The weather is getting hotter all around, and another trending soft serve shop has arrived in Singapore.
This time it is Maxi Mango, the hottest mango serve brand from the Philippines, with over 40 outlets set up within a year.
It was so ‘pops’ that Filipinos were queuing up for up to 4 hours just to get their hands on the mango soft serve. Masarap!
Maxi Mango’s first outlet in Singapore is found at the basement of Capitol Singapore (previously known as “Capitol Piazza”), a few shops away from where Tiger Sugar started their magic here.
So come out of City Hall MRT station, walk towards Capitol Singapore, and the shop is just a few minutes’ walk away with air-con shelter.
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One of the soft serve dessert’s winning formula is the use of fresh mangoes shipped directly from the Philippines weekly.
The Cebu mangoes used are known to be large, brightly-yellow, robust with succulent flavours. (Fun fact: The Philippine mango known to be one of the best around, has even made it into the Guinness Book of World Records as “the sweetest of its kind in the world”.)
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The brand was conceptualised by Miki and Ivan Velasquez who wanted to incorporate Philippines’ best produce in a dessert cup.
After pop-up concepts, experimentation with different ingredients until they achieved the perfect mix, it then became a massive success in the Philippines.
The menu in Singapore is straight-forward with five signature Maxi Mango Soft Serves in two sizes of 8oz and 12oz ($4.90, $6.90), and 2 Mango Shakes ($6.90 for 16oz). Here’s what you can expect to have:
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Signature Maxi Mango ($4.90, $6.90)
This classic, most straight-forward cup comes with velvety soft serve, included those sweet cubed mangoes from the Philippines.
No doubt about it, those honey mangoes were sweet and juicy, aromatic and tasty. The flavours burst in your mouth, with very little tinge of sourness (at least what I had).
As for the soft serve, it was slightly firmer and less milky than the usual Japanese ones, possibly due to the addition of mango purée.
The level of sweetness was debatable, already reduced by half compared to the versions back in the Philippines.
When I asked those who tried, comments on the sweetness levels differed from “just nice” to “on the sweet side”.
Personally, I thought it could still be reduced 10-20% to better appreciate the fresh-sweetness of the mango fruits (but this is coming from someone who orders 5% sugar level for bubble tea.)
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Mango Graham ($4.90, $6.90)
Inspired by the “Filipino refrigerator cake” aka Mango Royale Icebox Cake made with graham crackers, cream, and fresh mangoes, Maxi Mango’s comes with mango soft serve, in-house sweet cream, mangoes and graham crackers.
Think of this soft serve as though you are having a Mango Mousse cake.
The slightly sweet, grainy, cinnamon-flavoured graham crackers are crushed and added to both the top and bottom of the cup.
The pieces soften up a bit and add a bit of texture without being too crunchy.
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Mango Keso ($4.90, $6.90)
The Filipino word for “cheese” is “keso”. In the Philippines, cheese-flavoured ice cream is very common, as normal as vanilla and chocolate.
Having cheese on soft serve (like on a pizza) may seem like a novelty thing to you, but when you think about cheesecakes, then it’s not too bad after all.
Strips of French cheddar cheese are topped on the soft serve, with a tinge of saltiness and mild flavour.
I thought it was fun to have with that sweet-savoury interplay, and wondered if it would have worked better with cheese sauce instead.
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Mango Ube ($4.90, $6.90)
This is probably the most instagrammable of the lot, with ube (Philippine purple yam) puree sauce at the bottom and drizzled over.
The contrast of sunny-yellow and deep-purple makes this very attractive, though the flavours could have been more distinct and ’yammy’.
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Mango Coconut – Singapore exclusive ($4.90, $6.90)
The Singapore exclusive flavour. When owners Miki and Ivan Velasquez did their R&D in Singapore, they were inspired by the many coconut desserts and drinks around.
Miki added that she noted coconuts are expensive here, and she still wanted to create a coconut soft serve that was affordable enough.
The flesh used are from fresh young coconuts imported from Davao in Philippines. For a stronger coconut flavour, house-made coconut syrup is drizzled over the soft serve.
Feuilletine (crispy confection made from thin, sweetened crêpes) is added for some crisp in the mix.
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Mango Shake ($6.90)
A refreshing summer drink made with blended Philippine mangoes and ice cubes for a creamy finish.
The sweetness comes naturally from the mangoes, making this a great smoothie-like drink for takeaways.
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Original Mango Graham Shake ($6.90)
The mango shake mixed with baked graham crackers for added crunch. I think this would be the more popular between the two.
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Maxi Mango Singapore
Capitol Singapore #B2-29, 13 Stamford Road, Singapore 178905
Tel: +65 6385 6568
Opening Hours: 11.30am – 10.00pm (Mon – Sun)
https://www.facebook.com/Maxi-Mango-Singapore-726647094434408
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* This entry is brought to you in partnership with Maxi Mango.