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Caught wind that Wonders had silently closed down both their locations in Clementi and Ang Mo Kio in recent times — whilst one door closes, another opens; their Ang Mo Kio location which is situated at Blk 128 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 has since been replaced by that of another gelato parlour named Villa Creamery. Villa Creamery should be quite an easy establishment to locate; this is considering how they are located within the last shop space that is situated at the far end of the block after coming in from the main road — the facade of the store is also decked in pink which pretty much makes it very prominent against the other shop units that are at the same block. Moving into the shop, it does seem that the folks at Villa Creamery had maintained the general layout of the space during its days as Wonders; the counter and the food preparation area being flushed towards the back of the space. The folks at Villa Creamery had painted their the space with a pink and white colours team that creates a vibrant look; the use of outdoor furniture as its dining furniture along with some greenery does give the interior a little bit of a Hawaiian vibe as well. Given the size of the shop unit, there are only four tables inside the shop — two of which catering for groups patronising in pairs, one sized for patrons coming in groups of six, and another that is good for four pax. Seating space of the establishment is further maximised with additional outdoor seating as well. Being a gelato parlour, the menu at Villa Creamery is pretty much central to their gelato offerings; there is a choice to opt between cone, cups and various types of waffles to go along with their gelato. Beverages offered at Villa Creamery will include a variety of Matcha-related beverages, Coolers and Teas.
We were a little spoilt for choice on which exact waffle we would like to go for to pair with our order of the gelato during our visit to Villa Creamery — we eventually found ourselves settling for the Pandan Mochi Waffle; our choice of gelato to go along with the Pandan Mochi Waffle being the Oolong Osmanthus Gelato and Chrysanthemum with Cacao Nibs Gelato considering our penchant for tea-flavoured gelato in general. Just like most gelato / ice-cream parlours out there, the waffles are freshly made upon order and requires some waiting time to be served; the Pandan Mochi Waffles take the form of the standard round Belgian waffles that many other gelato / ice-cream parlours here tend to serve their waffles as well; the browned batter also carrying a visibly obvious green hue from the infusion of Pandan in the batter. Slicing into the waffle, the Pandan Mochi Waffle at Villa Creamery does come crisp; the mochi seems to have been mixed entirely into the batter since the chewiness of the waffle seems to go throughout the entire waffle as well. Whilst one can observe a hint of Pandan fragrance coming out from the waffle, the waffle does come slightly saltish; we would think that a slight hint of sweetness would probably make the waffle compliment the gelato even more. It is difficult to pick a favourite between Oolong Osmanthus Gelato and Chrysanthemum with Cacao Nibs Gelato — both are very well-executed tea-based gelato flavours. For those whom prefer floral flavours that is closer to the likes of milk tea, the Oolong Osmanthus would probably be the one to go for considering the evident notes of Osmanthus whilst also replicating the likes of Oolong Milk Tea for its undertones. Meanwhile, the Chrysanthemum with Cacao Nibs is a more floral-inspired flavour than being a tea-based flavour; there is a lingering hint of sweetness from honey amidst the scent of chrysanthemum — all that whilst the cacao nibs provided a contrast of flavours and a bit of a crunch for variance of textures.
We had also given the Matcha Latte at Villa Creamery a go during our visit there for the Pandan Mochi Waffles — the Matcha Latte does come in hot and iced variant which we found ourselves going for the latter. We did feel that the Matcha Latte doesn’t come with a quite a strong hint of Matcha, though the bitter undertones of the Japanese tea can still be detected at the back of the tongue — slightly nuanced for our preferences. Overall, we did find Villa Creamery a pretty worthy successor to the now-defunct Wonders that they had replaced — no doubt that their offerings do seem to have some room for improvement; that being said, we do like their gelato enough that we do think that they are likely a spot where residents around the area would enjoy having to their convenience as a hangout spot to get their waffles and gelato cravings fixed. We do like how they have a decent selection of gelato flavours that seem to cater to those looking for more unique flavours (though still being flavours that one can find at other ice-cream / gelato parlours around the island) amidst more conventional ones — they do have something for everyone, while they also do the same with their selection of waffles especially with the offering of Mochi, Pandan Mochi and Nian Gao Waffles apart from the standard Belgian waffles. Yet another spot that is worth considering if need for some dessert whilst trying to settle around a spot in Ang Mo Kio slightly away from the hustle and bustle of Ang Mo Kio Town Centre.
