Mandai may be expecting the highly-anticipated opening of Bird Paradise this May, but there is another bird-related name that people can see on their way there. The popular home-grown gelato brand Birds of Paradise will be opening their newest outlet at Mandai Wildlife West, providing a new dining concept for customers to experience.
The new outlet, Birds of Paradise Gelato Boutique & Sandwich Bar, is located along the pathway to the entrance to Bird Paradise and is completely free to access, not requiring any tickets to enter the store. The outlet was still in the midst of preparations when I was there for the Bird Paradise preview, but it will be ready for the public starting today, 8 May 2023.
There, customers will be greeted by a silver bullet food truck poking out the entrance, where they can select and choose their ice cream before going into the bird park. Then, if they want to sit down and eat, they’ll find an attractive dine-in area using a pink marble design that houses unique tabletops created by Tesign — made of upcycled botanical waste material from their gelato kitchen.
New Sandwich Bar Concept
The exciting thing about the Mandai Birds of Paradise store is their new Sandwich Bar concept that you can only find in the Mandai Wildlife West outlet.
On the menu are sandwiches, providing customers with comfortable staple food to enjoy. These sandwiches are made using rye-sourdough bread and do not use any land-meat within their ingredients, while also having some botanical twists in the mix.
Among the options that people can get are the Egg Mayo Sourdough, which has fresh coriander and pistachio to bring a unique combination of zest and crunch. Another is the Grilled Triple Cheese, containing pink torch ginger blossoms (rojak flower) inside. Meanwhile, their Tuna & Gouda titillate the taste buds with the addition of slow-roasted tomatoes and sprigs of dill.
Parents can opt for the Egg Mayo Toastie or Double Cheese Toastie to indulge their kids, which uses a softer White Country Loaf.
Food isn’t the only thing new. Visitors can also quench themselves with some shakes & coffee at the Birds of Paradise Gelato Boutique & Sandwich Bar. The shakes use only two ingredients — gelato and milk (or oat milk) — making them easy to drink. Try their Strawberry Basil Shake (milk-based), or if you want something dairy-free, the Chocolate Shake is also available.
Lastly, Birds of Paradise have partnered with other local food and beverage brands like Common Man Coffee Roasters, Dearborn, and Mother Dough Bakery to bring a delightful pairing alongside their offerings for customers to enjoy.
New Gelato Range and Sundaes
Of course, gelato is still what Birds of Paradise is about, and the new Mandai store has an expanded range of dairy-free gelato that customers will be excited to dig into. These include plant-milk-based gelato and water-based sorbets that vegans, lactose-intolerants, and supporters of green-eating can look forward to.
First up is the Banana & Coconut Caramel, created exclusively for the Mandai boutique. Based on the diet of the native Oriental Pied Hornbill, the enticing concoction is made with banana gelato swirled together with house-made coconut caramel.
Something more on the classic side is the Smoked Chocolate, made by lightly smoking the non-dairy chocolate gelato — no doubt bringing a slice of childhood to everyone who tastes it.
If you can wait a little longer, their Coconut Yoghurt offering launches in June 2023. It is a coconut-based yoghurt gelato that attempts to re-interpret what it is like to eat frozen yoghurt as a gelato; definitely something interesting to look forward to.
Also new to the gelato menu are Sundaes! That’s right; you can now pair Bird of Paradise’s complementary gelato flavours with toppings. But these aren’t your typical toppings. Instead, these superfood options add some nutritional benefits while you enjoy your gelato.
For instance, the Strawberry Basil and Pandan Sundae pair the local favourite flavours with a unique topping list of coconut flakes, pomegranate arils, and coconut blossom nectar.
The Banana & Coconut Caramel and Smoked Chocolate Sundae meanwhile combine the outlet’s new flavours with a mix of almonds, goji berries, and coconut blossom nectar.
And in June 2023, you’ll be able to get the Coconut Yoghurt Sundae. The sundae has two scoops of coconut yoghurt gelato, and you can join it together with a choice of any three superfood toppings from the store.
With the introduction of the new dining concept and gelato offerings, Birds of Paradise Gelato Boutique & Sandwich Bar at Mandai Wildlife Wild provides a nice detour to cool down from visiting the Bird Paradise park; be sure to pop by!
Birds of Paradise Gelato Boutique & Sandwich Bar
Location: 20 Mandai Lake Road #02-03, Singapore 729825
Opening hours: 9am – 8pm daily
Visit Birds of Paradise’s social media pages on Facebook and Instagram to get updates as the Mandai Wildlife West outlet starts its launch.
Visuals courtesy of Birds of Paradise Gelato Boutique.
