There is no better way to cope with the sweltering of Singapore than a cold and refreshing bowl of açai.

In this review, I will be evaluating the presentation, flavour, portion size and price of the açai served at two of our local açai parlours: An Açai Affair and Coocaça.

Let us begin with An Açai Affair. On the first bite you will be hit with a zesty, refreshing sweetness. I can taste the presence of lemon and added sugar. Their website states that it is “refined-sugar free” which, if you are health conscious, is comforting to hear. I personally am not a fan of the added sugar as it covers up much of the earthy flavour of the açai, however, I understand that this is meant to meet the market’s tastebuds. The lemon is a brilliant addition as it gives the açai a refreshing kick.

The presentation of the fruit toppings is pretty standard for an açai shop. Their açai cups come with a layer of assorted fruits fitted on the top. The açai to fruit ratio is acceptable for the small and medium cup sizes but I would recommend that they add 2 layers of fruits for the large cup as there isn’t enough fruits to accompany the additional amount of açai. Though if you aren’t a fruit-lover, you wouldn’t be bothered by this detail.

I’m not a fan of nut butter and açai pairings, as the gooey texture does not mesh well with the icy-yet-velvety texture of the açai. But those who are will be delighted to see that nut butters will add layers to your açai enhancing the appearance on the side of your cup.

The portion size for the small cup is unbelievably too little for such a costly price of $6.90. It’ll be devoured in 5 mouths. This forces people to buy either the medium ($9.90) or large cup ($15.50), which in my opinion are not worth the price point. For a lower price of $8.50 I can get a satisfyingly large serving of açai from Çoocaca. The Açai Affair should review their food prices as it is a great turn-off.

Now let us move on to my favourite açai place, Çoocaca. They offer açai in 2 forms: Açai Bowl and Açai Soft Serve.

The flavour of açai is well-balanced with just the right amount of sweetness and earthiness. The texture of the açai is also more viscous grainier than the one sold at An Açai Affair and takes a longer time to melt into a smoothie.

I usually get 2 toppings of banana with my soft serve as the soft texture and mild sweetness of the banana pairs perfectly with açai.

The most value for money option will be to buy the regular sized Açai Soft Serve as it still comes with a choice of 2 fruit or drizzle toppings and the açai serving size is large enough to be a meal in itself. For those who would like a unique combination of yogurt and açai, they have a twist option! This is perfect for individuals who often feel bored eating solely açai. The texture of the soft serve yogurt and a açai is similar and, hence, complements each other as the base of this dessert.