Thursday, October 2, 2008

Seventh Heaven: "Adults Only" Ice Cream!

With Big MOG and Power|MOG

Single scoop Vanilla with Warm Chocolate Cake $7.80++

For Superman, it was Kryptonite. For Samson it was Delilah. Yes, every man has a weakness, something that would make him crumble to his knees. For the Big MOG, that happens to be ice cream. (His wife can also have the same effect sometimes, but that is not relevant to this story.)

It just so happened that when the Big MOG visited Singapore this time round, I also got contacted by Seventh Heaven to review their "Adults Only" ice cream. I thought that this was an opportunity too good to miss!

You see, Seventh Heaven is the latest player in the growing homemade ice cream market. But rather than going the "Homemade = Low Fat, Low Sugar = Good for You" route, they have gone directly opposite and are offering a "No holds barred, Sinfully Creamy, Don't tell me what the Doctor told you, just eat first and suffer the consequences later" type ice cream. So I was really excited to see whether this would literally send the Big MOG to Seventh Heaven.


Chocolate Coffee Crunch Single Scoop $5.80++ (brandied cherry in shotglass not shown)

The lady behind this ultra sinful dessert turned out to be quite an unlikely candidate. Rather than someone who looked like she really enjoys eating lots of pastries and desserts, she turned out to be a rather petite ex-English lecturer from NUS. And the place this cafe is situated is just as unlikely, being tucked away in "no-man's land" at the Marketing Institute of Singapore (former Gan Eng Seng School) where there is hardly any human traffic.


Big MOG in his moment of Epiphany

This ice cream really is for the true believers. There is no fancy sundaes here and you won't find them giving you a choice of toppings. The ice cream flavours are served as they are with just a wafer. Afterall, when so much effort has been put into each flavour of ice cream, it would be a waste to add anything else to it.

The one flavour that really stood out from the rest was the Chocolate Coffee Crunch which had hand pounded Arabica Coffee beans in chocolate ice cream made from Italian Amedei chocolate and Expresso. Big MOG was so ecstatic about it that he wanted to give it a 5/5 but but I had to moderate it a little. Having tasted the various homemade ice creams around town, I must say that this one is quite exceptional and coffee lovers will appreciate the pieces of crunchy coffee beans in the ice cream 4.5/5. Another one that I really enjoyed was the Chocolate and Scotch Whisky which is has a wonderous chocolate flavour and leaves that bit of Scotch Whisky aftertaste at the back of the palate. This one was my personal favourite. 4.5/5 If you like Kahlua, you should not miss out on that flavour as with all the ice cream here, they don't skimp on the amount of alcohol added, so the Kahlua taste really does hit home. 4.25/5


Lemon Granita

For those who like something a little lighter, you can try ordering the Lemon Granita which is essentially a hand crushed ice lemonade topped with their Vanilla ice cream which is made from a combination of four different Vanilla pods. When you visit, you should ask Dr Sein Chan, Phd herself why she went to so much effort to make a Vanilla ice cream. To me it was a good Vanilla Ice Cream but I don't think I could appreciate the difference that the four types of Vanilla pods made over other premium Vanilla Ice Creams. But eaten together with the zesty crushed lemon ice, it was quite addictive. 4.25/5

Conclusion

Quite a different class of homemade ice cream altogether. You are not going to find your usual Durian and Black Sesame here. Instead, they have the more "Grown up" flavours with a lot of them spiked with liquors and other stuff with fancy European names. Well worth a visit if you are an Ice Cream fan. It would be interesting to see if the "Ulu" (remote) location will play to their favour as the inaccessibility might add to their exclusivity.

Post Script:

I returned to Seventh Heaven with our regular Makan Kakis just before posting this to get their opinion on the Ice Cream. The majority ranked Chocolate and Whisky the highest (which was my personal perference as well) so I am upping its rating to 4.75/5. The other thing that we all agree was very very good was the warm chocolate cake ($7.80) which is probably the best value dish you can get there considering that a single scoop is already $5.80, that means that for an extra $2 you get a freshly baked warm chocolate cake with molten chocolate in the middle to go with your Ice Cream! We all gave that one a 4.75/5 as well.

