Managed to learn all about the new Parvifolia that had recently opened their doors at Blk 510 Bedok North Street 3 recently — located deep within the heartlands of Bedok, this is the very same neighbourhood where one can find Kaki Bukit 511 Market & Food Centre, as well as other notable F&B establishments such as that outlet of Denzy Gelato at Blk 509 as well. Parvifolia takes over the former premises of the now-defunct location of Enchanted Cafe there — it does seem like the folks behind Parvifolia had done quite an extensive renovation to the space after the former tenants had vacated the space. Whilst Enchanted Cafe had decked out the space in a garden-like theme with a bit of a “secret garden” vibe, Parvifolia has decked the entire space with bright, warm and earthy tones — much of the space exudes a clean aesthetic with furniture and fittings featuring a slightly brown-ish tone; all that being matched with white-coloured elements for a look that is easy to the eyes. There is also the use of a rock-esque element for its feature wall; all that with some greenery that provides an element of life and a vibe that is close-to-nature as well. Being primarily an ice-cream parlour, Parvifolia describes its ice-cream flavours that they have to offer as floral-inspired; the establishment does display the various flavours it has to offer prominently in the display chiller at the counter. Patrons do have the option to enjoy their ice-cream offerings in a cup of in a cone; they also do offer waffles as well — other baked goods that Parvifolia offers would be the Brownie and Red Velvet Cake. Beverages offered at Parvifolia would include espresso-based specialty coffee, iced / hot tea, as well as a line-up of sparkling drinks.

We initially just wanted to go for the Signature Waffles but were pretty much enticed with the Waffles with Nian Gao that they had informed us that they are carrying as a special in-line with the upcoming Chinese New Year season — unable to shake off the temptation of going for the Waffles with Nian Gao, we found ourselves opting for just that whilst pairing it with the Pistachio Rose Ice-Cream and the Seasalt Jasmine Matcha Ice-Cream. The Waffles with Nian Gao were presented beautifully with two quarters sliced away and plated stylishly above the remaining half; all dusted with icing sugar and the ice-cream comes topped with flower petals — pretty much on-theme given how they had centred their concept around. Digging into the waffles, the Waffles with Nian Gao came with a pretty fragrant batter — the consistency of the waffle here being the soft and plush type whilst not being particularly dense; pretty light and fluffy. Much like the version of the Nian Gao Waffles that is being served at The Better Scoop, the Nian Gao comes in between the waffle; there is sufficient Nian Gao being added to the batter, with the Nian Gao providing a chewy texture slightly lighter than that of mochi whilst carrying the earthy sweetness of brown sugar within — we did find their Waffles with Nian Gao being one of the better variants of such waffle creations that we have had spring several establishments around the island.

Parvifolia describes their Pistachio Rose ice-cream to come with elements such as Sicilian Pistachio, Rose Water and Mochi Bits. Whilst carrying the usual nuttiness that one would expect out of a standard Pistachio-flavoured ice-cream here, we really did not expect how this ice-cream flavour did round off so nicely with a floral note towards its finish — one that was rather uplifting; all that whilst coming with an element of chewiness from the bits of mochi that was folded into the ice-cream. The Seasalt Jasmine Matcha was also another flavour that stood out to us — described to come with elements such as jasmine tea, matcha powder, seasalt, milk and cream. The notable mention here would be the use of matcha powder rather than just simply jasmine green tea; this created that slightly heavier notes of the bitter undertones of the Japanese tea to accompany the floral aroma of the jasmine tea,which also allows for the slight saltishness of the sea salt to add yet another dimension of flavours to give some contrast to the ice-cream as a whole.

For those whom have been following to the happenings around the F&B scene in Singapore, it is undeniable that Birds of Paradise Gelato Boutique is probably the name that started the whole movement of botanical-inspired gelato / ice-cream flavours around the island — since then, many ice-cream / gelato parlours had been offering such flavours following the success enjoyed by Birds of Paradise Gelato Boutique. Whilst many establishments had pretty much only taken reference to the flavours offered by Birds of Paradise Gelato Boutique and focused on replicating the same, we liked how the folks at Parvifolia had came up with some unique flavours that works out well for them — both flavours we had tried came with a smooth consistency without a heavily milky / creamy base which we found to be worth commending. Considering the quality of their offerings, it does seem that Parvifolia is pretty much off a good start — definitely quite interested to see what other botanical-inspired flavours that they will be able to pull off in the long run; a spot that residents will be proud to have in their neighbourhood, we do also like to take the opportunity to congratulate these folks on opening their doors, and wishing them all the best in what is to come!