Ong Lai Gelato – Uniquely Local Flavours Like Pineapple Tart & Kaya Toast in Boon Keng!

When it comes to gelato, we’re always eager to see just how adventurous flavours can get and oftentimes, they have us pleasantly surprised. Ong Lai Gelato gives local flavours a sweet creamy whirl and turns them into unique gelato flavours that captured our hearts from the first bite. Think intriguing options such as Grape Yakult, Kaya Toast, Kopi Guyou and their namesake, Pineapple Tart.

The gelato cafe is tucked away in the sleepier part of Boon Keng. Besides the aforementioned locally-themed selection, other choices include deliciously fun options such as  Toasted S’mores, Sicilian Pistachio, Snickers and Honey Stars! 

A single scoop of classic flavours goes for $3.50 and a double scoop goes for $7, while premium flavours are available at $4.50 for a single scoop and $9 for a double scoop. You can also pair your gelato with a Belgium waffle ($5) or an intriguing praffle ($2), which is prata pressed into a waffle maker. 

Once you’ve decided on the gelato flavours you want, enter the cosy parlour decked out in a retro colour palette of pale pink and yellow, and order at the bar counter. 

My waffle was paired with vibrantly purple Orh Nee and pale green Kaya Toast, and finished off with a light drizzle of chocolate syrup. The Orh Nee instantly reminded me of taro ice cream and tasted more like yam-flavoured gelato than the popular Teochew dessert it was modelled after. I enjoyed how the Kaya Toast had a gentle kaya taste, with biscuit bits peppering the creamy gelato to resemble the toast. 

The waffle was rather doughy on the inside and had a cake-like texture. It would have been nice if it had crispier edges with a more fluffy interior. 

I also decided to get the praffle and topped it off with Pineapple Tart and Kopi Guyou. While the Pineapple Tart seemed to lean more towards just plain ol’ pineapple, it was still a very enjoyable flavour that tasted very refreshing and had the same biscuit bits found in the Kaya Toast to resemble the buttery crust of the tart. It was also supposed to have bits of pineapple jam but strangely, I couldn’t seem to find them. 

This one’s for the coffee lovers — the Kopi Guyou had a strong and rich coffee flavour with slightly bitter undertones. 

On the other hand, the praffle was slightly underwhelming. While it was crispy with the same texture as your typical prata, it wasn’t as buttery and was very much like the store-bought frozen kind. 

I’m definitely a fan of Ong Lai Gelato’s variety of gelato flavours that perfectly executed the uniqueness of local favourites, not to mention the creamy smoothness of the gelato itself. It seems that they also frequently rotate their flavours, so there’s always something new to look forward to!

MissTamChiak.com made an anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.

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