Icicles

Update Review, July 2019

Last year, I had a friend in town and wanted to do something novel, so we ventured to Icicles, and I had my first experience with rolled ice cream.  As you read about, I was impressed with the texture, the flavors, and, um, the unlimited toppings.  Yet I never returned, mostly because San Francisco just doesn't really inspire ice cream eating for me - I like to eat ice cream outside in the sun, in warm weather, and, well, yeah, San Francisco.

But in July, after nearly 2.5 weeks on the east coast, where I enjoyed the glorious days of summer, and eating ice cream every day (literally), ranging from simple ice cream stands to soft serve filled taiyaki waffle cones (go to Taiyaki in Boston or New York! to, yes, other rolled ice cream (if you are ever in Boston or New York, I-CE NY was fabulous!), I really couldn't get rolled ice cream out of my head when I returned.

My first Saturday back, I hosted a visiting co-worker, and we went to lunch at Sushiritto (cuz, you know gotta educate visitors from small towns on trendy things like sushi burritos!).  Afterwards, I decided to continue the Instagram-worthy adventure, and brought him, and other local, to Icicles.  It was his first time having rolled ice cream too.

I'm glad I returned, it was good to have again, but, not quite as memorable as my previous experience.

Ube Everywhere (No Coconut), with Condensed Milk Drizzle, Rainbow & Lychee Jellies, Rainbow Mochi, Chocolate Covered Waffle Cone Bits, Rainbow Sprinkles, Whipped Cream, and a Torched Marshmallow. (Split-Cup)

"Need a ride? Hop on and get a taste of Ube Everywhere. Mixed with ube, taro and coconut flakes."

For my creation this time, I mostly just followed my own notes and advice, opting to share with another person and each get our own split-cups with generous toppings, and swapping out a few topping choices from last time.

I wanted ube, but didn’t like the texture of the coconut in the "Ube Everywhere", so, I left that out this time. I considered asking for another mix-in but left it simple, just the ube.

The texture was again great, smooth, creamy, and it melted nicely, but the ube flavor was fairly muted.  I thought I remembered more flavor, or, maybe I just have the comparison point of other places, like I-CE NY, which had far deeper taro flavor .  I’d consider another flavor next time, or perhaps mixing something in with the ube to give it more oomph.

But of course, one big appeal of Icicles for me is the unlimited toppings.  UNLIMITED!!!

For my toppings, I kept the jellies and mochi that I liked before, and dropped the popping boba, as I felt they were too sweet last time.  I again liked the jellies and mochi, good textures, fresh enough, and complimented the ube.  I’d keep these again.

I considered adding fresh fruit, and almost wish I had, but, I couldn’t see the fruit in advance, and I was worried it wouldn’t be very fresh.  They also only have blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries, no mango or lychee which is what I really wanted.

I added chocolate covered waffle cone bits as a random addition, and I’m glad I did.  I loved the crunch.  Chocolate didn’t necessarily go great with my creation, but, it worked well enough for me.

I swapped out the white chocolate drizzle I did last time for condensed milk, per my notes-to-self from last time, and I’m glad I did.  I think it was less sweet, but also, it was just a better compliment to the ube.

And finally, I kept the whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles as they are staples of mine, although, to be honest, neither added that much, and the whipped cream was just generic from a can, the sprinkles generic too.

And then I added a torched marshmallow, because my peers did, and it looked too fun.  The marshmallows were torched to order, and can perched on pretzel sticks.  Not necessarily in any way, but, fun.

Overall, I was happy enough with my creation, and I think my refinements were good ones.  However, I wasn’t quite as pleased with the ube base as other ube and taro flavors I’ve had recently, so I’d consider trying something else, or, going elsewhere in the future.

TIME FOR REECES

"A childhood classic and smooth flavor that tastes just like the Reece’s Pieces candy."

A companion went for the Time For Reece's, and he loaded it up appropriately chocolately: brownie bites, chocolate covered waffle cone, chocolate drizzle, and a torched marshmallow.

I had a bite of his, and it was pretty fabulous, as it is hard to go wrong with the peanut butter and chocolate goodness that is Reece's.

Original Review, October 2018

Rolled ice cream.  I've seen it for a few years now, particularly in Sydney, where the Asian dessert influence is strong.  But I'll admit it.  I thought it was all just hype.  Just for looks and show.  Why ... why would I want my ice cream, uh, rolled?

But I finally tried it, and I feel silly for judging it without trying before.

"Visit one of our many locations for the ultimate ice cream experience. Our handcrafted ice cream is made daily using nothing but the freshest fruits and ingredients around.
Each bowl is made right in front of you. All you have to do is select one of our custom flavors from our menu and our ice cream baristas will roll up your ice cream bowl.
Join us with your friends and family for a light, refreshing and delicious frozen treat. Don’t forget, we have unlimited toppings for you to choose from!"

