Review: Homm’s new RWS outlet now has savouries, but desserts still shine more

There’s something almost scandalous about how good Thai desserts smell. The Thai people even have a word for it — “Hom” which means fragrant and aromatic

The word perfectly describes the sweet scent of pandan leaves, glutinous rice, coconut milk, and caramelised palm sugar, all of which are common and popular ingredients in Thai desserts. (Think bua loi with its colourful sticky glutinous rice balls, the simple khanom tako or pandan coconut pudding, and of course, mango sticky rice).

These are flavours that shouldn’t surprise a Singaporean who grew up eating a lot of Malay and Peranakan kuehs, but yet it’s somewhat different.

So when a Thai dessert cafe names itself Homm Dessert, there’s a lot to live up to — possibly even more now that it’s expanded to its second outlet, in Resorts World Sentosa no less.

The backstory

Homm Dessert may have only landed at RWS in late July, but its story started two and a half years ago on La Trobe Street in Melbourne as a modest dessert cafe launched by a Thai-Australian couple and their two friends.

Homm gained a healthy following for fusing Thai flavours with Asian sweets — such as Korean bingsus and Japanese milk bread — in inventive and delightful ways, and always made everything daily from scratch).

After opening a few more outlets around Australia, it made its Singapore debut at Raffles City Singapore last October.

Now at RWS’s Weave mall, Homm sees an expanded savoury menu alongside its crowd-favourite desserts, including some brunch-style dishes, pasta, and sando.

As for its new space and ambience? It wouldn’t look out of place in a Kinfolk magazine: Pale wood fittings, ambient lighting, and even a little corner selling Homm-branded tote bags and bingsu-themed postcards, because why not?

Our verdict

Homm Dessert at Sentosa remains firmly in its element when it comes to dessert, and the bingsus we tried were satisfying with flavour that feels both familiar and fun. If you’re here for a sweet fix, you’ll leave happy.

But I’m really here to check out the new savoury items.

With the new dishes on board, it’s clear that Homm doesn’t just want to be another pretty dessert cafe, but also double as an Instagram-ready brunch spot for anyone visiting Sentosa.

In a place where food options are plentiful and competitive, it might seem like a tall order, but Homm tries to do so with a playful wink to Thai cuisine.

For now, the expanded savoury menu doesn’t quite hit the same high as the desserts, but there’s some promise to them.

What it’s good for

A quick glance around the cafe at peak lunch hour showed that half of the tables ordered the sriracha salmon sando (S$18.80), so how could I not?

The shokupan is cut thick and toasted just enough till crisp.

Both sides have generous layers of silky smoked salmon and a creamy, spiced galangal-siracha mix that’s spicy and slightly creamy, but one half gets an extra topping of sriracha-cured salmon roe and a healthy topping of fresh dill. It doesn’t quite have the same pop pop pop of ikura, but it’s silky and punches with a gentle savoury heat.

All elements considered, this sando is very enjoyable.

Onto its heartier mains: I’ve tried so many renditions of chilli crab pasta that it’s hard to keep track, but the RWS-exclusive Thai chilli crab linguine (S$22.80) is different.

For one thing, it’s more Thai than Singapore-style — the sauce is fragrant with lemongrass, galangal, garlic, shallots, and not-too-spicy chillies (a steady warmth but not burning). These come together in a sauce that coats the fat strands of linguine with tangy-sweet waves of flavour.

The pasta also comes with two fried soft-shell crabs perch on top, a bit crunchy but not remotely oily. It’s something I’d order again when I return.

A safe choice is the angus beef bolognese (S$14.80) with minced angus beef that’s a balanced mix of fat and lean, giving it a fairly beefy flavour.

The doneness of the linguine isn’t remarkable, but the thicker strands do a good job of soaking up the tomatoey bolognese sauce. This is a straightforward and crowd-pleasing option, if not particularly memorable.

