Singapore’s ultimate fried rice restaurateur Chen Fu Ji and China’s leading ice-cream brand Youcan Foods Innovate to create a paired Pot’s Burnt Rice Ice Cream Combo-Dessert

A partnership of “sizzle and ice” between local sensation Chen Fu Ji F&B Group of Restaurants (“Chen Fu Ji”) and China based frozen food and ice-cream manufacturer Youcan Foods International Limited (“Youcan”) unveiled a pioneering mix of traditional earthern pot burnt rice and vanilla ice cream cake - the Oriental Rice Cake Ice-Cream (锅巴蛋糕冰淇淋). This unusual pairing between a hot dish and cold dessert recreates an old-time classic with a contemporary, pushing the boundaries of menu innovation in Chinese F&B scene.

The Oriental Rice Cake Ice-Cream is a testament to the inventive capabilities of both Chen Fu Ji and Youcan – to go beyond the tradition of serving either hot or cold desserts to re-design a dish instead, to complement the strengths and tastes from the signature products of both businesses (Fried Rice from Chen Fu Ji and Ice-Cream from Youcan).

Making its first claim to fame when Youcan Ice-Cream debuted in Singapore last year with its Chili-flavored ice-cream, this unique dish is an extension of Youcan’s salvo ice-cream flavours. Back in the PRC, the ice-cream manufacturer sells mainly through distributors and supermarkets; this unique partnership of offering Youcan ice creams as part of a dessert menu further marks the brand’s first foray into other downstream sales channels such as fine dining eateries like Chen Fu Ji.

Youcan, recognizably one of the leading ice cream brands in the PRC looks also at the co-partner to promote its brand and market presence in the South East Asia. Last year, Youcan made its first international debut by penetrating the Singapore market as its showcase stop and stepping stone to expand to the rest of the region. The partnership with fine dining restaurant Chen Fu Ji serves to further enhance its brand recognition in this arena.

Said Mr. Dai Tian Rong, CEO of Youcan, “We are delighted to partner Singapore’s famous Chen Fu Ji F&B Group of Restaurants. Our Youcan ice creams have never ventured into the dessert menu of restaurants before; this would be our first time. If successful, we can be looking at potentially another distribution stream to widen our target audience and customer base.”

“Our chefs find Youcan ice-cream a high-quality and tasty ingredient to create the unusual and exciting dessert combo. Beyond our celebrated signature Imperial Fried Rice dish, Chen Fu Ji has an extensive menu and comprehensive range of product offerings including novel appetizers and hot dishes. The Oriental Rice Cake Ice-Cream is one such example of our originality when it comes to pairing up the bite-sized desserts. We want to introduce traditional flavours into new formats, and this adds a contemporary twist to our cuisine spread,” says Mr. Roger Koh, CEO of Chen Fu Ji F&B Group of Restaurants.

The restaurant uses the ‘Guo Ba’ as a hot dish to pair with the icy cold Youcan Silk Slice Ice-Cream for the Rice Cake Ice-Cream. ‘Guo Ba’, with its puffiness and crunchiness, infuses a slight burnt flavor when tasted with the smoothed texture of the layered cake ice-cream – typically, the Chinese consumes the fried rice cake by pouring savoury sautéed sauces over it for a sizzling platter.

Mr Roger Koh adds, “The Singapore palate is increasingly more diverse and new ethnic flavours are paving their way into the dessert arena. Chen Fu Ji feels that it should continue a tradition and an excitement that is integral to its cultural dining experience.”

Chen Fu Ji currently has 2 main outlets in Singapore and 1 franchised outlet in Changi Airport Transit Lounge. It has recently opened a restaurant in Beijing City Winterless Centre, Chao Yang Commerical District. Potentially, its strategic alliance with Youcan in Singapore can leverage on the latter’s brand presence in the PRC for future growth possibilities. The restaurant group is exploring other avenues of collaboration including placing Youcan’s ice-cream freezers in its main outlets to allow diners to sample a wide range of indulgences in one sitting.