Hawker stall sells 'Sunday Folks-inspired' soft serve ice cream and waffles at Ghim Moh

If you’re looking for a more affordable alternative to popular ice cream parlour Sunday Folks’ soft-serve ice cream waffles — at least looks-wise — check out Ice On You. Disclaimer: 8days.sg has not sampled the stall’s newest desserts yet, so we can’t vouch for its quality. That being said, the stall at Ghim Moh Road Market & Food Centre serves cafe-style waffles and ice cream at pretty attractive prices.

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It opened in 2020 and used to sell modern Thai shaved ice desserts and shakes during the Covid period. Recently, hawkers Jackeline Goh, 39, and Ng Wee Seng, 37, decided to revamp their menu due to poor business. The married couple of two young kids also own a mookata stall called CHICE  in Jurong, while Jackeline works part-time as a freelance makeup artist and hairstylist. They introduced their new menu in August, and currently sell $6.90 waffles topped with coconut or chocolate flavoured soft serve ice cream. 

Are the hawkers’ latest desserts inspired by Sunday Folks’?

Jackeline tells 8days.sg: “Heh heh, yes. We used to patronise Sunday Folks, but didn’t like the idea of a minimum spend (there’s a minimum order of one item per person)”. Moreover, she adds: “We realised when we went to cafes that they serve expensive waffles, so we wanted to sell it cheaper at our stall”.

90 percent drop in sales post-Covid 

While Ice On You’s business during the peak of Covid was “decent”, it began deteriorating in October last year after pandemic restrictions were eased. The couple went from earning “$900 on a busy weekend” to “$90 in the lousiest period”. The couple invested around $30K into the stall, and have yet to recuperate their losses. 

In recent months, Jackeline attributes the low footfall to soaring temperatures, saying “[many] people don’t want to dine at hawker centres because of the hot weather”. As a result, they “thought of [selling ice cream] because people can buy it and go”. They later decided to sell waffles to go along. 

Plain waffle with drizzle, $3.30

“Singaporeans skeptical about eating cafe food in hawker centres”

Even after changing their menu, the couple says biz has been slow. Jackeline thinks that “Singaporeans are skeptical about eating cafe food in hawker centres” because “when they think of going to hawker centres, they want cheap food”. While Ice On You’s desserts are relatively reasonable (ranging from $2 for a small soft serve to $6.90 for ice cream waffles) vs at a cafe, they are understandably more expensive than the other stalls in the hawker centre. For instance, Jackeline says the ice kacang stall behind them has been around for over 20 years and sells a bowl for just $2. 

She explains that she can’t price her food as low “because of rising costs, and because [we] aren’t pioneer generation hawkers who were given special rental rates [back then]”. Her rent is $1,700 a month, “four times what the pioneers pay,” she says. They also use more premium ingredients, like Thai young coconuts and Thai honey mangoes.

Why not open a cafe instead? Jackeline explains: “My husband grew up in hawker centres [helping at his parents’ soy bean stall], but feels that [traditional] hawker foods are boring”. Thus, “he wanted to bring different kinds of food to the hawker centre, with a younger vibe to attract a younger crowd”.

Ice Cream Waffle, $6.90

Desserts from $2

There are three soft serve ice cream options: Signature Coconut, Chocolate and a combo of both: Choco-Coco Twist ($2 for small; $3 medium). If you want waffles to go along, the Ice Cream Waffle ($6.90) comes with one choice of drizzle (maple, chocolate or palm syrup) and one topping. Topping options include chocolate sprinkles, cookie crumbs and mango popping balls. Otherwise, a plain waffle costs $2.80. As a rough comparison, a waffle and soft serve ice cream set, albeit more artisanal and with different flavour options, costs $11.50 at Sunday Folks, while a cup of ice cream there starts at $8.50 (inclusive of toppings). But of course, you don’t get to enjoy the cafe’s comfy setting and air-con at the hawker stall. 

Plain waffle, $2.80

According to Jackeline, they get their ingredients from “the same supplier as some famous cafes (she declined to name which ones)”, and their coconut ice cream is churned with a home-made recipe and soft-serve machine at the stall. Meanwhile, their waffles are cooked on-site with a waffle iron.

Chendol Sundae, $5

Other desserts to try include the Chendol Sundae ($5) topped with red beans and pandan jelly, and Boba Coconut Sundae ($3.50) with brown sugar black pearls.

You can also grab a thirst-quenching shake, like the Avocado Coconut Blender ($5). 

Ice On You is located at #01-01 Ghim Moh Rd Market & Food Centre, 20 Ghim Moh Rd, S270020. Open Mon, Thur & Fri 10.30am - 5pm; Tue, Wed & Sat 10am - 7pm. Closed Sun. More info via Instagram and Facebook. 

Photos: Ice On You

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