Hello all! As promised, this week I will be comparing my ice cream shop experiences and having them battle out for the best. And how else would I do this except by hosting my very own Golden Scoop Awards?
In this post, I will be handing out Golden Scoops to seven different categories. Read on to see which ice cream shops win!
Vanilla Ice Cream Sundae, with Chocolate and Strawberry Toppings
So guys, after I published the last blog post for Week 7 (read it here!), I started getting sad that I wasn’t going to travel to any cool new ice cream places for a while. But then I realized – even if I can’t go to these shops, I can still bring the ice cream enjoyment to my house!
So, as a second (bonus) post for Week 7, I am sharing an ice cream sundae recipe made from ingredients that I already owned. I hope you enjoy and get inspired to make your own sundae too!!
Black Sesame Soft Serve, Custard Filling and Sprinkles, Ah-Boong Style
SomiSomi Soft Serve & Taiyaki
Due to the virus and the current closing of all non-essential businesses, this will be my last ice cream post for a while.
I had actually planned to go to a different ice cream shop, but a couple of weeks ago my mother visited me in Los Angeles. As we were sight-seeing Little Tokyo, we came across SomiSomi – an ice cream shop that makes fish-shaped waffle cones! Despite having already eaten lunch, we decided we would try the place out.
The experience ended up being wonderful! Although you won’t be able to try SomiSomi until the shops reopen, this is definitely a place you should keep on your radar and look forward to trying soon.
So guys… I have a confession. This is hard to admit, but I would be deceiving you all if I did not tell you my secret – I am… lactose intolerant.
Now I know what you’re thinking. Why have I chosen to put myself through consuming ice cream each and every week? Couldn’t I have chosen a theme for my blog that didn’t cause intense pain? Okay honestly, yes, but I love ice cream so much that I have decided it’s worth all of the stomach cramps.
However, a commenter on last week’s blog asked if I had any vegan ice cream shops on the itinerary. And it made me realize: ice cream should be for everybody to happily enjoy, no matter their food preferences (and without physical suffering).
So, this week, I visited an ice cream shop for all of the vegan, lactose intolerant, and gluten intolerant readers – Cocobella Creamery.
I generally not a fan of ice cream cones. Like why would I spend a few dollars more for a (wrongfully) glorified ice cream holder? Especially when it’s messier than a plain old cup?
But then I saw a picture of Bumsan’s ice cream cones (please see above). They just looked so beautiful that I decided I had to give the cones one last chance to impress.
I LOVE honey. Like seriously. It’s sweet, gooey, and melts on your tongue, exploding with flavor! So when I heard of Honeymee, an ice cream shop in Little Tokyo that specializes in its use of honey, I knew I had to try it.
Middle Eastern ice cream… I’ve never tried it, but then I came across this Persian ice cream shop!
The reviews were stellar, earning 4.5 stars from over 2,000 reviews on Yelp (read the reviews yourself here!), and so of course I had to see what all the commotion was about.
As a woman of Japanese ethnicity, I was especially interested in trying out the ice cream in this Little Tokyo shop. Although technically a café, this shop specializes in a few flavors of soft serve – Matcha, Ube, and Hojicha.
So was the ice cream worth it? Let’s break it down.