Meet & Melt: Oozing with goodness
Proudly displayed on the front door is a Makansutra Street Food Pro 360 certificate.
It was awarded to Mr Shawn Lim for attending a 30-hour course (supported by E2i, the Employment and Employability Institute) in 2014.
He says: "I initially wanted to learn more about the street food business and set up a Hakka food stall.
"But I felt trendy food was the way to go for me, based on what I learnt at the course."
Armed with knowledge on set up and management, Mr Lim went for ice cream, waffles and toast.
"Ice cream is in a way heritage food. People have been loving it for decades and it will always be 'in'," he reasons.
Mr Lim says it's only about how he repackages it - be it with waffles, toast or whatever is trendy.
So out went the yong tau foo concept and in came charcoal waffles and Shibuya toast with ice cream and molten lava sauce fillings.
His stall is a little HDB shop but his ideas and customer base are huge.
Barely a year old, the alfresco space outside his stall is packed with tables and customers every night.
SOCIAL MEDIA
"One of the best things I learnt was about leveraging on social media. We went all out for it," says Mr Lim.
His shop has two walls covered with Instagram and social media screengrabs of posts about his food.
And when the community talked, the mainstream media came, too.
Tucking into a selection of his fancy ice cream and dough creations, I sense it hits all the right buttons for the demographics - Gen Y, late teens and families.
The one that I can come back again for (and that's just me, a "Merdeka Singapura" baby), is the Black Charcoal Waffle With Salted Egg Sauce And Salted Egg Ice Cream ($11.90, above).
Finally, a salted egg yolk ice cream that tastes like one, and simply done with the black and toasty waffles.
I am also amazed by just how much Thai milk tea lava sauce oozes out of the Thai Tea Charcoal Shibuya Toast ($14.90).
Not much food cost added but it goes a long way into the hearts of the dollar-conscious youngsters.
Then there's the green Thai Tea Charcoal Toast ($14.90), its colour appealing to the younger eyes.
Don't ask me if this is authentic Thai in any way, no one really cares.
The one that I could not bend my mind around (as it had so many curves and corners) is the Over The Top Mint Chocolate Milk Shake ($14.90, below).
It has Oreo cookies, sprinkles, charcoal waffles, white chocolate and wafers. Not just on top but all around the milkshake jar.
I think an old fart like me needs an instruction manual on how to eat or, erm... drink it.
But to the young regulars, it surely is a party in the mouth.
Mr Lim, who runs the place with his wife and in-laws, has this parting shot: "People see only the fun and the opening hours.
"They don't know about the pre-opening preparation and post-closing clean-up every day.
"So don't think of venturing into this business if you are not prepared for long hours."
Meet & Melt
Block 915, Tampines Street 91, #01-49
3pm to 11pm (Tuesdays to Fridays), 2pm to 11pm (Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays). Closed on Mondays
(Note: Meet And Melt will relocate to Scape, 2, Orchard Link, #02-33-34, late next month.)
KF Seetoh, the founder of Makansutra, dabbles in street food businesses like Food Markets, his own TV shows on cable, publishing food guides, consultancy and online content. He is also the creator of the World Street Food Congress. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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