From the snack menu, the ika karaage (S$9.80) is a simple but satisfying nibble — it features strips of squid in a light, uneven batter that’s crisp in places covered by the batter.

The squid itself is tender and a touch chewy in others, even better when you dip them in the delicious and chunky spicy tomato chilli dip.

If you’ve been to Homm Dessert’s Raffles City outlet, you know how indulgent the drinks can get.

For example, Homm’s Gelatte (S$8.80) could almost pass for a dessert. It comes with a shot of espresso, capped with coconut cream and a scoop of milk tea ice cream. It sounds like something that can get very cloying, but it’s balanced well here.

For iced coffee that’s a lot simpler, the Eclipse (S$6.80) blends mango-passionfruit puree, sparkling water, and espresso into a drink that’s clean, fruity, sour, and refreshing.

On the tea front, I really enjoy the cheese top Thai milk tea (S$6.80). It’s smooth and mellow with just enough tea bitterness to balance the thick savoury cheese foam that crowns it.

For its desserts, there’s another RWS-exclusive — the Mount cendol (S$18.80), which is technically a combination of Malaysian cendol, Korean bingsu, and has just the slightest bit of Thai influence with the mango strips.

There’s also pandan jelly, mashed red beans, and a bit of sweet corn, with gula Melaka (palm sugar) syrup on the side. The ingredients are okay — the green pandan worms could be less firm, the red bean could be less dry, and the mangoes could be sweeter.

But thankfully, it’s the coconut milk-flavoured shaved iced (Homm uses the premium Snoway machines from Korea), much finer than regular cendol, that brings it all together. I recommend pouring all of the gula Melaka syrup for best results.

The mango sticky rice bingsu (S$18.80) is even more of a visual spectacle with its mango puree-filled crater.

Like the cendol above, you get Thai coconut milk snow ice alongside mango cubes, warm sweet glutinous rice, and even more mango puree on the side. The mango cubes taste like they’ve been cured in syrup rather than being completely fresh, but it still tastes good.

I’d still take a fresh mango sticky rice from a roadside stall in Bangkok over this, but it’s a modern take on one of my favourite Thai desserts that won’t disappoint.

What it could improve on

Homm has the right idea for its smoked salmon risotto (S$22.80), with rice cooked in a fragrant lemongrass- and kaffir lime-infused stock, garnished with shallots, sweet onion jam, and thick slices of smoked salmon arranged like a flower.

But the rice is too soft, leaning towards porridge rather than al dente risotto, and the overly salty, broken cream sauce on the side ends up detracting from the otherwise pleasant flavours — maybe avoid the sauce for now.

The mango soba salad (S$16.80) is a gluten-free, vegetarian option that, unfortunately, feels like it’s sacrificed flavour for the sake of healthiness.

While a nod to Thailand’s vibrant spicy mango salad seems interesting, this feels more like a missed opportunity.

You get plain soba noodles, mango cubes, boiled eggs, lettuce leaves, and avocado slices — all left unseasoned — with only a saucer of tangy Thai chilli sauce on the side that doesn’t really tie it together.

Perhaps a sweeter glaze-like chilli with some fish sauce will help. The best Thai mango salads, to me, need to be “yum”, a mixture of salty, spicy, sweet, and sour.

Our quick takes

Is it conducive to conversation? Yes, but maybe avoid meal hours due to the long queues outside for now, due to the hype around Weave’s opening.

Is a reservation necessary? Walk-ins only.

How to get there? The nearest MRT is Harbourfront, but you’ll need to either walk into Sentosa or take the Sentosa Express monorail to get to Homm Dessert at Sentosa. The cafe is on the side of Weave mall that’s closest to Singapore Oceanarium.

HungryGoWhere paid for its meal at this restaurant for this review.

Explore other new eateries at Weave such as Xing Yue Xuan, Jumbo Group’s new premium concept, or Niku Niku Oh!! Kome.