With their new late-night, 18-seater cafe at the heart of Kampong Glam, premium gelato brand Momolato has upped the ante with new keto offerings.

Reflecting a modern kampong vibe

The new cafe draws inspiration from its Haji Lane address, reflecting a modern kampong atmosphere with hand-crafted rattan boards, botanical palm designs on the walls and a corrugated iron bar reminiscent of kampong rooftops that reflects the culture and heritage of the area.

Started by former investment banker Sharon Tay, Momolato is best known over the years for having supplied gelato to many of Singapore’s best restaurants since the business started in 2014. Momolato was also the winner of the 2015 Gelato World Tour Asia-Pacific.

Now they have a cafe of their own, serving mind-blowing, and interesting gelato flavours that are backed by Momolato’s deep experience as Singapore’s premium gelato maker.

Momolato menu

The Momolato menu changes weekly and offers an intriguing range of gelato flavours that draw upon the world’s best ingredients.

Said Sharon, “My intent for Momolato is to create inventive, not-too-sweet gelato flavours that capture the essence of exquisite ripe fruits as well as various gourmet and natural ingredients.” 

She continued, “My focus is on using minimally processed, fresh, whole ingredients as well as simple, clean methods to churn out fresh, locally-made gelato daily.”

As well, to cater to the increasing number of people who are becoming more aware of their health, Momolato has a range of keto flavours which are sugar-free and diabetic friendly, containing just 5 grams of net carbs or less per scoop.

People who are on a keto diet have to watch their carb intake closely, with strict keto diets restricting one’s carb intake to just 20 grams per day.

Signature and premium flavours are also available for those who want to treat themselves by tucking into the more “sinful” versions.

Trying the gelato flavours

I was recently invited to the shop to try some of Momolato’s gelato flavours and I went for the following.

Out of the keto flavours that were available, I went for the Thousand Day Gouda and the Sea Salt Caramel.

There were six keto flavours available on the day that I was there.

For the Thousand Day Gouda (4g net carbs), the cheese flavour didn’t really hit me at first and it seemed to be milder than I expected. However after swallowing my first mouthful, I realised that the cheesy notes hit me somewhat as an aftertaste. It was a slightly savoury flavour and reminded me strongly of eating mouthfuls of cream cheese.

As well, after sitting around for more than an hour, I noticed that this particular flavour also appeared to be semi solid, and did not turn into liquid mush.

It seemed to take on a texture that resembled actual cheese more so than ice cream. This, according to Sharon, is because there is a lot of actual cheese being used in the creation of this flavour.

For the Sea Salt Caramel (3g net carbs), this was a very pleasant flavour, with the caramel notes being quite mild at the beginning, and hitting you more after swallowing. 

The caramel flavour then lingers on in the mouth as an aftertaste. 

I also felt that it did not taste like sugar-free ice cream and I probably would not have known, if I wasn’t told that this was keto.

The keto flavours above, according to Sharon, are made using natural sweeteners – monk fruit extract, erythritol, stevia, allulose – ingredients that are not absorbed by the gut and are diabetic-friendly.

Besides the keto flavours, we also had following from Momolato. 

• Red Watermelon Soursop
• Ecuador Chocolate Arabica Coffee
• Mao Shan Wang Durian
• Sea Salt Silicon Pistachio

We noted that some of these flavours are dairy-free, meaning those who may be lactose intolerant can still enjoy them.

The Red Watermelon Soursop flavour was very refreshing, and a great choice on a hot day. It has a pleasant and fruity watermelon flavour that was very enjoyable and cooling.

The Ecuador Chocolate Arabica Coffee flavour, which is prepared using single origin chocolate from Ecuador, had a very rich and intense chocolate taste that comes out at you, and which surprisingly, was not bitter.

Lovers of dark chocolate will definitely enjoy this flavour. 

Due to the strong chocolate flavours, you don’t really taste much of the coffee notes, though.

And for the Mao Shan Wang Durian, this had strong durian notes which hits you immediately when you dig into the ice cream. The durian flavour is quite intense and distinctive and it felt just like I was eating actual frozen durian fruit.

Lovers of the tropical fruit would definitely enjoy this durian-infused icy treat.

What I found surprising about this flavour though, was that when it was first served, I could not smell any of the familiar durian whiff emerging from it. In fact, it was only after digging in, that the durian notes wafted into the air.

The Sea Salt Silican Pistachio, which was a recommendation of Sharon herself, was surprisingly nicer than I expected. The salt actually hits you immediately when you first try this, then a strong roasted pistachio flavour overwhelms you. 

The flavour is very distinctive and I thought it felt significantly more intense than other pistachio ice creams that I have tried. 

I really love munching on nuts, so I found myself enjoying this flavour much more than I had originally anticipated.

Clean, natural and wholesome ingredients only

After trying the flavours, I could tell how much effort and love Sharon puts into her gelato, making each of the flavours distinctive and unique.

Said Tay, “Our philosophy can be succinctly summarised as this – we’d not make and serve gelato that we do not want our loved ones eating. We make our gelato using only clean, natural and wholesome ingredients. No nasties allowed.”

Pair your gelato with cones and waffles

At Momolato, you can pair your ice cream with a pandan leaf-wrapped cone, waffles or croffles. 

As well, a keto option is also available for Momolato’s waffles; this is made using almond flour. 

Intrigued by the healthy option, we went with the keto waffle, and we felt that the waffle looked more delicious than it had tasted. 

But if you are on a keto diet or you are unable to take carbs for either personal or medical reasons, but are craving for waffles, then this is still a good alternative.

The keto waffle is served with maple jelly made with erythritol syrup and marscarpone cheese cream on the side, both being keto options.

Popsicle Spritzers

To end off the session, we had two Popsicle Spritzers; these were a Watermelon Mint served with a Watermelon Kiwi pop, and a Mango with Passionfruit Strawberry pop.

The Watermelon kiwi one was very refreshing, with distinctive, fruity watermelon notes emerging from it. It was very pleasant and cooling, and great for Singapore’s hot and sticky weather.

The Mango Passionfruit had a stronger flavour, provably because mango generally has a more intense taste than watermelon does. I love mangoes and they are one of my favourite fruits, so I enjoyed the strong, refreshing mango flavours coming out from this popsicle.

With Momolato’s brand new gelato bar opened till 2am, late-night outings will never be the same again.

Momolato is at: 

Address: 34 Haji Lane S189227

Tel: +65 8883 7968

Opening Hours: Sunday to Thursday noon to 11pm, Friday and Saturday noon to 2am.

Website: www.momolato.com

And this Hari Raya, to celebrate Momolato’s opening, all customers will enjoy a complimentary beverage with the purchase of every double scoop of gelato, from now till 12th May, 8pm-10pm daily.