With home-made, all-natural artisanal gelato, flaky croissants and cheerful decor; Dopa Dopa is set to brighten up your day!
If you’re a gym junkie or yoga addict, or frequent patron of comedy club The Merry Lion, you may have walked past a sunshine-hued shopfront on your way to the shophouse-lined streets of Circular Road and Clarke Quay. Pop by the innocuous-looking Dopa Dopa Creamery during the afternoons and evenings, and you’ll be rewarded with insanely delicious hand-made gelato, and pair them with a buttery croissant and cup of coffee if you’re so inclined!
Unlike a typical ice-cream parlour, Dopa Dopa stores their gelato the traditional Italian way, using an eight-flavour pozetti which helps to prevent cross-contamination, and keeps the icy treats at a consistent temperature.
Owner Leonard also explains that Dopa Dopa focuses on the texture of gelato, in addition to the flavours offered: you may notice the servers making stirring-like motion with the scoop before serving, which he calls “warming up” of the gelato, to allow the flavours to meld together better on the tongue.
Indeed, we loved the dense, elastic texture the gelato had; and how it was soft yet did not melt too quickly!
Dopa Dopa offers eight flavours of gelato, with a rotation of flavours every two to three months. All the cool treats are home-made – Leonard himself is self-taught, having found inspiration after previously working in cafes of the likes of Lola’s Cafe – and are all-natural, containing no added colourings!
If you’re looking for something refreshing, you may be slightly thrown off-guard as there’s only one sorbet available – Lemon & Basil – but not to worry, as it is as good as it sounds, with a delightful citrusy flavour woven through with the aroma of fresh basil. Or go for the Avocado (Premium): creamy, with the mild sweetness of the fruit. You’ll feel like you’re having a frozen version of a good, thick avocado milkshake!
Chocolate and nuts are almost always a match made in heaven – and Dopa Dopa’s Ferrero (Premium) proves it so! Fresh, home-roasted hazelnut paste and cocoa powder are mixed together in this gelato for a luxe, creamy version of our favourite breakfast spread!
Fresh bananas are delicious, but banana-flavoured products, not so much. We were hesitant to try the Banana gelato – and pleasantly surprised! Thanks to the use of fresh bananas, the gelato had what Leonard terms as a “bright banana flavour”, and what we would describe as a banana cake-like flavour – homely, comforting, and oh-so-addictive.
Green tea fans, don’t miss out on the Green Tea Toasted Rice (Premium), and one of Dopa Dopa’s signatures! Made with Japanese green tea and genmaicha, this was full of nutty, roasted rice flavours; coupled with the mild bitter aftertaste of a good tea.
For a touch of nostalgia and local flavour, go for the Coconut & Pandan, one of our top picks! A coconut gelato base is infused with the aroma and flavour of pandan; resulting in a familiar, rich yet not cloying taste that reminded us so very much of Nyonya kueh.
And the flavour that came so highly-recommended to us: Home Roasted Pistachio (Premium)! Don’t expect a Hulk-green scoop here: Leonard uses roasted pistachios with their skins on, resulting in a coffee-like colour and rich, addictively-nutty taste, much like the memories of hours spent peeling said nuts during Chinese New Year!
Each Single Scoop comes priced at $4, with an extra $0.70 for a Premium flavour – we recommend having your gelato with a buttery Croissant ($5.30) for an extra kick. Dopa Dopa also serves up coffee (from $5.50) as well as brewed teas by the pot ($6) from local brand Leefe Tea.
Dopa Dopa Creamery
29 South Bridge Rd, #01-01, Singapore 058665
Opening Hours: 12noon – 10pm
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