My introduction to rolled ice cream comes from Icicles, a Bay Area chain (up to 10 locations now), with a shop right next to the Westfield Mall (where there used to be a self-serve froyo place I frequented).  I've passed by it since it opened, but I always glared at it, angry it replaced my froyo shop, and thinking it was just a silly trend that would go away.

But it lasted.  And when I finally looked at reviews, they were all quite strong.  Really strong.  I still thought it was just trendy, written by silly Instagramers and those who were into the whole show (its made to order).  "Ice cream baristas", I scoffed.  And then I saw they had taro flavor.  And ... unlimited toppings included.  Those two things were enough to draw me in, as I adore taro, and I adore toppings.

The Process.

The ordering process is a bit involved, but the staff are friendly, signs are clear, and, when I visited, the place was entirely empty, so there was no rush.

From their Q&A:

Q: How does the process work? 

A: We start by pouring a liquid base cream onto our freezing ice pans and mix in fresh ingredients. Then you wait for it to freeze and then we roll up the ice cream. After, you get to add your choice of unlimited toppings and drizzles.

So, you pick your base and pay, watch the base get made to order, and then move on to toppings.  The entire process takes no more than 5 minutes end-to-end.

And then you enjoy.  And enjoy we did.

Menu.

"We have a wide variety of custom flavors that available. Each bowl is made to order to give your taste buds a mouth-watering experience."

Icicles has a menu of named suggestions, with a couple mix-ins that get added to make a flavored base, and then toppings to pair.  But you can also make up anything you want, adding any options available to form the base, and then of course, your unlimited toppings.

Vegan options also exist, called "fruit roll ups", and some seasonal flavors as well.

All creations are a single size.  No kids size.  No cones.  Just a bowl, for a whopping $9.25 (again though, unlimited toppings).  If you dine in, it is even more, as tax is added, making it $10.04. If you get togo, the tax isn't added.  Discounts are given during Happy Hour (M-F 12-6pm), or with student ID, military ID, or proof that you work within 1/2 mile.

However, they *do* allow you to split one between two bowls, each of which gets unlimited, unique toppings.  No extra charge.  This is not mentioned on the menu anywhere, but I had read the tip in advance, and I'm glad I went in with this knowledge.

Ube Everywhere Base.

"Need a ride? Hop on and get a taste of Ube Everywhere. Mixed with ube, taro and coconut flakes."

To get the process going, the person preparing your creation goes to fetch the base and mix-ins.

I selected the "Ube Everywhere" flavor, so he came back with a cup with the custard cream base plus purple ube milk, and a side of coconut flakes.

He set up the station, scraping the anti-griddle clean before starting, and got ready to craft my treat.  The shop is basically a line of these anti-griddles, with a glass viewing area.  Uh-huh, I was here for the "show".

Ube Everywhere: Step 1.

The liquid was poured onto the anti-griddle, and the coconut flakes added on top.

Since mine didn't have much for mix-ins, this was a pretty simple step, but others are far more elaborate.

Strawberry Fantasy: In Progress.

"Fresh strawberries mixed with graham crackers and our classic custard base mixed to form this wonderful fantasy  for your taste buds."

One companion selected the more involved base "strawberry fantasy", with fresh strawberries and graham crackers mixed in, so his was more interesting to watch.

The server started with the fresh berries and whole graham crackers, chopping those up first, before pouring on the liquid.

Mixing it Up.

Next, the mixing process, again, in my case, quite simple, just mixing the cream, ube milk, and coconut.  Other creations required chopping and more extensive mixing.

Chilling it Down.

 After it is mixed, it is then spread out into a thin layer on the anti-griddle.

Rolling!

Then comes the fun part, the mix is scraped into the signature rolls.

The mix made 7 rolls, and since we were getting a split cup, I laughed when he cut the smallest one in half, very deliberately, and made sure they were totally even.

The rolls are placed into the cup (or cups, if you split), and then you move down to the station I was most looking forward to.

Toppings Sign.

 "What makes us special is our vast selection of toppings to add on your ice cream. Customize your special dessert any way you please."

Yes, toppings!  Unlimited toppings!

All listed on a sign with pictures for easy browsing.

Some of the Toppings.

Dry toppings are easily visible at the station, while fruits and chilled items are in a refrigerated area.

The full line up was:

• Fruit: Strawberries, Blueberries, Blackberries, Bananas, Cherries
• Asian Things: Popping Boba, Lychee Jelly, Rainbow Jelly, Mochi
• Cookies & Cakes: Brownie Bites, Cheesecake Bites, Oreos, Mint Oreos,
• Candy: Chocolate Chips, Caramel Cups, Rainbow Sprinkles, Mini M&Ms
• Crunchy Things: Pretzels,  Chocolate Waffle Bits, Roasted Almonds, 
• Cereals: Captain Crunch, Fruity Pebbles, Cinnamon Toast Crunch
• Fluffy Things: Roasted Marshmallow, Whip Cream
• Drizzles:Condensed Milk, White Chocolate, Raspberry, Caramel, Nutella, Chocolate

You really could have quite a bit of fun at this topping station.  Which of course, I did.

