The Dark Gallery is a boutique chocolatier with several outlets across Singapore. Their cafe in Funan is rather small, so despite the clean and elegant decor the place can feel a little cramped. (Though perhaps less so these days, due to social distancing measures essentially cutting their seating capacity in half).
My first trip here was a couple of years back when Funan Mall was newly reopened, and I remember it being something of a revelatory experience. The cocoa was great, the ice cream was excellent, and the waffles were fantastic. But a lot can change in a few years. Something clearly did here, as standards have fallen considerably.
The Waffle: The picture above is actually a ‘before’ shot taken two years ago of the wonderfully light and crispy chocolate-infused waffle (I would’ve given it four stars if I’d reviewed it back then). The waffle now, pictured below, only looked good on the surface. It was soft and squishy, and woefully underbaked. If I hadn’t gone with a dining companion, I definitely wouldn’t have been able to finish it on my own. 2.5/5
The Ice Cream: Dark Gallery’s website describes its ice cream as “artisanally churned in small batches daily, with the freshest ingredients of the highest quality for unparalleled taste and texture.” I felt the results were mixed.
The Signature 38% Milk Chocolate was good, with its well-balanced sweetness, milkiness, and chocolatiness. Nothing mind-blowing, but probably something you could have two scoops of without feeling too guilty about the extra calories. 3.5/5
The so-called Signature 80% Dark Chocolate Ice Cream, on the other hand, was weirdly bland and didn’t even have any strong chocolate notes. I was so surprised by how flat this tasted that I actually went back over to the counter to clarify that this was supposed to be chocolate ice cream. I mean, it wasn’t even bitter… which should be a defining characteristic of dark chocolate. 1.5/5
In conclusion, this wasn’t worth the $16 damage. Or the trip. I might come back to to give the hot cocoa (which I remember being very good) another shot, but only if I happen to be in the area.
Address (Funan outlet):
Funan Mall, #01-14, 107 North Bridge Rd, Singapore 179105
Contact: 6908 4086
Website: thedarkgallery.com
