Tom’s Palette @ Bugis

Many years ago, when I was still in my 20s, I used to work at Suntec. From Suntec, Shaw Towers can be easily reached via an overhead bridge. It was through my coworkers from that job that I first learned about Tom’s Palette – a small, no-nonsense ice cream shop that seems to have a cult following. Despite it’s location hidden away in a dingy old 1970s shopping mall, there was always someone there no matter what time of the day you visit.

Fast forward to now, nearly a decade later, the dingy old mall that was Shaw Towers has been demolished and replaced with a much more modern building. I did occasionally wonder what happened to Tom’s Palette, but I have not had the chance to visit since I no longer work at Suntec. Until last month, that is.

I learned that Tom’s Palette has since moved not too far away from the original location, to a small building across from the National Library. And I was delighted to see that they’ve occupied a much, much nicer place than their old one!

Anyway, back to Tom’s Palette’s new location. Their new place has ample of seating, very nicely renovated and even have an ensuite toilet!

Parents take note – their new place in Bugis is not really stroller friendly, but I suppose you could just do what I did there which was leaving the stroller outside.

I also learned that Tom’s Palette now have three branches. However, the one in Bugis is still the closest one to me.

In terms of their ice cream offering, it is still more or less the same as it was when I used to visit them a decade ago. Though, I did notice some new flavors as well. I can’t remember exactly which one is the new ones since they do have 27 flavors afterall.

Before ordering, they still allow you to sample the flavors – just like the good ol’ time. However I did notice they limit the sampling to just two flavors max. In my experience, the staff isn’t super strict on this as long as they are not too busy.

I went to Tom’s Palette with my sister and my son, and each of us got our own two flavors regular cup for S$5.80. Here are the flavors we ordered – Top Left: Lychee Moroccan Rose and Earl Grey Lavender (My order), Top Right: Hokkaido Milk and Granny’s fav (My son’s order), Bottom: Rum n’ raisin and Pistachio (My sister’s order).

My favorite flavors at Tom’s Palette are Granny’s Favorite and Pistachio. While those are still amazing, I decided to be brave and ordered something new instead – Lychee Moroccan Rose and Earl Grey Lavender. I loved both of them! Especially the Lychee Moroccan Rose. The Earl Grey Lavender was great too, but it may be a bit too perfumy for some people.

Overall, I think Tom’s Palette still maintained the standard they have had since decades ago. Now that their location is actually more convenient, I will definitely be frequenting them more often!