Pong Gelato

DAT COCONUT GELATO THO.
After 2 very discerning Unilocalers of mine (what up Gabriel S and Jason L) wrote 5 star reviews about this tiny stall in *Scape, I knew I had to check it.
As tempting as it was to go all out and spend $ 5.50 on coconut + another sorbet, I decided to save a little money (and my waistline) by ordering a «half scoop» of their much talked about coconut gelato. A half scoop is basically a small scoop in a cup.
Let me tell you, though the small size could be considered pricey at $ 2.50, it was worth every cent! The gelato was very creamy, with a strong, naturally flavoured coconut taste, if that makes any sense to you.
It seems they have very limited flavours as I only saw passionfruit and one other flavour besides coconut. But it appears they do all these flavours well. I will definitely return when it’s a hot day and I crave Asian flavours– basically, every day if I could!

This place does great Coconut Ice Cream, and a lot more.
If you want Coconut Gelato, you can get it at $ 5. But $ 0.50 more gets you a scoop of sorbet too; when I was there there was a choice of Mango and Passionfruit.
Both the coconut and mango scoops I got were great, being very smooth, rich and intense. This being a coconut ice cream place, I expected that to be good but I was pleasantly surprised that the mango sorbet was excellent too.
Beyond that, I was especially impressed by the coconut. Having had Thai style coconut ice cream from a few places (including Bangkok) I’ve come to expect an intense and smooth flavour. Yet, the coconut here goes beyond raw coconut flavour (which, don’t get me wrong, is great on its own) and delivers a certain je né sais quoi edge which speaks of refinement (one could look at this like the difference between good hawker food and good fine dining — each is tasty but one undoubtedly is more refined).
You get great variety in toppings too: red bean, cornflakes, pearls, nata de coco, attap chee and corn (I asked about red rubies — they sometimes have them on weekends).
About the only flaw is that not much coconut water is given, but you’re here primarily for the ice cream, no?
They also have various other options such as a Coconut Gelato Juice Float and a Yakult Coconut Gelato Juice Float. Oh and a half scoop option too.
This place is cheaper (and much better) than Co Nut Ink (the only other takeaway place I know of in Singapore doing Thai Coconut Ice Cream with a fixed address [i.e. excluding pasar malam stalls]).

A HUSK FULL OF HAPPINESS
What a pleasant surprise!
While walking around *scape, we suddenly noticed a very familiar sight, something previously only seen along the streets of Chatuchak, Bangkok.
The one and only… Coconut ice-​cream in a husk!
While I’m aware that Sentosa had Co Nut Ink… I didn’t realize that Orchard Road had one too!
Located at the entrance nearest to McDonald’s, Pong Gelato really is a little husk of happiness.
At $ 5.50, it isn’t the cheapest of food to buy but it’s certainly worth every cent.
You get a scoop of their trademark coconut gelato, a choice between a mango, passion fruit or banana sorbet and 3 toppings (either white pearls, nata de coco, cornflakes, peanut, kidney beans, atap seed or corn). Plus a small cup of coconut juice. Oh and U get the meat of the coconut too, nicely scooped out and convenient to eat!
Let’s start with the coconut itself. There’s definitely quality in the coconut used. The meat was tender, fragrant and a perfect pairing to the gelato. While I’m ok with coconuts, it’s not normally a must have for me but the fact that I was fighting for my share (the gf and I shared one), speaks volumes.
The coconut gelato itself was so so good! Tons of places have attempted their own version but so far, nothing has come close to the way Pong have perfected theirs (ok, I haven’t tried Co Nut Ink, but I’m pretty sure this puts up a good fight!).
Every bite fills your mouth with the rich flavours of a coconut, normally found in the coconut milk used it traditional desserts. Any better and I would have burst out in a thai song (though I can’t speak thai).
Not overly sweet, the gelato itself was very well thought through, ensuring that the sweetness does not overpower the natural flavours of the coconut.
We had ours with the mango sorbet and it was a pairing made in heaven.
The word sorbet instantly makes you think «sour» but it was anything but.
The gf tends to avoid processed mangos because of the injustice it does to the fruit. Very often, mango cakes, tarts and ice creams tend to be very artificial, tasting like they’ve overloaded them with preservatives in a poor attempt to «enhance» the flavours.
This though… This… Was just wow.
The Mango Sorbet tasted like the fruit itself was puréed and frozen. It was rich, creamy and bursting with flavour. Now that’s what a mango gelato/​sorbet/​ice-​cream should taste like!
Eating them both together exudes a similar sense of happiness, normally from eating a good, traditionally made Mango Pudding, except that it’s been deconstructed and recreated into this wonderful and delightful dessert.
I won’t go too much into the details of the toppings apart from the fact that they were good and paired wonderfully with the ice cream.
We regretted not trying the coconut and yakult drink that they had but we will certainly be back for more!
Excuse the pun and cheesiness but… You’d be nuts if you’re not craving a second round of Pong after trying it.