The Glasshouse AROUND the Corner

By Ellyne Chin

Tucked away in the corner of Tampines sits Around, a humble glasshouse ice-cream cafe. This is its second outlet, the first being located in Ang Mo Kio. With it’s new establishment in Tampines, the glasshouse cafe is much closer to Temasek Polytechnic (TP) students.

*(PHOTO: Chua Summer) Around’s signage board*

According to food blogger DanielFoodDiary, Around is named as such because “ice cream scoops are round, and they are just located around the corner at The Alps Residence.”

With their punny name, freshly-brewed bubble teas and artisanal ice creams, Around piqued our interest, so we decided to pop by.

Opened in June 2021, Around sells desserts – like waffles, cakes, and acai bowls. They also offer drinks like Fruit Tea, Bubble Tea, and of course, what is a cafe without coffee? The prices for the desserts range from $4.20 to $9.90, while the drinks go from $3.90 to $7.90.

During our visit, we decided to get the waffles with two rounds (get the pun? 😉 of ice-cream, a slice of Pistachio Chocolate cake and a Peach Green Tea with pearls.

*(PHOTO: Tai Hao Yue) A variety of flavours for their artisanal ice-cream*

We decided to go for salted caramel, one of our go-to favourite classic flavours, as well as strawberry cheesecake ($14.90++) , so that we could sample something different.

Our waffles and ice cream arrived with a drizzle of nutella sauce and mini marshmallows.

The salted caramel ice cream was salty to the right extent and complemented the waffles really well. As for the strawberry cheesecake, it was sweet and slightly sour, however, since we preferred sweeter desserts, the strawberry cheesecake ice cream was a tad bit too sour for our liking.

The waffles were dense and crispy on the outside, which we loved. The waffles were flavourful, and it matched well with our ice creams.

Next, we also ordered a peach green tea with 50 percent sugar and pearls ($4.90). It was a refreshing drink which balanced out the thickness and creaminess of the ice cream and waffles. The drink was of the perfect level of sweetness and the pearls were chewy which we liked.

Lastly, we ordered a slice of pistachio chocolate cake ($7.90). It was very rich and chocolatey. However, we were not much chocolate lovers, so we were not a huge fan of it. If you are a chocolate lover though, this is definitely something you should try!

*(PHOTO: Tai Hao Yue) Desserts we ordered at Around!*

With its aesthetics, soothing and calming environment, as well as late opening hours from 12pm to 2am; We feel that Around is an ideal study spot for students. Not only that, it is also an ideal place to hang out. With it being closer to TP, it allowed a quick commute of 15 minutes – which is perfect for students with packed schedules or students who end tutorials or lectures later in the evening.

Third-year TP student Tay Valeri said: : “On some days, I’m quite busy or have a very packed schedule, so I will just pop by the cafe to relax after a long day at school. It’s easier to de-stress in that environment and sometimes I’ll study there too cause of its late opening hours. It’s the ideal place to study and I find it easier to concentrate.”

However, currently, the Diploma in Chemical Engineering student advises against staying for extended periods of time due to the ongoing pandemic.

With its easy accessibility, sweet desserts, and calming ambience; Around is the ideal place for students of TP to relax and study.

Watch our journey to ‘Around’ in this video!