611 Gore Avenue, Vancouver (Chinatown)
Chinatown has a new ice cream store that brings an extra level of cute to the neighbourhood. Fluffy Kittens. Chinatown hasn't had any ice cream stores of its own until Fluffy Kittens came to town. Located on Gore Avenue, the small ice cream store brings a healthy dose of colour into Vancouver's historic Chinatown. Featuring clean white walls and an adorable pink chalkboard with all of the ice cream offerings, the entire store was cuter than kittens. While it is an ice cream store, Fluffy Kittens doesn't serve up its own ice cream; rather it serves up ice cream from Vancouver ice cream stores such as nearby Earnest Ice Cream and Salty Lick, ice cream sandwiches from Brown Paper Packages, popsicles from Johnny Pops and freezies from Tubify. Aside from ice cream cones, and the various ice cream products, they also have sundaes, affogato, and waffles. I had Salty Lick's Bourbon Peach on a waffle cone, which was incredibly bourbon-y. It was also super tasty. However, at the end of it all, it was just ice cream. As well, Fluffy Kittens charge their ice cream at $4.75 for one scoop in a cup. A cone is an extra $1, and other things like a sundae are about $7.00. Go for the aesthetic, go for the cuteness, but the ice cream can be lived without. At least, go to Earnest Ice Cream which is nearby in False Creek.
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3382 Cambie Street, Vancouver (Cambie Village)
In Vancouver especially, regardless of weather, ice cream is always a good idea. Rain or Shine Ice Cream, with locations in Cambie Village and Kitsilano, is a neighbourhood shop that serves up homemade ice cream in various delicious flavours. The brightly lit shop with cute ice cream wallpaper and decals is aesthetically pleasing and perfect for your Instagram feed (if you're into that, like me)! I went with my sisters to compare how Rain or Shine measured up against Earnest ice Cream, another ice cream heavyweight in the city. We had London Fog, Honey Lavender, and a summer seasonal flavour Passionfruit Ale, which is a beer flavour from Bomber Brewing. For my Passionfruit Ale flavour, it was something different and very refreshing for a hot summer day. It was very fruity with not much taste of alcohol, which I am torn on. On the one hand, I feel like there should be a little taste of alcohol, but at the same time I feel like I can live without it. Regardless, it was delicious and a flavour that epitomizes summer in Vancouver. As for the other two flavours (London Fog and Honey Lavender), they were also good but a little on the sweet side. The Honey Lavender was especially on the sweet side, which was a little too much for me. I will say that their waffle cones (which you can watch them make in the back) are amazing - they aren't overly sweet, which I guess balances out their sweet ice cream, and has jut the right amount of crunch. Rain or Shine is a nice switch up from my usual run to Earnest, boasting some different and unique flavours. They also have milkshakes, multiple sundae combinations, and Taco Tuesdays, where their waffle cones turn into taco shaped cones, which look amazing. More on the lowdown on Rain or Shine vs. Earnest Ice Cream here! 320 Robson Street, Vancouver (Downtown)
The ice cream scene in Vancouver keeps churning out new contenders and new, innovative ways to serve and eat ice cream. Lik N2 Ice Cream on Robson is a one of those unique places, calling itself as Vancouver's first liquid nitrogen ice cream store. Upon entry to the store we were stunned by the sunny yellow walls and white walls, as well as all of the silver appliances in the back and the telltale sight of nitrogen smoke. On the other side you can see all of the ice cream being mixed, nitrogen flying everywhere and a cute neon sign that reads "I got Lik'd in Vancity". The aesthetic of the ice cream comes from the syringe that is added to the ice cream, typically with the syrup or sauce that is added to the said flavour. Emma and I got the strawberry blueberry sunrise, which consists of blueberry sorbet, strawberry sauce in the syringe and topped with fresh mangos. It was definitely a fruity treat which evidently used fresh fruit. However, for $7.50, the portion size was a little underwhelming and the ice cream was pretty meh. Don't get me wrong - it was delicious and fruity and I appreciated the freshness, however, it seemed really steep for what it was and it didn't wow me be any means. In comparison, 720 Sweets is under $6 and way bigger and cooler. I can see where the hype is for this place, however, I wouldn't recommend waiting in line for a small cup of ice cream and a plastic syringe. 3278 W Broadway, Vancouver (Kitsilano)