Seventh Heaven
10 Raeburn Park, (Former Gan Eng Seng Sch)
#01-24/25/26
Marketing Institute of Singapore
Singapore 088702
Tel: 62277787
Mon - Thurs 11am to 8pm
Fri 11am to 11pm
Sat 1pm to 11pm
Closed Sundays and PH

Disclaimer: Please do not overindulge in this if you are suffering from conditions such as diabetes or high cholesterol. This blog does not in any way advocate underage drinking or excessive alcohol consumption.

47 comments:

mooon said...

any flavours for children? something must keep the children's attention while the adults indulge...hehehehe

ieat said...

Oh yes of course. Vanilla, Ameretto, Honey Almond nut crunch, Butterscotch Pecan.....

cactuskit said...

Yes, I must say the place is pretty special. Enjoyed the ice cream. Just a little too rich for me. But I'm not complaining. Most like it that way. For a once in a while indulgence, its great.

ieat said...

You mean to say that all your other pictures of all the wonderous food that you ate in the forum is not considered indulgence?

JENCOOKS said...

I am sure I will be in seventh heaven if I try that warm choc with whisky ice cream...but I am still figuring out how to go there.

Dennyz said...

i'm glad that i tagged along with everyone to Seventh heaven to check out their great tasting ice creams! simple yet delicious n mind blowing! really gotta go try out for yourself ! *Cheers*

Sumosumo said...

*yawn*.. whats that buzzing noise...

the ice cream here really looks something special....

maybe will go there after the tues makan at GMFC..

Holy Drummer said...

I like the semi-open kitchen concept, though the location is really "no-man's land". But it's probably a niche crowd they are attracting.

The piece de resistance for me was the chocolate cake - really nice and soft when fresh out of the oven. Pairing it with a scoop of vanilla...ooh heaven~

What really caught my eye was that I noticed they can play around with a lot of alcohol hurhur =x Professor of Creamix-ology~

I guess they can make whatever special creation the guest requests for, a-la-minute? That'll be a hit!

Imagine a lychee martini sorbet! *hint hint*

Blur Ting said...

I'm addicted already...and I haven't even tried anything yet!

P. Chong said...

wah, this one looks fantastic man...gotta go try.

khim said...

my favorites tat day was

1. Lemon Granita - very refreshing! nice, i like!

2. Chocolate and Scotch Whisky - e whisky is very shiok

3. Kahlua - need to say more?

4. Warm Chocolater Cake - 1 mouth of choco cake then 1 mouth of vanilla ice cream, u r in heaven! ;)

drummer, i like e idea of lychee martini sorbet too! =p let's ask Dr Chan to make it & then we share e cost?

ieat said...

Jencooks, it is behind Tanjong Pagar Railway station. There is a road that runs along the perimeter of the station, just take that road all the way to the end. This used to be the Gan Eng Seng School.

Chris The Baker said...

Why? Why? WHYYY did you have to come up with a post like this, JUST as my gyne tells me I'm gaining too much weight during my pregnancy?? Whhhyyyy???

The flesh is weak. Nevermind. Eat first, suffer later...

lisa said...

For me it was just the warm chocolate cake and maybe the Lemon Granita.

The other flavours didn't leave much of an impression on me though...

ieat said...

Chris, just buy one scoop of your favourite flavour and savour it slowly. Then cut down on your dinner, lunch and breakfast calories.

This is the law of conservation of calories aka Never waste your calories on yucky food!

jems said...

my favorite was the whisky chocolate and the kahlua very shiok!! and for granita I enjoyed the coffee version more :) Warm chocolate cake was very soft but I wish it was a little more cake than sauce inside and it'll be perfect :)

I actually find the location good, no need to squeeze with crowds and easy parking keke.

