Momolato: Artisanal gelato brand opens second cafe with new gelato flavours, more desserts and hot food

If you’re in the Bugis ’hood looking for your dessert fix, there’s the new gelato parlour, Momolato, which recently set up shop along North Bridge Road. 

Momolato at North Bridge Road opened its doors on December 19, and marks its second cafe in the area — the first is located on Haji Lane. The new space is nestled in the heart of Kampong Glam, just a stone’s throw from Sultan Mosque.

How Momolato came to be 

Momolato is a well-known brand among avid ice-cream lovers. 

Founded in 2013, it began as a gelato and ice-cream supplier for restaurants and cafes in Singapore. 

It also occasionally sold its handcrafted gelato at pop-ups, such as the Singapore Night Festival in 2014 and 2015, and the Movember Night Market by The Local People in 2014. 

Over the years, the brand gradually gained recognition as one of the top gelato and ice-cream suppliers on our sunny shores.

Armed with a desire to take the brand to the next level, Momolato finally opened its first brick-and-mortar space along Haji Lane in 2021, where it introduced its gelato to a wider crowd. 

Right from the get-go, Momolato set itself apart from other gelato parlours in the area with its innovative flavour pairings — imagine maple with pancake and sea salt-malt-butterscotch brownies — as well as keto and vegan options.

It’s also one of the few places in Singapore that serves halal-certified gelato.  

The queen of gelato 

Spearheading the flourishing gelato empire is chef Sharon Tay, an award-winning gelato artisan. She’s also the founder of gelato cafe-bar High Bar Society. 

Formerly an investment banker, Sharon left the industry in 2013 to pursue her love and passion for gelato-making. It had always been her dream to open a dessert brand of her own.

In that same year, she decided to take a leap of faith and fly to Bologna, Italy, where she enrolled in the basic to advanced gelato course at Carpigiani Gelato University. There, she eventually mastered the craft of gelato-making. 

Equipped with the skills and knowledge, Sharon then flew back to Singapore and kickstarted her first-ever business-to-business (B2B) gelato brand: Momolato, in 2013.

She then went on to participate in the Gelato World Tour Final in 2015, where she clinched the acclaimed Asia-Pacific Gelato World Tour title.

A dreamy new space

Seeing how Momolato’s Haji Lane store has been doing immensely well over the years, Sharon thought it was time to open a new outlet in the neighbourhood.

She visualised a dreamy, cosy space that featured an expanded dessert menu — with new gelato flavours and creations — as well as hot food. This is quite the expansion from the brand’s maiden store, which sold only gelato, waffles and popsicles. 

According to Sharon, Momolato at North Bridge Road reflects her creative vision beyond just gelato.

The dessert menu here thus boasts an assortment of indulgent delights, such as crepe cones, puddings and cakes, all spruced up with unique flavour combinations.

Nine new gelato flavours 

There are 24 vibrant gelato flavours on Momolato at North Bridge Road’s menu, nine of which are completely new. 

There’s the refreshing yuzu ginger flower, hibiscus apple, pear lemon with pink peach and chilli mango lime — inspired by Mexican paletas (popsicles) flavoured with mango and lime, then dusted with chilli — all of which are tangy and zesty options. 

Bolder, richer flavours include the chocolate hazelnut kunafa — our favourite to have with the crispy crepe cones — sweet corn cempedak, blue pea white chocolate raspberry, butterscotch popcorn and arabica coffee hazelnut.

A single scoop sets you back at S$5.30, while premium flavours require a S$1 top-up.

New dessert creations

Besides just gelato, Sharon is rolling out a new range of desserts at her latest store.

Those who love the rich creaminess of pistachio will like the Sicilian pistachio kunafa (S$21), which is her iteration of the viral pistachio-kunafa flavour combination (which, can we say, tastes amazing?).

The dessert sees an amalgamation of crisp, velvety textures. A fluffy, golden buttermilk waffle is laden with aromatic Sicilian pistachio cream, then topped with a mozzarella ricotta cheese and kunafa waffle. 

A decadent scoop of roasted sea salt Sicilian pistachio gelato crowns the treat, perfuming it with a mouthwatering, nutty fragrance. For chocolate lovers, there’s also a chocolate hazelnut kunafa (S$19) variation.

If you’re stopping by for a quick grab-and-go dessert, you can try Not Plain Jane (S$12), which has swirls of velvety vanilla cream wrapped in a light and airy cone crepe.

Topping it all off is a French vanilla bean gelato, which is made from a blend of Madagascar and Tahiti vanilla beans. Fresh and juicy strawberry slices are also added to the cone crepe, which is sweet and fruity to balance the richness of the gelato.

There’s also Matcha Manja (S$12), a matcha delight, and Velvet Shade (S$12), if you like bananas and chocolate sorbet. 

Savoury, hearty treats

You can also stop by for a savoury dish, if you’re in the mood for a full meal.

The fried buttermilk garlic chicken waffle (S$16.90) is a well-loved, tried-and-true pairing of crispy waffles and crunchy, buttermilk garlic chicken chunks. It’s then drizzled with a hearty truffle cheese sauce and sweet maple honey for an extra punch of flavour.

The hand-smashed burgers are a signature at this new outlet, too. 

The Momo smashed burger (S$22) is a classic cheeseburger featuring two succulent slabs of Australian grass-fed beef patties, a fried mozzarella cheese croquette and crunchy caramelised pickles wedged between pillowy burger buns.

It’s served with a side of fries and coleslaw, though you can opt to have truffle parmesan fries at an additional S$2.

For now, the newer North Bridge Road store has our bet, over the OG Haji Lane location, due to its larger menu variety. Whether you’re craving a sweet fix, or hankering for a full-fledged, savoury meal, there are plenty of treats in-store that will whet your appetite. 

For the latest eats, read about Vino Tinto, a new Spanish restaurant at One Raffles Quay, and coffee gem Same Days Coffee. Alternatively, check out the newest eats in Singapore here. 

Momolato cafe is on the GrabFood Delivery Service and offers free delivery (up to S$3 off with GrabUnlimited). 

Enjoy up to 50% off when you dine with GrabFood Dine Out.

You can also book a ride to Momolato at North Bridge Road to try its sweets and savouries.