Soft serve is taking over the ice cream scene, and here is yet another new place coming onto the scene and just taking it by storm. 720 Sweets, which just opened about a month ago, is reinventing the look of soft serve ice cream with their eclectic mixes and toppings. But the even cooler part is the showy nitrogen smoke that comes with it. According to my sister, who watched the ice cream being made, the nitrogen cubes go into the main cup while the ice cream goes in a separate cup. Then hot water goes into the cubes to create a cloudy smoke that surrounds the ice cream once the second cup goes on top. The results last for about 3-5 minutes and it is quite mesmerizing. I have never seen anything quite like it. The homemade soft serve is not too milky or icy. I personally prefer this soft serve over the soft serve offered at Soft Peaks, flavour wise. The toppings that went on our ice creams - Milky Way for Eleanor and S'mores for me - added to the aesthetic appeal and the taste of the ice cream. The Milky Way had a milk tea soft serve base with caramel drizzle, espresso jelly, crushed walnuts and salted caramel Biscotti. The S'mores had a chocolate soft serve base with dark chocolate drizzle, with a toasted marshmallow on a Pocky like chocolate almond stick. Both were delicious. 720 Sweets is off to an incredible start, with people lining up before it's opening at 3 every day. Again, it is a small place with minimalistic decor. The wait is a little long, depending on when you go. But it's super delicious. As the wall decal says, "my mind says to go to the gym, but my heart says ice cream". I agree! 433 Abbott Street, Vancouver (Gastown)
Soft serve: soft serve everywhere. And Uyu is definitely a unique and strong soft serve place that is making a name for itself in the world of soft serve ice cream. "Uyu" is the Korean word for milk, and Uyu Ice Cream officially opened it's door almost a month ago. Leading up to it's opening, Uyu offered tastings of their original flavour as well as their unique flavours such as green tea, black sesame, salted caramel and Vietnamese coffee. After their success, the storefront opened on Abbott Street in Gastown, making it walking distance away from False Creek and Yaletown. With rotating flavours every week, patrons have the choice of having their soft serve in original form or in ice cream bar form. After choosing their flavour, there is an array of toppings from freeze dried fruit, different kinds of nuts and almond bark, plus various complimentary syrups. Whoever thought that black sesame soft serve topped with condensed milk, freeze dried strawberries and milk chocolate almond bark would be a good combination? (hint: I didn't. But it definitely was delicious!) I personally prefer Uyu over Soft Peaks, and the prices at Uyu are definitely a better deal for more soft serve! This super young company is just starting up but has serious potential and a great niche. I highly recommend it - go check them out! 25 Alexander Street, Vancouver (Gastown)
Soft serve is taking over Vancouver! Soft and creamy ice cream on a waffle cone has always been one of my favourite treats, so it's awesome to see it making a comeback! One of these new soft serve places, Soft Peaks in Gastown, boasts organic soft serve ice cream with premium toppings such as local honeycomb and Australian TimTams, The flavour of the soft serve is very creamy and milky tasting - really milky. But with the various toppings and syrups, the various ice cream mixes have cute names such as Salty Himalayan (soft serve topped with Himalayan Pink Salt) and Sunrise in California (Sweet and Sour Yuzu marmalade on the Soft Peaks signature twist). A cute little shop that is right in the heart of Gastown, the soft serve combinations offered at Soft Peaks will take on a different adventure with every bite and each flavour. And new this summer - they have milkshakes available in original and chocolate! Just remember, though, Soft Peaks is not open on Tuesdays! (I made that mistake this summer haha...)
3992 Fraser Street (Vancouver East) -OR- 1829 Quebec Street (Vancouver Olympic Village)
I scream, you scream, we all scream for (Earnest) Ice Cream! Opened in 2012, Earnest Ice Cream's tagline is "Seriously Good", and I cannot agree more! Being dedicated to keeping their ingredients local and fresh, there are new flavors every day that are unique, making this ice cream shop anything but ordinary. They focus on small batches which gives them the opportunity to explore - and with this exploration comes incredible parties in your mouth like London Fog, Lemon Poppy Seed, Strawberry Basil and Whiskey Hazelnut - just to name a few. Aside from the typical flavors (but ten times better than your average chocolate!), Earnest Ice Cream also has seasonal flavors, special mixes (Spruce Bud? Lavender? Cardamom??) as well as specially prepared vegan ice creams. In short, the ice cream is delicious, one of a kind, and definitely a must try! Especially during the summer when ice cream is a popular treat, the wait is usually really long. However, the wait is worth it! Now with the additional location in the Olympic Village, there is no excuse to not try out Earnest Ice Cream! It is one of my favourite places to go for ice cream, due to its accessibility and seemingly endless array of delicious flavours to try. There is always something new to try for the adventurous ice cream connaisseur, or personal favourites that people have every single time they go. Earnest is indeed "seriously good", and for a good reason! |
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