Holybro said...

I love this place man...

I am underage, and therefore the chocalate whisky ice cream hit the umami spot for me that day...simply divine decadance...

The vanila ice cream with warm chocalate cake IMO is quite worth it...and the cake is warm, moist and sauce is just waiting to flow out of the cake! Take a scoop and dip it into the vanila ice cream....

wahhh....can die!

Would love to see them play around with some ice cream with vodka added. :D:D

khim said...

lisa = amagada? =)

cactuskit said...

Yes. Armagada = Mrs. Tay.

Nod said...

Disclaimer: Please do not overindulge in this if you are suffering from conditions such as diabetes or high cholesterol. This blog does not in any way advocate underage drinking or excessive alcohol consumption.

vs

Don't tell me what the Doctor told you, just eat first and suffer the consequences later" type ice cream

LOL

Samantha Lee said...

The "Don't tell me what the Doctor told you, just eat first and suffer the consequences later" description is for the type of ice cream they have(not those other no-fat no-milk no-eggs no-cream no-taste type ice cream), so if you read that and you want to indulge, thennnnnn:

Disclaimer: Please do not overindulge in this if you are suffering from conditions such as diabetes or high cholesterol. This blog does not in any way advocate underage drinking or excessive alcohol consumption.

TA-DA! Lol..

JENCOOKS said...

Les, thanks. If I can find the ulu Gong Village in Port Klang, this sound easy. Great I will make my way there.

Fen said...

Wow... thank you for putting a post with a screaming title to indicate that the ice-cream are with liquor.

Just what I am looking for!!!

By the way, are there any other eateries in the former Gan Eng Seng School? I don't drive but I am dying to drop by so I was wondering are they are eateries or sandwich bars before dropping by for a dessert.

Duvall said...

This place no longer has that exclusive vibe anymore.... Long long queue of people these days. Waiting up to an hour for a seat in the evenings these days is not uncommon.

Dr Chan should negotiate with the school to put tables outside at the huge spaces outside her shop.

Let's all hope the quality don't drop with the increased popularity.

What I do these days is just get takeaway, (which at $3+ per scoop is really value for money) and just sit on the floor outside or in my car and savour the indulgence under the starlight!

Pure bliss....

SH said...

Hihi,

Thanks for dropping by Seventh Heaven (hereafter, SH).

Still attempting to iron things out though e.g., talking to management for more space over the weekends, getting the shift rotations right et.al.

Anyhow, for all those who were caught in the mayhem on the 3rd and 4th of October, so, so sorry. We would like to give an outright discount just to show our appreciation, but we would not be able to know who's who.

Tell you what, anyone who prints SH's review from this blog will get a 20 per cent off the total bill (one claim per table please!).

And, considering our limited sitting area, we may convert SH into a 'Reservations Only' (Tel: 622-777-87) gourmet outlet. We simply hate to disappoint.


Sein
(on behalf of the SH team)

Holybro said...

Hey Dr Sein,

personally, I feel that your ice creams are really that worth the wait, coz if they were not, people would not have stood there diligently for 1+ hour just for that scoop of indulgence and bliss!


Keep up the good work yea!

jems said...

Dr Sein,

you might want to advice when will your 20% discount if anyone who turns up with a printed page of this review ends? :)

SH said...

Hey,

Wow! Many thanks for all the encouragement.

And, yes, there should be a validity date. Hmm, till 1 November 2008.

One more thing, please, please, please guys, stop calling me Dr. Sein/Chan. I don't even ask my ex-students to address me by my title!

:)

lisa said...

Yep, lisa = amagada becoz was forced to sign in my google account...

Dugong said...

Thanks Les for sharing this interesting ice cream parlour! Had some overseas friends last Sat, and we dropped by at SH for...Yes!! Indeed..delectable Chocolate-Whiskey ice cream and yummy-licious Warm Chocolate Cake! We love the Sample Menu I (3 flavours of your choice) most! But...it was a TWO hours waiting time. Hope things will turn out better for a faster TAT.

