As we all know, the main problem with chain outlets is the quality control. Sometimes, you leave feeling good about what you’ve eaten, and other times you leave regretting your choice, vowing never to return again.

Fear not! You no longer have to be subjected to that horrible cycle of food mood swings.. at least for JOLLIBEAN PEANUT PANCAKES! 😀

This post marks the start of a new category “Quality Control” for various chain eateries across Singapore. I’ll put up a post once I hit 5 outlets, and will add on as I try more outlets in the near future. So, if you have any suggestions for eateries to be QCed by yours truly, leave a comment below or just drop me an email. I’d be glad to give it a whirl.

Why Jollibean?

Jollibean is one of the commonly frequented grab and go eateries in Singapore. So having heard comments about how some outlets gave more filling, or had dough that was too thick, I decided to do a quality control test to find out for myself, which outlet was the best!

I decided to review the peanut pancake since I prefer the crunch of the peanut which complements the sweet pancake. The red bean pancake should be fairly similar to the peanut pancake in terms of filling, so I gave the outlet a good rating, you can feel free to get your red bean pancake fix from them too!

Let’s not waste anytime reviewing the 5 Jollibean outlets I tried, (several times each, mind you)  in my quest for the best Jollibean outlet in the central area.

First up, Paragon!

1) Paragon Outlet

• 290 Orchard Road The Paragon #B1-K6
  Singapore 238859

The pancakes look better in these photos because I used a filter on Instagram. Nonetheless, the aunties here are quite generous with fillings for peanut (not so for red bean). You should try not to get the folded pieces, since they tend to have too much dough at the end. Also, the dough is too thick at times, which makes them a bit soggy. However, in terms of quality and consistency, Paragon scores pretty well! Bonus points for the large pieces 😛

Rating: 7/10

Next up, Changi Terminal 3’s outlet

2) Changi T3

65 Airport Boulevard Changi Airport (Terminal 3)
Singapore 819663

Loads of photos to give you guys a better picture of what I was served up.

As you can see, the dough is pretty thick, and you see the part where its folded? Yup, that’s why I recommended that you ask for the side pieces, cause the folded parts are pretty much just dough.

This outlet doesn’t give very big pieces, unfortunately.

I must commend them for their generous peanut filling though! The peanut filling here is one of the best amongst the outlets that I tried. The peanuts are not too sweet, and you can actually taste a lot of peanuts for this outlet.  Also, the dough is rather thick, and is strangely squishy-moist. Maybe its been sitting there for too long.

Another thing to note for this outlet is that their pancakes tend to be a little stale (they even cover them with cling film in an attempt to preserve the freshness, since not as many people frequent the aiport, as compared to malls.

Talk about inconsistency…

Looks can be deceiving, on a repeat visit, my peanut pancake was dry and thin, with extremely little filling. I even resorted to spreading on more of my own peanut butter!

Look at that barely there peanut filling. Tsk, a disappointment to all Jollibean outlets.

Rating: 5/10

3) 313 Somerset

313 Orchard Road 313@Somerset
#B3-00 Singapore 238895

The batter looks paler compared to the rest. But this pancake had one of the best pancake-peanut ratio and I didn’t feel like I had too much of either in each mouthful. The dough was not dry too. A little oily though, could see oil soaking after keeping it overnight.

Rating: 6/10

4) Bishan Junction 8

9 Bishan Place Junction 8 Shopping Centre
#B1-K6 Singapore 579837

The first time I tried their peanut pancake, I was extremely dissapointed. The dough, while thin, was dry and hard to swallow. What’s more, there was barely any peanut filling! To make things even worse, they gave me a small piece.

I went back a few more times, hoping to give them a chance to redeem themselves. Unfortunately, my return trips were all greeted with lacklustre peanut pancakes with little filling.

On my last visit, I was pleased to get pancakes that were of average (or maybe a lil better) standard.

The peanut filling was actually OOZING out! What a rare occurrence.

Rating: 5/10 (unless you’re lucky and get a 6/10 like I did on my last trip)

5) Nex

23 Serangoon Central Nex
#03-K7/K8 Singapore 556083

The last outlet I visited was the one at NEX. The pancakes here are constantly being replenished since they have a steady stream of customers.

While the pieces may not be large, the filling-pancake ratio is pretty good!

The dough is moist and the filling is crunchy!

Rating: 7/10

Tips for eating Jollibean pancakes

1) Heat them up!

-More often than not, you’ll get a pancake at room temperature, which in my opinion, isn’t very palatable. So I suggest you steam your pancake/heat it up in a small toaster oven if you get a chance!

2) Ask the staff to give you the corner piece so you won’t end off with the thick batter.

3) Be a frequent customer at your favorite outlet, so that the workers will start to recognize you and give to the “bigger pieces” for your loyalty! 🙂