Major points to Icicles for being *not* stingy.  "What else?" asked the server after my companion had selected only 5 toppings.  "Anything more?" my server asked me, even when I thought I had added a ridiculous number of things.

Ube Everywhere, with Popping Boba, Lychee Jelly, Rainbow Jelly, Mochi, Blackberries, Condensed Milk Drizzle, Roasted Marshmallow. (Split Size).

My companion agreed to split with me so he wouldn't need to make decisions.  Little did he realize that he'd get to pick his own toppings.  We had to agree on a base, but he could do whatever he wanted on top.  And with a toppings line up as extensive as Icicles, that meant ... many decisions.

He asked what I was going to get, and I gave my suggestions.

He went first, selecting all the asian toppings that I had suggested (Popping Boba, Lychee Jelly, Rainbow Jelly, and Mochi) to start.  When the server prompted him for more stuff, he randomly added on blackberry.

For a drizzle, he went for condensed milk, again, my suggestion.

His last component was a toasted marshmallow, which was actually toasted to order right then.

The split portion is a really interesting offering from Icicles, particularly as they do not charge more.  Sure, the ice cream portion is the same, and they do unlimited toppings anyway, but we clearly had substantially more toppings than someone who didn't split, as we had the same size cup, with just half as much ice cream, and he loaded them up generously.  And the extra cup does cost ... something.  While I'm giving away points to Icicles, I give them points for this too.  

Anyway, I love the split portion, as it is a far more reasonable size (it was more than enough for each of us), and I like the customization it allows.  If I was there alone, without someone to split with, I think I'd get it split anyway, and just do different toppings.

Ube Everywhere with Popping Boba, Lychee Jelly, Rainbow Jelly, Mochi, White Chocolate Drizzle, Whipped Cream, Rainbow Sprinkles.

For my creation, I went for the same asian toppings I recommended to him (Popping Boba, Lychee Jelly, Rainbow Jelly, Mochi), plus whipped cream (why not?), rainbow sprinkles (I'm silly, but I love them), and at last minute decided on white chocolate drizzle instead of the condensed milk I was intending to get, since I wanted to be slightly different from my companion.

My bowl came even more loaded up than his, I'm not sure why, but I had a very very full bowl of assorted jellies, boba, and mochi, way too much whipped cream, and a very generous "drizzle" of white chocolate sauce.

I took my first bite of just the ice cream, a rather hard feat given all the toppings.

Oh.  Wow.

It was ... shockingly creamy.  The texture was just absolutely amazing.  I couldn't believe how creamy it was.  This was not what I was expecting, at all.  Not icy, just smooth creamy perfection ... rolled up.

The taro flavor was decent, strong enough to taste, even once I started having spoonfuls with toppings.  I'd probably leave out the coconut flakes from the base in the future, they gave a bit of texture, but aren't really something I enjoy that much.

The popping boba were standard pink fruit based popping boba, I think strawberry.  Juicy, sweet, bursting with flavor.  I often put these on my froyo and regret it, and felt about the same way here.  Just a touch too sweet, a touch ... too much.  Next time, I'd leave these off.

I did love the jellies, I opted for both the lychee and rainbow ones, and I'm glad I did.  Slimy, sweet, and really the perfect compliment to taro flavor.  He added tons of these, and although I had bites that were all just jellies, mochi, and whipped cream, I didn't exactly mind.

The mochi were also very good, rainbow colored which I wasn't expecting, but great for additional color to my already colorful creation.  They were soft and perfect texture, clearly not stale nor old.

The whipped cream was good, but he did apply too much, even for me.  It took over everything!

And finally, the white chocolate drizzle was sweet and quite tasty, it reminded me of marshmallow syrup.  That said, there was quite a bit of it, and with my other sweet toppings, and all that whipped cream, it was a bit too much.  It complimented the taro well, but I suspect I would have preferred the condensed milk.

Oh, and the rainbow sprinkles were of course fun, more color, a bit of texture, and ... even more sugar.

I realized as I finished it off that this was what I wanted taro milk teas to be.  I love taro flavor, I love the mix-ins, but ... milk tea is never *really* the format I want.  But this is.  Easily enjoyable by the spoonful.  I'll never go for milk tea again!

Overall, I was quite pleased with this creation.  The ice cream itself was far more enjoyable than I imagined it would be, in both texture and flavor.  The toppings were generous, and for the most part, I was very happy with what I picked.  The split size portion was perfect, honestly, splitting it into three rather than two would also likely be fine, but that isn't an option.

Next time, I'd certainly split again, and go for taro base again, but leave out the coconut from the base mix-in.  For toppings, jellies and mochi for sure, perhaps a bit of fruit rather than the boba, condensed milk drizzle ... and maybe not the whipped cream?  Or, at least, I'd ask for less.  I might even consider adding mochi or marshmallow to the base, just to give it a little texture?  Or, uh, sprinkles in the base?  Yeah, now I'm being crazy ...