Poppy Pops is located on Jem’s sixth floor, right above the food court and in the middle of a scenic rooftop garden. However, with that part of the mall being temporarily closed, business at this cafe has taken a noticeable hit. I’ve been here thrice in the past year, and each time it felt like I was stepping into a ghost town.
Despite the sore lack of foot traffic, Poppy Pops retains its cool, comfy atmosphere and extensive menu – which includes a creative selection of waffles not seen at most other cafes like it.
Brown Butter Waffle: One of their more popular items. Essentially a basic Belgian waffle served with lots of their signature salted butter beer sauce and two pats of maple brown butter. This is the sort of waffle that’s fluffy throughout and has a light crisp on the outside – an average waffle on its own but elevated a notch or two by the uniquely rich and yummy sauce. 4/5
Popsicles: Poppy Pops’ namesake offering. You have the option of adding one on top of your waffle. While it makes for a pretty IG or Burpple shot (especially if you get it alongside some Fruity Pebbles), I’m not a big fan of popsicles and don’t think they go as well with waffles as ice cream does. 3/5
Injeolmi Waffle: A relatively new item on the menu and the one thing I really regret trying. For the uninitiated, injeolmi is a Korean rice cake with a similar texture to Chinese muah chee and Japanese mochi – but there wasn’t even any injeolmi on this waffle at all. There was a good amount of konggaru (roasted soybean powder), so maybe they should’ve called it a konggaru waffle instead. Regardless, this was just an extremely dry and flaccid waffle that not even the generous amount of condensed milk could salvage. 1.5/5
Chocolate Waffle: After my recent bad experiences with chocolate waffles, I reflexively lowered my expectations for this one and ended up quite pleasantly surprised. Baked with a chocolate-infused batter, this crisp and lightly cakey waffle is then liberally topped with mocha sauce and almond flakes (you can pay an extra 50 cents to add some rainbow sprinkles, which I would recommend). 3.5/5
Dutch Chocolate Gelato: A decent accompaniment to the chocolate waffle. It had sufficient chocolate flavour, but wasn’t very milky or bitter. Good for kids and the average person, but not something that’s going to impress lovers of sweeter or more intense chocolate. 3.5/5
Butter Beer Gelato: Since Harry Potter came out, many attempts have been made to replicate the taste of butter beer described in the books, be it in beverage, candy or ice cream form. Poppy Pops’ rendition is bar none the most successful I’ve tried. Real butter and Kirin beer are used to give this gelato a light butterscotchy and alcoholic zing. I would gladly have ordered another scoop of this lovely stuff if I had the extra calories to spare. 4.5/5
All in all, I really hope business at Poppy Pops picks up and they make it through the pandemic, if just for their awesome brown butter waffle and butter beer gelato alone.
Address: 50 Jurong Gateway Rd, #06 – 03, Jem, Singapore 608549
Contact: 6262 0339
Website: www.poppypops.co
