Ice cream lovers are probably the kind who duck into the cold comfort of blazing air-conditioners, rather than brave 20-minute waits in the sweltering heat in queues. But the 50 or so standing in line for Cold Stone Creamery do so willingly.

This is the first store of this American franchise to open in Singapore and it entices you with whiffs of freshly made waffles, creamy wonders and delightful crushed toppings such as Graham crackers, peanut butter cups and apple pie filling.

Others may be drawn by the server, who occasionally bursts into a quick song; a trademark of the franchise. That explains why the sign at the end of the queue at level 1 of Orchard Central (OC) reads “The fun begins here”.

Outside, one can see the creamer whipping out tins of rich vanilla ice cream, and Cold Stone promises fresh batches daily. Apart from Cotton Candy and Cheesecake, most of the ice cream are traditional flavours. With 18 – 20 of them, you could spend several minutes deciding what to pick.

Known in America for being a fun premium ice cream parlor, it has the capacity to seat up to 52 customers at one time.

Not only is the concept of being able to “make your own ice cream” fun, LeRoy Chan, PR Consultant from FoodNews tells UrbanWire that any customer who walks in can request to play game of toss-and-catch, where they try to catch their own ice cream.

If you miss, you get a second chance, and Cold Stone won’t charge you extra. Don’t worry, you still get to eat your ice cream.

Here’s a typical day at Cold Stone Creamery:

Cold Stone actually isn’t the first creamery adopting the mix-in approach. However, they have a long heritage of 23 years from America, and now boasts more than 1,500 outlets in the world. LeRoy also explains that at Cold Stone, they don’t use low-fat ingredients simply because they pride themselves on being a company that focuses on taste. While your waistline won’t thank you for their ice cream, milkshakes, smoothies and cakes, your taste buds certainly will.

Signature creations such as Banana Caramel Crunch, Cookie Mintster, Mud Pie Mojo go for only $5.50 for the ‘Like It’ size of their smallest 4 oz serving. Add $1 if you fancy a freshly made waffle bowl and top another 50 cents for the chocolate-dipped one. Signature shakes are available in 1 size only at $8.50 (Warning: this is rich and filling enough to replace lunch). Pricing is considerably reasonable for the ice cream and entertainment is a delight.

With that said, UrbanWire led the charge on a sugary journey of ice cream, wafers, and milkshakes. Here are our top 5 picks:

Signature Creations all $5.50 per serving.

1. Founder’s Favourite

One of the flavours most in demand, this creation is a classic combination of Sweet Cream Ice Cream with toppings such as pecans, fudge and caramel that appeal to the young and young at heart.

Our favourite part of this velvety sensation? The chewy brownie bits that are evenly distributed in the entire cup. Flavours are rich yet not too overpowering and it’s definitely worth giving a try if you are a fan of the classic chocolate/vanilla palate.

Much thought was put into this creation as the amount of caramel and fudge added into the ice cream is perfect – neither too sweet not too insubtantial. Word has it that Cold Stone creators remain particular about the quality and variety of ingredients and amount (although not to the clinical precision of weighing each addition) added to each cup sold to customers.

It’s no wonder that every cup of Founder’s Favourite remains consistent and it is also one of the 3 favorites in their menu.

Also try: Chocolate Devotion and Strawberry Banana Rendezvous. These 2 other flavours complete the top 3 products in their signature menu.

2. Apple Pie A La Cold Stone

One of the more unique creations recommended to us, this cup of rich cinnamon dessert took me by surprise.

With an uncanny resemblance to a timeless apple pie (thus the name), it was a balance between a smooth and crunchy mix of Graham cracker pie crust, apple pie filling, caramel and, of course, cinnamon. With a French vanilla ice cream as base, the toppings complement the delish creamy ice cream and leave a mild aromatic aftertaste.

The texture was also delectable as everything was unexpectedly well blended, something seemingly hard to achieve considering the different types of toppings used.

Most people would assume apple pie would overpower the ice cream and you would be very “gelat”  (Malay expression to denote extreme weariness and irritation at repetition), but we beg to differ.

3. Cheesecake Fantasy

The only signature creation that uses a cheesecake ice cream base, it caught my attention immediately with the list of toppings used. Following classic adaptation of a real cheesecake, Graham cracker piecrust, blueberries and strawberries make up this fantasy that has strands of the classic dessert’s DNA.

The smooth whipped ice cream had a slight tinge of cream cheese, paired with bits of Graham crackers, making it blissful to devour. 5 stars to the creators for coming up with such a heavenly combination!

It’s one of our picks simply because we love the way it tastes so fresh and light, yet ironically is rich and filling.

Signature Shakes

1. PB&C

Before we dive in to rave about this particular shake, we should put out a warning to all our readers: Strictly for peanut butter and chocolate lovers.

The PB&C caught us by surprise with its intense taste of peanut butter and chocolate-y aftertaste, thus the heads-up. One of the quirkiest flavours available, and really similar to drinking liquid peanut butter, I’d say that only true fanatics would develop an unhealthy obsession with it.

Prepare to forgo your lunch or dinner after this shake, with only 1 size (close to a McDonald’s regular cup), we recommend sharing it with a friend.

2. Cream de Menthe

Photos courtesy of Tay Wan Lin of Klix Photography and Cold Stone Creamery.

Last but not least, this awesome minty cup won our vote instantly with a pleasant fusion of mint ice cream with chocolate shavings. What we loved most about it is the natural mint flavour, unlike the garden-variety mint ice cream found in supermarkets, which tastes artificial most of the time.

Cold Stone Creamery is located at Orchard Central #01-09/10, 181 Orchard Road. Opening hours: 11 am – 11 pm.