Binggrae Samanco Brown Sugar Boba Ice Cream Sandwich: A Korean brand's take on frozen Japanese taiyaki featuring Taiwanese bubble tea, this trinity of representation incorporates milk tea ice cream alongside brown sugar "boba." Unlike the packaging would indicate, the split between ice cream and boba is not 50/50 but more like 90/10, with a thin layer of brown syrup containing popping-type boba that's neither chewy nor bursting, a texture all its own. Having experienced the Monaka Jumbo ice cream sandwiches in Japan, with its iconic crispy wa... (read more) 3.0/5.0
icecream 99ranch milktea binggrae samanco brown sugar boba ice cream sandwich 3.0
Blockheads Black sesame shaved ice with red bean, rice cakes, almond jelly, and condensed milk: Finally got to try this LA-based Taiwanese shaved ice chain. The black sesame ice cream had decent flavor but the texture was not as fluffy as I knew it could be given my recent experience at Powder in San Francisco. At Blockheads, they make their rice cakes in house, which are essentially tang yuan (the mochi-like glutinous rice dumplings that often accompany red bean soup). I expected their almond jelly to be almond jello, but it was more like the harder gelatin cubes often used in Asia... (read more) 3.0/5.0
dessert icecream asian losangeles shaved ice rice cakes almond jelly condensed milk 3.0 redbean blacksesame blockheads
Blue Bunny Big Vanilla Sandwich: It's 100 degrees in San Francisco this weekend, a rare heatwave that still feels very muggy despite the lack of humidity. My co-workers that work in the downtown SF office of my company are lucky enough to have free access to a freezer of ice cream, including this large ice cream sandwich from Blue Bunny. It tastes exactly the same as the ice cream sandwiches you had growing up - two chocolate "cookies" that have a sponge-like texture that sandwich vanilla ice cream that somehow manages to... (read more) 2.5/5.0
icecream desserts frozen bluebunny big vanilla sandwich 2.5
Bottega Italiana Pear and Grapefruit Mint Sorbet: Bottega Italiana is a little ice cream shop about a five minute walk from Pike Place. After a filling dinner of fried fish and chips from Ivar's, I wanted a sharp fruit sorbet and opted for one scoop with two flavors: a white pear sorbet, sweet and concentrated, and a grapefruit mint, which had a terrific acidity and refreshing, balanced amount of mint. They both tasted extremely fresh, and the texture was impressively smooth. By far the best ice cream I've had in Seattle – would not hesi... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional sorbet seattle icecream fruit bottegaitaliana pear grapefruit mint 4.5
Cha Cha Matcha Matcha softserve: I was worried this matcha cafe may be more trendy than good, but NYC-based Cha Cha Matcha’s matcha-flavored softserve (also available in a matcha and vanilla swirl) is very good, with a consistent smooth texture and clean green tea flavor. It has a pleasantly bitter flavor. Well balanced and also reasonably priced (this $5 serving can easily be shared and costs less than many of their $6 special drinks). Given its quality, I would not hesitate to come back to order some of their beverage ... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended nyc softserve icecream chachamatcha matcha 4.0
Cheeseboard Buffalo Milk Soft Serve Ice Cream: Regrettably, I ordered the swirl of chocolate and plain milk flavors, and while the texture was smooth and creamy, the chocolate had a generic taste that masked the more mild milk flavor. While it was higher quality, this ice cream did remind me a bit of the little cups of vanilla and chocolate ice cream you ate with a wooden spoon as a kid. Not bad per se, but not great either. 2.5/5.0
icecream cheeseboard buffalo milk soft serve ice cream 2.5 softserve