Blur Ting said...

Sein,
Thank goodness we were the first couple to arrive at your shop on 3rd Oct night! It was empty at first but the people started streaming in after 9pm. We still need to go back to try that lemon granita.

Ladie said...

Hi Sein, pls apologize no more. I must say your ice cream is so good that having toppings will spoil the flavour. Thanks for the Death by Cappuccino endorsement! Les, thank you for the recommendation!!

Mike AKA Snake86 said...

Thanks Again Sein for hosting me and my insane bunch of buddies on tuesday night! I had a truely wonderful time! Guys if you ever want a out of town dessert gathering with absolutely wonderful ice cream, Seventh Heaven is the place to be man!

Anonymous said...

Hi may I know if 7th heaven sells ice cream by pints?

ieat said...

Sure, they can sell it by tubs, by pots, by kg if you want to.

Anonymous said...

haha ok thanks.

shu ting said...

Aww, The chocolate and scotch whisky is definitely a 'MUST-HAVE'.
Thanks to SH Denise's recommendation, she truly made me & my buddies' evening ice-creamilicious!
Dr Sein, that unit used to be an AVA theatrette! (where most would slowly fall asleep after the lights are switched off, haha)

Holy Drummer said...

Featured on TODAY along with The Pastry Bar.

So coincidental that Big D's Grill was also featured on the same day, wonder if the respective reporters are avid readers of this blog haha~

Christopher KB said...

Finally I had the perfect excuse to visit the off the beaten track "heaven on earth" =) with my wife, Celine.

We ordered the platter (Mango Vodka, Chocolate Whiskey & Vanilla) and warm choc cake + Choc Arabica (Sein was accommodating to offer us other flavours since we ordered Vanilla already. TQ!)

What can we say.... I love alcohol, Vodka+Mango & Choc+Whiskey were decadent & intoxicating.

The Vanilla opened our taste buds that run of the mill vanilla ice creams are way below par compared to this creation.

Choc Arabica? The caffeine dosage can rival the Starbucks coffee or Killiney kopi anytime.

Well done Sein, your creations are really special and deserves a place in the heavens. Like Arnie's trademark phrase "I'll be back lor" (minus the Austrian slang)

Sein is a really sweet & to top it up pretty too Yum! (OUCH! That's Celine pinching me)

Cheers, Celine + Chris

SH said...

Dear all,

Thank you so much for all the kind compliments (said with a big, big smile).

Merry Christmas!


Cheers.


Sein
(on behalf of the Seventh Heaven team)

clara said...

heys. i really adore ice cream but... how do u get there? any bus? i have no car. =X thanks thanks!

Yang said...

their sandwiches are also good too,nice atmosphere n service. lastly nice ice cream too! personally like the Lychee Martini,the smoothness, lychee fragrance and aftertaste compliments each other completely!

ieat said...

Oh I didn't know they started to do sandwiches! The last time I was there there was nothing to eat for lunch. Now at least there is a good excuse to go there for lunch.

Yang said...

yep i think they started doing it recently. there is soup too btw ^^. So you could have soup den sandwiches and lastly ice creams!

ieat said...

How are the soups? Would you go there just to drink the soup even if you are not eating ice cream?

Yang said...

hahas nope i dun have a car so its not that convenient for me to travel down just to drink the soup. I tried the wild mushroom soup yesterday, it was rich in taste. U could really feel the chopped mushrooms traveling down your throat, mushrooms lovers shd try this. They used the real wild mushroom, not like those campbell soups that is artificial. They have 2 other soup which is chicken noodle and vegetable. I would love to try the vegetable soup the next time i am going down though^^.
(P.S. sorry for the lousy description i m not that good in commenting on foods XD)

Yeo said...

LYCHEE MARTINI? O_O

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