I remembered Swensen’s as a casual diner where we often celebrated birthdays for friends and colleagues back in the 1990s and 2000s. Dining at Swensen’s was such a treat then as the whole big group of us could share a mega Earthquake sundae that came in a spectacular smoky dry ice effect that never failed to make all us go ‘waaaahhhh’.
When I went to the airport to pick up the husband who was back from Korea, we were looking for a place to lunch. He mentioned that he hadn’t tried Swensen’s before since moving to Singapore so I gave him a treat to welcome him home.
Mozzarella Cheese Sticks
Cheese sticks are always one of our to-order sides if we see that on the menu. So it’s not surprising that we opted for it even though there are other new stuffs on the menu to try. These are perfectly fried to a crispy crust. There’s nothing much to really rave about these sticks. I mean, they are just some decent CHEESE. But at least they aren’t greasy though deep-fried. I wish the cheese was a little less chewy. The mozzarella cheese used isn’t of the best grade but I can certainly enjoy a few more plates with ice cold beer!
Chilli Crab Pasta
I used to always order their Crayfish Pasta but decided to switch to Chilli Crab Pasta instead for a change. We were a little disappointed when this was served to our table. We all know how pictures on menus can be deceiving and the picture for this dish shows a crispy, deep-fried to golden brown soft shell crab on top of the spaghetti but the crab here looks a little limp and unappetising. And true enough, it is because the crab has been soaked in oil (this happens when the frying oil is not hot enough!) so it’s greasy when you bite into it.
The sauce wasn’t too bad though. It doesn’t taste like chilli crab sauce but it’s more like a sweeter version of mee goreng. Though it’s supposed to be spicy, we couldn’t taste any tinge of fire. We do like the big chunks of white fish fillet & crabsticks with plenty of mushrooms. We finished the entire plate pretty fast as we were hungry.
Crab Meat Baked Rice
We probably waited another 15 minutes for this after we finished the pasta. We didn’t mind as we had lots to catch up and I even jokingly told the husband that ‘good food is worth the wait’ so we were definitely expecting a delectable baked rice to come our way.
The crab meat baked rice is a new item on their menu. When it finally came, we were in for a second shock to see the cheese on the surface still looking so white. For that amount of time in cooking and with us waiting, was the baked rice put under the broiler long enough? The crispy strands on top taste like deep-fried rice vermicelli that wasn’t seasoned so it was tasteless. There wasn’t enough ‘creamy sauce’ in the rice mixture so it was a little dry. Did I also mention that we hardly see (and taste) much crab meat too? I was trying to dig for it but could only see some miserable bits.
Frosted Chocolate Malt
Thank goodness dessert never went wrong! Well it kind of did initially as they tried serving us dessert together with our side of cheese sticks when I had requested for the ice cream to be served only after our mains. O_o Anyway, the frosted chocolate malt is something that I always order and eat at Swensen’s since my teens and it’s still good especially with the gooey hot fudge and crunchy maltesers.
The entire meal for two cost just under S$60 which we didn’t think was value for money as the servings were rather pathetic. Swensen’s is probably a restaurant of my choice a decade ago but with the numerous offerings out there, we are unlikely to come back again for a hot meal. Desserts wise, I’m willing to take a gamble.
Swensen’s
Mezzanine Level, Arrival Hall North
Changi Airport Terminal 2
60 Airport Boulevard
Tel: 6542 8219
Website
Open: 24hrs daily
i still like the sticky chewy chocolate ice cream, do they still serve it?
Yes they do! Ah, you like sticky gooey stuff 🙂
Hahaha, yes I do 😉