Ice de Lion

On our way back from Kyoto we were a bit early for our shinkansen, and given how warm the day was, the best solution was clearly to hole up at the nearest icecream store. Luckily, the nearest icecream store happened to be the adorable Mister Donuts icecream brand, Ice de Lion, with a supercute lion mascot. Obviously, I had to order my icecream in the lion wafer sandwich, which has an impression of the lion mascot’s face on top. I picked the ‘passion’ sorbet flavour, which was a blend of mango and raspberry sorbets. The serving was a huge sphere of sorbet and it actually stayed together quite well, considering how slowly I ate it. Both fruit flavours were really true and I’m very glad someone thought of swirling them together, because they went perfectly – the sweetness of the mango really complemented the tartness of the raspberry. We even got to enjoy a live band performance of music from Disney songs coming from the next floor up while we enjoyed our icecream and people-watched.  Oh, and the Ice de Lion lady even gave me a sheet full of cute lion stickers, like the big kid I am when it comes to icecream.

Ice de Lion, Kyoto station (JR), Kyoto  Japan                            https://www.misterdonut.jp/icedelion/

Cold Stone Creamery

A Swiss friend of mine introduced me to Cold Stone in 2009 and I haven’t looked back. It’s very similar to Cold Rock in Australia, where you choose an icecream, load it full of yummy things, and watch while the staff mush it all together (mush being the technical term, of course). Actually, Cold Stone ups the game, offering icecream in waffle bowls (you heard me, waffle bowls) and singing to customers as they prepare your icecream. As if this place didn’t make me happy enough, they also have the best icecream flavour combo ever – peach and raspberry! It’s a spring special called the Peachy Cheeky and includes white peach icecream, raspberries (frozen), peach jelly, peach chunks and whipped cream. In a waffle bowl. Are you sold yet? I first tried this delight in 2009 and was super excited to have it again this year – it didn’t disappoint. The sweet peach and tart raspberry combination is always a winner, and the textural contrast of the fruit pieces, jelly and icecream was magic. I may or may not have devoured the waffle bowl too… Luckily that’s what they’re there for. Check it out, they’ve got locations all around Japan.

Cold Stone Creamery, Shibuya Mark City 4F, Dogenzaka 1-12-13, Shibuya, Tokyo Japan  http://www.coldstonecreamery.co.jp/

Paletas

I’ve recently returned from a holiday in Japan, so, in exciting news, for the next month or so #icecreamthurs will be all from Japan! I had a lovely catch up with a friend of mine who’s studying in Tokyo and we went to a smoothie bar he wanted to try. It turned out to be a gorgeous cafe with fun red, green and natural timber decor – I was hooked even before I saw the icecream display cabinet. To dine in, you had to order a drink not just an icecream (served on a stick), so we both picked one smoothie and one icecream. I started with the Japanese citrus smoothie, which was absolutely delicious! Yes there was lots of ice, but the freshness of the flavours was really surprising, and there was definitely a streak of some kind of berry in there. I’m guessing the citrus in the drink included orange, grapefruit and maybe yuzu, a Japanese citrus. Our icecreams arrived served on frozen plates to keep them from melting in the spring warmth. I chose the earl grey and orange flavour, which was beautifully creamy and had a subdued bergamot flavour that meant it wasn’t overly sweet. The texture had flecks of orange and tea inside – I would love to come back to try more of their nearly 20 icecream flavours!

Paletas Cafe, Tokyo Midtown, 9-7-3 Asakasa, Minato-ku, Tokyo                        http://www.paletas.jp

Steven Ter Horst

Adelaide has some fabulous independent chocolate stores, and Steven Ter Horst is one of the best. Craving something sweet after brunch, a friend and I dropped in to eye off the cakes on display. I was sorely tempted by the salted caramel tart, but seeing that they offered a ‘fruit de bois’ hot chocolate with strawberries, raspberries and blackberries, I was sold. They kindly made the mix dairy-free for me, using coconut milk and soy instead of milk. There was a short wait, but we sat comfortably at the large centre table, which was strewn with South Australian magazines. My mug came out and I was surprised at how thick the mix was – I adore true Italian hot chocolates and this was beautifully thick, apparently due to the berries. I ate it mostly with a spoon, to make sure I didn’t miss any. The dairy-free option in no way detracted from the flavour of the chocolate, which is an uncommon quality and reflects the care and talent that goes into their craft. The chocolate was rich, not sickly sweet, and given a delicate tartness from the berries. Well worth a visit.

