh salad lettuce and cherry tomatoes. Tasty, and more filling than it looks!
Bacon & Egg Crepe 01 |
Bacon & Egg Crepe 02 |
The Waffle With Honey Cinnamon Ice Cream & Maple Syrup (SGD $7.50) was excellent! I think they have among the best waffles in Singapore, crisp outside yet soft inside, fragrant, buttery, and hot. Perfect even on its own, or drizzled with sweet maple syrup. The ice cream is smooth and holds up well, and the taste of honey and cinnamon is distinct. Highly recommended!
Waffle With Honey Cinnamon Ice Cream & Maple Syrup 01 |
Waffle With Honey Cinnamon Ice Cream & Maple Syrup 02 |
Waffle With Honey Cinnamon Ice Cream & Maple Syrup 03 |
Was rather let down by the Sticky Date Pudding (SGD $5), which had potential, but didn't live up to it. The main problem is the method of serving, with the excellent, sticky sweet toffee sauce topping the pudding, unlike the classic British method of serving on a plate with the sauce around it. This means that once you've finished the top layer, the bottom of the pudding is left dry. Could be better.
Sticky Date Pudding 01 |
Sticky Date Pudding 02 |
The classic American Apple Pie (SGD $7.50) has large chunks of caramelised apple slices, packed tightly within a buttery biscuit crumble crust. Fairly good, though slightly too sweet.
Apple Pie 01 |
Apple Pie 02 |
The Brownie With Salted Caramel Ice Cream (SGD $8.30) is very good. The brownie itself is light, yet moist and rich in chocolate flavour. Great when warm, and unlike other places, this version doesn't contain any nuts. Paired with the salted caramel ice cream, the combination of sweet and salty balances well, making each mouthful interesting and lively.
Brownie With Salted Caramel Ice Cream 01 |
Brownie With Salted Caramel Ice Cream 02 |
I felt the Lemon Meringue Pie (SGD $7.50) was among the best renditions I've had! The lemon curd is nicely balanced, with notes of sweet, sour, tangy, and zesty. The meringue is light, airy, and sweet, almost like a cream. I felt the pie crust looked a little thick, but was surprised that it's quite light, fragrant, and buttery, almost like a soft biscuit in texture. Highly recommended!
Lemon Meringue Pie 01 |
Lemon Meringue Pie 02 |
I think the Blackout Cake (SGD $6.50) was the weakest dessert I had here. It's a decent enough rendition, with rich, dense chocolate flavour in the cake, and properly thick chocolate fudge topping that's sweet and decadent. But the overall thickness of the slice made it slightly dry, and in comparison with the other high quality desserts here, this fell short. Skip this.
Blackout Cake 01 |
Blackout Cake 02 |
The Eton Mess (SGD $6) is a classic British dessert, traditionally consisting of strawberries, meringue, and cream. Named after Eton College in England, where it was created in the 19th century, the Eton Mess is rarely served in Singapore, due to its unhealthy, decadent nature. Here, the version has substituted cherries in place of strawberries.
Eton Mess 01 |
Eton Mess 02 |
Eton Mess 03 |
On first glance, the Root Beer Cake (SGD $6.40) look like an ordinary slice of dark chocolate brownie, sitting in a puddle of thick chocolate fudge, and served with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. It's not until you take the first bite that you realise how novel this is... the immediate taste of root beer soft drink hits you, as it's totally infused into the moist cake. As you eat it with the ice cream, it really does resemble a root beer float, right down to the slight fizzy texture you get with each mouthful. Surprising, and delightful!
Root Beer Cake 01 |
Root Beer Cake 02 |
An average Seafood & Cheese Toasty Melts (SGD $4), where the actual seafood is limited to a few scanty chunks of prawn. For this price, I can't complain, and at least the cheese is hot and gooey, and the toast is crisp.
Seafood & Cheese Toasty Melts 01 |
Seafood & Cheese Toasty Melts 02 |
Update Jan-2016: The Wimbly Lu / Little Wimbly Lu dessert cafe has since expanded their menu, now offering a wider range of desserts, as well as several main courses and a range of drinks! They even have Crabbie's Original Alcoholic Ginger Beer (SGD $12), which has a fairly intense taste of ginger, spice, and oak, with very little sweetness.
Crabbie's Original Alcoholic Ginger Beer |
Update Jan-2016: The Spaghetti Aglio Olio With Bacon (SGD $11) is among the new main courses on the menu. They tried to do it al-dente, but the texture remains much too firm, and the dish was swimming in olive oil. But I appreciate the large, earthy slices of button mushroom, and salty savoury strips of fatty bacon. I do feel it could have been more spicy, or at least offered diners the option to add cheese.
Spaghetti Aglio Olio With Bacon |
Update Jan-2016: The Banoffee Pie (SGD $6) is a classic British English dessert pie, made with layers of caramelised bananas topped with whipped cream and toffee, on a pie base made from either pastry dough, or crumbled biscuits. The version here differs in presentation, it's served in a cup, but has essentially all the ingredients. A generous base of finely crumbled biscuits, layered with sweet bananas, topped with smooth cream, and rich toffee. Tasty!
Banoffee Pie 01 |
Banoffee Pie 02 |
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Update Feb-2017: More than 1 year since I last visited Wimbly Lu / Little Wimbly Lu, and they've done well for themselves, having now expanded their menu to offer brunch options, as well as changed their range of desserts. I'm glad the ambience remains casual and chill, very comfortable. The service has markedly improved, thanks to the presence of senior, customer-oriented staff who take care of diners. The food has improved slightly in quality, and the desserts remain consistently good. Prices at Wimbly Lu / Little Wimbly Lu remain affordable and reasonable, they're well worth visiting.
Wimbly Lu Menu 2017 |
Pleasantly surprised that the Cottage Pie (SGD $13) here is homemade, and it's pretty decent in taste too. A thick, fluffy layer of smooth mashed potatoes blankets a savoury sweet layer of juicy minced beef, diced carrtos, and corn kernels. Lovely light flavours, and a very filling portion. Worth ordering!
Cottage Pie (SGD $13) |
Cottage Pie |
Loved the Earl Grey White Chocolate Mousse Cake (SGD $6). Not overly sweet, the floral milky sweet flavour of the white chocolate coats the soft, moist, floral sweet mousse cake, which has been infused with earl grey tea. The result is a dainty yet tasty dessert cake, a good treat after a meal. Good!
Earl Grey White Chocolate Mousse Cake (SGD $6) |
Earl Grey White Chocolate Mousse Cake |
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CONVERSATION