Island Creamery

Bandung... Teh Tarik.... Shiok lah. this place has the best local flavors. I also like the Sake flavors although sometimes they do get a bit too sweet.

One thing that I have noticed and that I do agree with is the hiring policy of this establishment. They have a pretty good track record of hiring 'Hot' scoopers compared to any ice cream joint I've been to.

My husband and I had always been great lovers of the ice-cream at island creamery, making it almost a must-have dessert for every family gathering at my home, but the recent episode of poor customer service that we had encountered with them is enough to make us change our minds about ever patronising their shop again.

It was a Friday night when we made our take-away order for one tub of Reverso and one tub of Apple Pie ice-cream after having dinner nearby. As usual, we respected their request not to open the doors of the freezers to help ourselves to the flavours of our choice. Instead, we allowed one of the staff there to assist us, and promptly paid for our ice-cream before heading back home. But it soon proved to be a mistake as when we took our tubs of ice-cream out of the packaging to be placed in the freezer, we realised we were wrongly given Nutella instead of Apple Pie. It so happens that I personally absolutely abhor Nutella so it was a big turn-off for me. Nevertheless, I called the shop immediately and as I was trying to explain the situation to the staff on the line, she kept cutting me in, asking if I was so-so and if I had ordered this and that, completing ignoring what I was trying to tell her. I soon grew impatient and asked her to hear me out first before making any assumptions and she then promptly handed the telephone over to another staff, senior management, I suppose. Still, I had to repeat the entire story all over again, but this time, at least I was speaking to someone who was listening. After repeating my situation to the staff on the line, she just simply told me to bring the tub of Nutella back for an exchange, like as if I just happened to stay next door or something. So, I told her, it was not possible for me to purposely travel all the way back there just to exchange a tub of ice-cream since I stay some way off. So, with that, she suggested that I could go down anytime for an exchange, without needing to bring back the tub of Nutella ice-cream, which made sense since it meant that we could just drop by at our convenience and wouldn’t have to lug around a tub of Nutella ice-cream from wherever we were coming from. Having been somewhat appeased by that, we ended our conversation.

On Sunday, my husband and I deliberately planned our Sunday agenda in such as way that we could lunch and do our grocery shopping within the vicinity of Island Creamery so that we could go then collect our tub of Apple Pie ice-cream. However, when we entered the shop, we were told that it was SOLD OUT and that they had not reserved a tub for us! In fact, one of the staff asked the other why wasn’t it reserved for us, which was the very question on our minds as well. Another staff then came to talk to us and ‘explained’ that their flavours were sold out every day and that we should have called before going down to the shop. However, the truth is they had previously told us to go down anytime to make a collection and made no mention about us having to call before going down. In addition, they told us we could wait for one hour before the new batch of ice-cream is ready. And there we were, standing with bags and bags of groceries, which included items that needed to be chilled as well. The most ludicrous thing is that they spoke to us in such a way as if we were supposed to know they were sold out every day. Eventually, they simply left us on our own to pick another flavour of our choice, without so much of an apology or even an apologetic look.

As much as their ice-cream is good, and as much as they feel they could very well do without us as customers, I think the failure to understand the concept of excellent customer service could in the long run be to their detriment. As for my husband and I, along with our families, will never patronise their shop again, and you’ll be sure that our friends and acquaintances will hear of this story. It’s stores like this that has put a shame to the service industry in Singapore. It’s really no wonder that the Singapore’s ranking in world service standard has fallen.

For all schools around and near bukit timah, the word, Island Creamery should ring a bell. In a place as remote and ulu as bt timah, where the nearest shopping centre is either Coronation, Bt Timah plaza or Beauty World, it is no wonder IC is often quoted students' most favourite hangout places, if you will kindly exclude the Macs at KAP.
There are many reasons why one loves IC. These are what that appeals to me.

Reason#1: student-friendly prices.

Definitely more expensive than your$1 icecream bought from the aunties and ahpeks' moving booths. However tell me,where else can you get such lovely handmade ice cream at a mere rate of $2.50 for a single scoop and $4 for double scoops? On top of that, you get to print a souvenir photo of you and your pals and pin it on the wall. You get to admire the photo of your previous IC outing as well as photos of your other lovely/pretty/hot/handsome schoolmates or babes and hunks from other schools on the wall haha! Nice couches, friendly services and cool parlour! Tell me, how value-for-money is that?

Reason #2 : Annoyingly irresistable mudpie.

In my opinion, you would not have truly visited IC if you never had a bite of their famous mudpie before! The layers of Reverse O, Cookies and Cream and Kahlua Latte adorned with generous servings of crunchy oreo chunks is simply enchanted with the ability to make one squeal in delight. A must-have for all chocoholics! However,personally i prefer the bottom layer to the reverso chocolate layer as i find the latter a tad bit overwhelming. Weight conscious ladies who fail to resist the temptation, please share it with your peers. Imagine the amount of calories that you would have gorged?!

Reason #3 : Its unique local flavours.

Teh tarik (left) speaks of the true light aroma distinctive of tea. Very refreshing and soothing. But personally i feel that it pales in comparison to Nutella (right) which gets better with every mouthful. Chocolate and hazelnut proves to be a match made in heaven once again. I love those chunks of chocolate bits hidden within the swirls of cream and brown. Awesome! (:

I had never loved burnt caramel but this is good. Not too sweet and the burnt taste is actually rather prominent! Bandung is my ultimate favourite, putting nutella aside. And i did not quote that because of its pretty fluffy cottoncandy pink. Most people would shun bandung, especially those served in coffeeshops which taste like nothing but an overdose of condensed milk and coyingly sweet artificial rose syrup. But this is different. There is a light breeze of rose fragrance that sinks deep into the tastebuds and this is nowhere near artificial-tasting. One can almost expect rose petals amidst it, exaggerated as it sounds! I am SO coming back for this definitely! :D

Dont trust my verdict and too wary to give bandung a try? Fret not, feel free to ask for a sampling at the counter and you decide if you agree with my sentiments or not! (:

P/S: Serene Centre is not so serene with Island Creamery around. For those who takes pride in quiet dining, you might probably consider visiting in the mornings? Expect huge noisy crowds of students especially in the evenings during jc orientation period. Afterall it is the best place for one to chill, bond and love bt timah! (;