There are a few acai (or açaí) places around here, and I have visited most of them. So here's a comparison of the 3 I have tried.
This is my second time here. The last time I ordered Triple A - açaí with fresh fruits, granola, nuts & superfoods (review here). This time I got CH-CH-CH-Chia - açaí with chia pudding, fresh fruits, granola, nuts & superfoods ($9.90 for medium).
The service is the same as the last time I visited - lacklustre, curt, and unfriendly. But the açaí bowl that I had made up for it. The topping of fruit and granola on the top was just enough to balance the açaí. The chia was just the right consistency, not too watery. The açaí was also just right. Not too frozen or melty.
This place is a little further out than An Açaí Affair, a good walk out to it. I came by as the reviews online were mainly positive. I figured with the bad service at AAA, I wanted to look for an alternative. I ordered the Basic Bitch - classic açaí base, granola, banana, blueberries, strawberries, pitaya, and superfoods ($7.10 for small).
I was disappointed with the first impression. The cup was filled only 75%. You can see it is not filled to the brim or overflowing like at most other places. The fruit was fresh but could do with more. What they did have an abundance of was granola. In fact, too much of it, as you can see in the photo below, it filled up the entire bottom half of the cup below the açaí. Don't get me wrong, I like granola, but too much by itself without the açaí made it really difficult to chew.
The final place I visited was Poke Theory at Katong Square. I was here previously at the new Thai restaurant with the sis and reviewed it. They actually do Poke Bowls with a limited selection of açaí bowls. I ordered the Spring Fling - açaí, banana, pink dragonfruit, blueberries, kiwi, toasted coconut flakes, maple granola, goji berries, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, coconut chia pudding, honey ($8.90).
If I thought the service at An Açaí Affair was lacklustre, the one here is abysmal. When I got there, there were 2 staff busy at the counter. There were no customers around so I assumed they were preparing delivery orders. I went to one of the staff to ask about placing an order for the açaí. The staff looked up with an annoyed face and grunted that it would take 10 minutes and walked away to the corner, which I then realised was the cashier counter. I took out my card to pay but she turned her back to me and went into possibly the kitchen. I was left standing alone with my card in hand.
After standing clueless at the counter for a while, I went to sit down, not sure whether my order has been taken. At one point, I wanted to just stand up and walk away since I had no idea what was going on. After about 10 minutes, the staff came out and placed the cup on the counter; she didn't even bother to call out my order or let me know. I only knew about it as I happened to be looking in that direction. When I wanted to pass my card to pay, she looked at me annoyed like I was a nuisance. She also looked confused, perhaps she has forgotten that I had not paid. Throughout, I felt unwelcome and like I was a nuisance.
With that kind of negativity through no obvious fault of mine, it is hard for the food to taste good. The açaí was a bit frozen, the fruit wasn't enough, nor was the granola. I would not recommend this place at all. In fact, I would recommend giving this a miss. There are other places nearby where service is better.
In conclusion, I would say, of the 3 places, I would only return to An Açaí Affair. The service is sloppy, but at least they are not rude, like at Poke Theory. The açaí bowl itself is the best, with a good ratio of açaí, fruit, and granola. At The Summer Açaí, the service was okay, but the açaí bowl itself is lacking because there was not enough açaí, too much granola. Finally, Poke Theory is the worst. No service and the food is nothing to shout about. I would warn people to avoid it.
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