Hvala (111 Somerset)

The folks at HVALA don’t seem to ever rest on their laurels; if they are not launching new concepts all over the island, then they do seem to have been busy opening new outlets around town. It does seem that HVALA has been trying to do things a little differently than they used to in the past; those whom have been to their newer outlets would have realised how they had been introducing exclusive dishes that are only available in some particular outlets such as their savoury food menu that is being served at their outlet at Odeon Towers, as well as the Shio Pan creations which they have also launched in collaboration with Butter Town at their Raffles Specialist Centre outlet in the Bugis neighbourhood. These folks had recently renovated their outlet at 111 Somerset; the outlet whilst retaining that mix of Tatami-style and staircase-style seating now sees the space being segmented off in a way that is a better use of space — a new area being the people-watching section where platform-style seating is now placed across and alongside the windows facing out towards Somerset Road. The furniture and fittings have been largely updated while the interior still bears a rather familiar layout overall; that being said, the entire vibe of the space still feels more ultra-modern with the use of bright (almost neon-like) colours, while still attempting to preserve its previous Japanese teahouse vibe. With the refreshed look in both the design of the space and its logo, HVALA has also introduced outlet-exclusive dishes that are only available at the 111 Somerset location at the time of writing — apart from the usual Matcha-based desserts and beverages that these folks are already known for, there are also a line-up of Special Desserts and outlet-exclusive pastries that are made available in the menu as well.

We made our visit to HVALA’s 111 Somerset location largely after knowing how they are serving up an outlet-exclusive line-up of Special Desserts here — this will comprise of a range of two (2) desserts; one being the Matcha Mochi Harmony and the other would be the Azuki Soup with Mochi. Skimming through the menu for the description of the two items, we found our preferences having laid towards the Matcha Mochi Harmony — the Matcha Mochi Harmony being an item that comprises of elements such as “liquid mochi”, Kuromitsu, Honey Mochi cubes, a scoop of their signature M1 matcha gelato and a shot of their Tsuki matcha; the Tsuki matcha being served in a small pitcher on its own where patrons can pour in the amount of Tsuki matcha that they desire into the main bowl of dessert. The Matcha Mochi Harmony is an item which does seem to be created with the matcha-lover in mind; pouring in the shot of Tsuki matcha, the entire dessert does carry notes of the bitter undertones of matcha — one that is fairly intense but would definitely be one that suits those whom love their Japanese matcha unadulterated. Those whom are familiar with the creations at HVALA would know that their signature M1 matcha gelato is created for the most avid matcha lover in mind; the gelato also being of a similar intensity of that of the Tsuki matcha — so much that it doesn’t carrying any distracting notes of dairy or sweetness with it, though we did notice some chunks of ice within the signature M1 matcha gelato that was honestly a texture that was less than ideal. With so much focus being placed on the notes of pure matcha within the Matcha Mochi Harmony, we liked how both the Kuromitsu and Honey Mochi cubes provided an earthy and floral note of sweetness that provides a good contrast of flavours to the dessert which could otherwise feel a little flat, whilst also adding a bit of chewy bite to the entire dessert for a textural contrast as well. The addition of dried Osmanthus also seems to have helped further enhance the floral notes of the dessert as well. A dessert that feels like it is a best to be had if shared between two

Considering our love for Choux puffs, it is needless to say that we aren’t leaving HVALA without giving their Houjicha Choux Puff a go after learning that they are offering this item at their outlet at 111 Somerset. HVALA describes their Houjicha Choux Puff to come with elements such as a light Houjicha mascarpone cream and choux pastry; all seemingly coming dusted with Houjicha powder over the top. The Houjicha Choux Puff does come in a rather large size; something along the lines of that which is around the same as the cream puff that is being sold at Beard Papa outlets around the island. The choux pastry of the Houjicha Choux Puff isn’t at its most ideal texture considering how we visited HVALA during a weekday evening; the choux puff came with a bit of a sticky consistency with much of the pastry losing quite a fair bit of crispness that it would have carried if had fresh. There is a slight sweetness amidst the bitter and roasty undertones of Houjicha from the Houjicha powder dusted above the choux puff, while the filling itself does come with a pretty intense note of Houjicha — again without the distraction of dairy or sweetness. That being said, the use of mascarpone cream against pastry cream also meant that the Houjicha Choux Puff felt quite heavy and jelak when we were midway through the choux puff; another item that would probably works best to be shared amongst two pax.