Tofu G Gelato | Korean Premium Ice Cream (Mandarin Gallery, Orchard Pop-Up)

Got to learn about the opening of the TOFU•G 豆府記 두부젤라또 pop-up fairly recently by an acquaintance and it was already enough to pique our interest to check them out. Located at Mandarin Gallery, TOFU•G is a concept by the same folks behind the Initia Group — these folks are possibly best noted for the multiple concepts that the run across the Orchard / Somerset neighbourhood; the group also does operate several concepts within Mandarin Gallery itself which not only comprises of F&B establishments such as that of DRIM Korean Steak House and MODU Korean Restaurant, but also BADA Korean Hair Salon as well. Some other concepts which the brand also runs outside of Mandarin Gallery includes the likes of the Am I Addicted Pottery Studio at Orchard Central, as well as Let’s Yori Korean Cooking Studio at Downtown OUE. TOFU•G takes up a space that is adjacent from DRIM Korean Steak House at Mandarin Gallery; the space is decked in a rather similar rustic, old-school Korean vibe that mimics that of DRIM Korean Steak House and MODU Korean Restaurant though a little less grand considering how the space operates as a pop-up, as well as the fare they are serving. The shop unit is pretty spacious, though it is evidently so that the store does feature limited seating — there is a communal table that sits in the middle of the space which seats around ten (10) pax; also available for dine-in patrons would be two benches where one faces out of the establishment and one situated within the establishment facing the counter at one corner. Otherwise, patrons can get to use the standing space located on the other side of the space as well. Being an establishment that focuses much on their gelato and soft-serve offerings, TOFU•G offers only six (6) different flavours of Tofu gelato — their specialty item, whilst also offering one Tofu soft-serve offering as well. Patrons do get a choice to opt between having their gelato / soft-serve in cups or cones; the latter being charged at an additional dollar.

Noting how they do offer both gelato and soft-serve in Tofu flavours, we decided to go with the Sun Tofu — essentially the Tofu soft-serve offering here. We were told by the staff that the Sun Tofu will be similar to the Tofu Gelato that they have to offer on the gelato menu; there is also a High-Protein Tofu option that Tofu•G offers in their gelato menu — the High-Protein Tofu would be the option to go for if one prefers to have a more intense note of Tofu within the gelato, though it is. Ltd that the High-Protein Tofu is also less sweet than the Tofu Gelato as well. Back to the Sun Tofu, we thought that this outshone the Sweet Potato Gelato which we also tried during the same visit to Tofu•G. Whilst we were initially expecting the soft-serve to melt quite quickly given this usage of tofu, we were surprised that the soft-serve still managed to hold its form really well despite us taking a little bit of time to get through the soft-serve. The soft-serve was also incredibly smooth yet suitably dense to carry that luxurious mouthfeel; one could also detect the soy bean-esque notes that comes in the finish that perfumes the tastebuds as one digs in deeper into the cup — the level of sweetness being pretty much about right to bring out the flavours of the tofu-infused base, rounding it nicely as a dessert offering whilst not being overly sweet.

In retrospect, the Sweet Potato Gelato comes with a light purple hue — perhaps a love to mimic that of purple sweet potato though the shade of purple also does remind us of some taro-infused offerings served up at other dining establishments elsewhere. The Sweet Potato Gelato does indeed come with an earthy note though we found it to be more taro-like than sweet potato-esque; the flavour also felt a tad too sweet for our liking, being sweeter than that of the Sun Tofu and didn’t quite bring out the notes of the tofu base of the gelato — a little missing the point given how Tofu•G does seem to be all about there tofu-infused gelato base. Comparing Tofu•G to other gelato parlours located across the island, Tofu•G does appear to be quite pricey — there is only an option to go for single flavours (i.e. no options of double scoop) — likely so to allow patrons to have an unadulterated taste of each flavour without any unintended “cross-contamination”, and each scoop of gelato costs a whopping $8. The Sun Tofu soft-serve in the meanwhile is priced at $7; a little more reasonable when compared against more “atas” establishments such as the likes of Tsujiri or Godiva that can be arguably more upscale, but more commercially-made. That being said, it is true that Tofu•G is offering a niche product that is unique to their own; one that is truly artisanal in its own right given current circumstances. We do think that Tofu•G is likely to catch the attention of those truly curious about what they have to offer — all that whilst perhaps gaining their very own loyal following for the difference that they are serving up in the local F&B scene here. It will be interesting to see if this gets mimicked by other players in the F&B scene in time to come, though we do have a feel that lines might start to form for their tofu-infused gelato as the word spreads in time to come.