Tofu G Gelato: Korean Ice Cream in a ‘Hanok’ in Orchard Road

Tofu G Gelato at Mandarin Gallery sells Korean premium gelato ice-cream. It is possibly the most beautiful ice-cream parlour in Singapore. The pop-up store’s wooden interior reminds us of traditional hanok houses used as cafes in the Bukchon village in Seoul.

TOFU G Korean Ice Cream in Orchard Road Singapore

Eating gelato in a Hanok-like atmosphere made us feel like being in Seoul, even when we are in the heart of Singapore’s Orchard Road .The store is run by TOFU G. According to their website, their products are made with “high-quality, natural ingredients and emphasise high-protein, low-fat values to deliver a guilt-free yet indulgent dessert experience.” There are currently two stores – Takashimaya (B2) and Mandarin Gallery (Level 3). Although the latter is described as a pop-up store, it felt like a very permanent store.

Compared with other specialist gelato stores in Singapore such as Birds of Paradise Gelato, the choice of flavours is limited. I believe they had six regular flavours and two seasonable ones. What differentiates Korean ice cream from regular gelato is the vegan tofu ones. These are apparently made by grinding soybeans with a millstone, resulting in a high-protein gelato.

Gelato Experience at Tofu G Singapore Pop-Up

There are two ice cream displays – one at each end of the counter. The one on the right is for sampling. We were impressed by the good service. Our questions were nicely answered and the staff were very generous with the sampling, We tried almost all of the eight flavours available. We found the tofu gelato to be clean and healthy tasting while the non-tofu ones such as pistachio were richer in flavour. We preferred the latter although they probably contained more calories.

Ordering was made at the self-serice kiosks, although the staff was on hand to assist. Flavours available include Vegan Tofu Gelato, Vegan Black Sesame and Korean Sweet Potato Gelato. Each scoop of TOFU G Korean gelato costs $8. Quite expensive, but we won’t be eating this everyday.

This was the pistachio gelato that we ended up buying, It was smooth and very delicious. The use of wooden spoons with a rounded profile might also have helped in the tactile aspect of eating the ice-cream.

TOFU G Korean Gelato
 333A Orchard Rd
#03-30 Mandarin Gallery
Singapore 238867 

Opening Hours: 11 am – 10 pm

Website