Eunice Li
Text by Kyle Sim for hype.
Admit it – a giant lollipop kneaded into the shape of your name is pretty cool. And you can get these custom-made lollies and rock candies at Sticky, The Central at Clarke Quay.
Originating from Australia, Sticky has made a name for itself Down Under with its great tasting candy. No mean feat given that every batch of sweets is made completely by hand.
“Making sweets is an art, but unlike other forms of art, you can actually eat it!” said Mrs Kristin Lim, 29.
A former marketeer, Mrs Lim, along with business partner and husband Mr Jamie Lim, came across Sticky while searching for trinkets to give away at their wedding.
As the first-ever handmade sweets shop in Singapore, Sticky has sought to infuse more traditional flavours such as mangosteen, soursop and lychee to increase the variety of their offerings.
But there are no plans to make durian or teh-tarik (a popular hot beverage made with black tea and condensed milk) flavoured sweets.
Customers have been coming back in droves to get their toothsome kiwi and passion fruit rock candies.
Mrs Lim’s niece, 12-year-old Jillisa Koh, who helps out at the shop, gushed, “I love working here! I get to eat all the raspberry lemonade sweets I want!”
Variety sets Sticky apart from regular supermarket sweets. With over 71 different flavours, you are spoilt for choice.
The fact that the sweets are freshly made means that the flavours are more robust and the fruity zing more accented than conventional factory-made sweets. And the cute little messages in the centre of each sweet makes this a great gift for that special someone on Valentine’s Day.
Unique and tasty, this is as close to perfect as a gift can get.
Just like how no two people are the same, no two sweets made at Sticky will turn out the same.
Mr Lim, a former IT professional, said, “There is no cookie-cutter method of making sweets here. Every batch is unique to the confectioner who makes it.”
To become Sticky’s confectioners, the couple had to take leave from their previous jobs to undergo a 2-month intensive training course in Australia.
Their final test was to make an entire batch of sweets from start to finish completely blindfolded.
The plucky couple then quit their jobs to follow their dream of being their own bosses, pumping in almost $200,000 of their savings to open the store.
Though it is hardly the best climate to open a candy shop here, it’s hard to go wrong with sweets like these.
We recommend their rock candy mix if you simply can’t decide what to try. The variety of flavours offered will leave you happily sucking away.
What makes Sticky really special is that they will not charge you an arm or a leg. Instead, their delectable offerings are priced at only $3.50 per 100 grams.
Although there are currently no plans to make any special Valentine’s Day sweets, rock candies bearing messages such as “I love you” are on sale all year round.
If you insist on being a spoilt brat and decide to go for their custom-made rock candy, be warned that it goes for $42 for a kilogramme with a minimum order of 10 kilos, which will not only give your dentist a heart attack but will give you one heck of a tummy-ache.
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Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas
Additional report by Eunice Li
If the gift of candy is too sweet for your liking, here are some more customised gifts ideas you can surprise your loved ones with this Valentine’s Day.
Splurge
What says “I love you” more than fine jewellery? How about fine jewellery with “I love you” engraved on it, like the Heart Envelope Pendant from Limoges Jewellery?
The $39.99 ($59.55) pendant opens to reveal a heart-shaped letter on which you can engrave a 36 letters and spaces message. It’s not long enough for a mushy love letter, but it’s definitely enough for a simple “Be my valentine”.
Mid-range
If you are looking to spend more time with your date, why not invest a personalised board game? Lovopoly.com allows you to create your very own game of Monopoly with a flirtatious twist. In place of popular landmarks like Marvin Gardens, you can put in place locations of significance, like the backseat of your car (where you shared your first kiss), or McDonalds (where you had your first date). At US$19.95 ($29.70), it’s affordable, intimate and fun.
And who knows, you may just get lucky this Valentine’s Day.
Budget
Who can resist the scent of freshly baked cupcakes? Bake your valentine a batch with easy-to-follow recipes from Cupcake Bakeshop. With recipes for more than 80 different types of cupcakes – from the most basic Vanilla Cupcakes to exotic flavours, such as Ginger-Cream Filled Pumpkin Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache Frosting and Cherry Chocolate Cupcakes with Fennel Meringue Frosting – you will find yourself spoilt for choice.
The cost of ingredients ranges around $10 to $15 for basic cupcakes and up to $20 for more complicated recipes. Each batch yields about 18 cupcakes.