Old Skool Dessert House

Old Skool Dessert House
11 East Coast Road
#01 The Odeon Katong

https://www.facebook.com/oldskooldessert


Traditional Singaporean Desserts In A Throwback Cafe

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 6
Ambience & Setting: 7
Food & Beverage: 6
Service: 6
Value for Money: 7
Spent about SGD $6 per person.

Founded in April 2014 by Alan Sim and his secondary school friend, Old Skool Dessert House in Odeon Katong is a tribute throwback to the nostalgia of the 80s. Designed to resemble a classroom from the founders' childhood, Old Skool Dessert House offers traditional Singaporean desserts on their menu, as well as modern, adventurous, experimental fusion desserts.

Ambience at Old Skool Dessert House is a blast from the past. Wooden furniture is laid out in neatly on the bare concrete floor, resembling a classroom. They even have a 'detention corner' for patrons waiting for takeaway! Retro toys and snack packagings complete the nostalgic look, and diners can have fun identifying all the various childhood items here. They even have a magazine bin, which is a retro repurposed metal trash bin!

Service at Old Skool Dessert House is semi self-service. Ordering and payment can either be done at the counter, or staff will come over to take your orders tableside. The casual, friendly atmosphere extends throughout, and the small floor space lends a sense of cozyness. I like that staff can describe the various menu items well, especially their more unique dessert creations!

Food at Old Skool Dessert House largely comprises traditional Singaporean desserts, although they have a small selection of dim sum snacks on the menu. Founder Alan Sim and his sister-in-law create the desserts in-house, and I find their classic desserts to be good. They also experiment with dessert creations as well, especially their signature snowflake, creating unique, modern fusion desserts. Portions are sufficient for 1 person, and prices are decent as well, budget about SGD $6 per person for a dessert here.





The retro theme is evident all around, combining the olden classroom settings with a local Singaporean candy store / sweet shop. Plus, the awesome Detention Corner! I just had to sit there!

Old Skool Dessert House Signage

Retro Snacks & Toys

Toy Shelf

Detention Corner

Old Skool Dessert House Seating & Magazine Bin

The Old Skool Mediterranean Oxtail Stew With Corn Rice (SGD $14.90) was better than I expected. The actual Old Skool Mediterranean Oxtail Stew was luscious, deeply warming, and comforting, with chunks of oxtail, carrots, bell pepper / capsicum, and daikon radish, cooked till just soft and tender, yet still somewhat firm in texture. The oxtail is meaty, and comes off the bone easily, though the savoury beef gravy is a tad oily. The Corn Rice is fluffy and fragrant, with a slight hint of sweetness from the corn kernels studded within the white rice. Lovely dish!

Old Skool Mediterranean Oxtail Stew With Corn Rice

Corn Rice

Old Skool Mediterranean Oxtail Stew

The Chilling Mango Pomelo (SGD $4.50) has a generous portion of diced fresh mangoes, sweet and juicy! Love the creamy, milky sauce, and large, chewy sago balls, and I like the touch of pulled pomelo pulp as a garnish. Fruity dessert, and rather refreshing.

Chilling Mango Pomelo

The Paddle Pop Snowflake (SGD $5.90) is an inventive fusion dish, combining the colourful appeal of a paddle pop ice cream, with the smooth, flaky snowflake. They've coloured the snowflake in similar paddle pop rainbow colours, but it's essentially a snowflake dessert. I love the hidden cubes of sweet nata de coco / coconut cubes at the bottom of the jar, as well as the addition of marshmallows on top, which lends a chewy texture to the softness of the snowflake.

Paddle Pop Snowflake 01

Paddle Pop Snowflake 02

The Black And White (SGD $3.50) is a sweet, delectable mixture of Almond Paste (white), and Sesame Paste (black). Of the 2, I prefer the almond paste, for its smooth, creamy texture and pleasant almond fragrance. The sesame paste is smooth as well, perhaps too smooth, as I like it to be slightly grainy in texture. Also, the taste of the sesame seed isn't as strong as elsewhere. Overall, still a pretty good warm dessert!

Black And White