Steven Ter Horst, 256 Rundle Street, Adelaide SA       http://www.steventerhorst.com.au/

Frugii Dessert Laboratory

After my last visit to the Frugii Dessert Lab, I couldn’t resist popping in again after lunch at Hopscotch for a palate cleanser. It took me a while to convince my very-full-from-lunch colleagues, but my dedication to #icecreamthurs won out in the end (and I promised they’d get a mention – hi guys!). Frugii had two sorbet flavours on offer, so I hedged my bets and went half-half. First up: green apple sorbet. Yum, yum and yum. This one has such a crisp, clean green apple flavour – it’s not sickly sweet and it perfectly refreshing. I adored the tiny bits of green apple skin throughout, which added so much to the overall flavour (although it unfortunately led to quickly-escalating jokes about chunks – thanks guys!). Definitely one to get again. Underneath was a big scoop of flavour number two: blood plum. Eating sorbet, it turns out, is a good way to learn about unusual fruit. Having never had an actual blood plum before, I can’t tell how accurate the flavour is, but the sorbet has a lovely tart flavour that screamed ‘plum’ to me. I don’t know how they get their flavours so authentic but it really works.

Frugii Dessert Laboratory, 30 Lonsdale Street, Braddon ACT http://www.frugii.com/

Haagen Dazs

Flashback #icecreamthurs! I was in Tokyo during spring last year and one of my most exciting food discoveries was that Haagen Dazs had put together my two favourite flavours in the world. I made this discovery on an unassuming evening visit to the konbini (convenience store), and was so excited I rushed outside to take this photo right away. I mean really – peach AND raspberry??!! How is it no-one has done this before? Showing superhuman self control, I saved the taste test until I got back to the hotel, by which point the icecream had gone slightly mushy, but luckily not all the way through. I took my little spoon (Japanese convenience stores really are the best) and got stuck in. Oh man. This was so, so good. Every mouthful was a beautiful contrast between the sweet, almost frangrant white peach and the tartness of the raspberry flavour. The icecream itself was rich and creamy for a mass-produced brand (even when melted), and the ‘minicup’ (as the size is called) was more than enough for me – I ended up saving half for later. Dear Haagen Dazs: 1. #cometocanberra and 2. please keep making this flavour, it’s really something special.

Haagen Dazs, sold in various locations, http://www.haagen-dazs.co.jp/

Wafflemeister

I came across this photo from my holiday a few years back and couldn’t resist sharing (#flashback). Waffles are a legitimate breakfast food. Really! They’re even more so when you’re on holidays. I met friends of mine also holidaying in London to check out the Natural History Museum, but before a day of museum exploration, a sturdy breakfast was in order. That’s where Wafflemeister came in. Near the South Kensington tube station, this outlet of the waffle-producing chain was just too tempting to resist. I chose a ‘waffle au chocolate’, and picked milk chocolate for the drizzle on top (dark and white also available). You can add fruit to your waffles and I opted for fresh raspberries. This turned out to be an excellent choice – the waffle was fresh, crisp and light, and the milk chocolate was rich and smooth, with just the right amount to stop the waffle from being dry. But the absolute highlight was the raspberries – they were juicy, tart and intensly flavoured. I can honestly say I’ve never had such delicious berries before in my life! The serving was quite large and I couldn’t quite finish it, but I did finish all the raspberries! They also made me feel a bit less guilty for having a sweet treat for breakfast.

Wafflemeister, 26 Cromwell Place, South Kensington London, UK http://www.wafflemeister.com/