Trader Joe's Yuzu Ripple Coconut Frozen Dessert: This vegan coconut-based "ice cream" is one of the best things I've ever had from Trader Joe's. The coconut base is more neutral than other vegan frozen desserts I've had, making the acidic yuzu ripples the dominant flavor. It seems to be flavored with both yuzu zest as well as marmalade-like yuzu "ripples" that add a satisfying chewy texture. Perfect for hot summer days. 4.5/5.0
exceptional vegan desserts icecream traderjoes yuzu ripple coconut frozen dessert 4.5
Uchi Cafe Sakura Dacquoise ice cream sandwich: I am going to be discharged from the hospital tomorrow so I got an ice cream sandwich from the Lawson convenience store to celebrate. This is a Sakura ice cream sandwich that's meant to resemble a French pastry (Dacquoise); it consists of sakura-flavored ice cream with a thin layer of strawberry jam sandwiched between two flaky biscuits that have a crumbly costing almost like a glazed sugar cookie. I had the dessert about 10 minutes after getting it from the freezer, which seemed like the pe... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended icecream japanese lawson icecreamsandwich dessert ichicafe sakura dacquoise ice cream sandwich 4.0
Uji Purple Potato Soft Serve: Returning to this small ice cream shop on Shattuck to sample additional soft serve flavors, I tried their seasonal purple potato ice cream, which came in a lovely shade of lavender. The ice cream had a rich milk flavor with only a hint of potato at the end. Given that the tofu, black sesame, and matcha flavors from Uji are all vastly superior (I've sampled all three flavors by now), I wouldn't recommend the purple potato ice cream, but it's decent. 3.0/5.0
icecream japanese berkeley uji purple potato soft serve 3.0 ujitime softserve
Uji Pineapple softserve in small taiyaki cone: Two exciting updates on the Uji-front (my favorite soft serve spot in Berkeley): they now have "small" sized taiyaki cones, which are ideal (you still get a ton of soft serve, and it's about $5), and the new seasonal flavor is pineapple. The taiyaki cone is as good as ever - a fish-shaped waffle that's crispy on the outside and soft and chewy inside, with a surprise of red bean plugging the bottom. It's the ideal serving vehicle that holds up especially well compared to regular cones (it d... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended icecream berkeley japanese uji pineapple softserve in small taiyaki cone 4.0 ujitime
Uji Time Tofu Soft Serve: This flavor has eluded me for several months. I sampled the tofu the first time I ever came to this Japanese ice cream shop in Berkeley and loved it but opted for the classic black sesame for my first cup. Ever subsequent time I went back to Uji, the tofu was sold out. Finally, a few months ago, I was able to get it, but this time, the texture had degraded a bit, with the soft serve being uncharacteristically icy. Still, the soy milk flavor is excellent and easily identifiable to anyone ... (read more) 3.0/5.0
softserve icecream berkeley soymilk soy ujitime tofu soft serve 3.0
Van Leeuwen Passion fruit ice cream: I ginormous scoop of ice cream so large that it took multiple tries to balance it on a cone. What struck me about this ice cream shop was the strong buttery smell upon entering. I personally prefer lighter, more subtle flavors and found the richness of the passion fruit ice cream to be somewhat overwhelming. Mixed in with the ice cream were oddly dry pieces of cake - what they had to do with passion fruit ice cream I’ll never know. Expensive at almost $6 a scoop. They also don’t mix two flav... (read more) 2.5/5.0
nyc icecream dessert vanleeuwen passion fruit ice cream 2.5