I eat a lot of ice cream in normal life, but, my ice cream consumption increases pretty dramatically, even for me, when I'm in Sydney. My breakfast usually includes gelato (its not my fault its part of the buffet!), lunch concludes with ice cream novelties from the office ice cream freezer, and evenings are filled with adventures seeking out more ice cream.
The beautiful warm weather inspires it. The high quality ice cream everywhere inspires it. The unique flavors inspire it. I have no choice. So be it premium gelato from Messina, novelty ice creams from Streets or the long slew of excellent soft serve ice cream places offering unique flavors (Aqua S, Oh Matcha/Chanoma Cafe, Good Times Artisan Ice Cream, etc), I find myself eating a lot of ice cream.
And sometimes it comes from unexpected places. Like, the mall food court.
Rice Workshop is a Japanese fast casual chain with a location in the Westfield Mall, right near the hotel I frequently stay. People seem to like the rice bowls, the curry bowls, the ramen. The lineup of fried snacks looks pretty good too.
But I was there for one thing only: soft serve ice cream, available in matcha or black sesame. One size only. Cup, cake cone, or waffle cone ($0.50 extra, matcha or black sesame flavors). No toppings available. Also, um, only $2.
So, yes, I sought out Rice Workshop, even though only a few blocks away are Aqua S and Oh Matcha, both known for their soft serve. Why? Well, I had Oh Matcha's black sesame soft serve my first day in Sydney, and although it was good, I found myself craving black sesame soft serve ever since. And I happened to walk by Rice Workshop earlier in the week and see the sign that they offer soft serve ...
For a $2 ice cream (+$0.50 for the black sesame cone), this was actually an impressive treat.
Only one size available, but it was a very reasonable size - big enough to enjoy, not feel like it was too small, but not a monster like the soft serve places where I grew up. I liked the size.
The ice cream was rich, creamy, and intensely black sesame flavored. Some nuttiness to it. I think the flavor was better than that at Oh Matcha, although the Oh Matcha texture might have been slightly better, creamier. I did also try a sample of the matcha, but didn't care for it, it was fairly grainy.
I'll give credit to the beautiful looking swirl as well. My server looked like she could care less, and when I asked if the cones were just colored or actually flavored she had no idea and seemed like she'd never served an ice cream before, but, she clearly knew how to make a nice looking cone.
Speaking of the cone, I picked the black cone because I was worried the green one was matcha and might have caffeine. I didn't really taste any distinct flavor, but, it was a fresh waffle cone, not too sweet.
Since Rice Workshop didn't have toppings, I brought my own sprinkles, which I applied using a lid from their ramen bowls, and rolling my cone in sprinkles on it. It looked far less pretty after this, but, I loved having the crunch from sprinkles.
Overall, I was pleased. For the price, it was incredible. But even not considering the bargain price, the flavor was great, texture good, and very convenient. I'd return again without hesitation, although I think the lack of flavor variety or toppings will keep it from being a regular for me.
The beautiful warm weather inspires it. The high quality ice cream everywhere inspires it. The unique flavors inspire it. I have no choice. So be it premium gelato from Messina, novelty ice creams from Streets or the long slew of excellent soft serve ice cream places offering unique flavors (Aqua S, Oh Matcha/Chanoma Cafe, Good Times Artisan Ice Cream, etc), I find myself eating a lot of ice cream.
And sometimes it comes from unexpected places. Like, the mall food court.
Rice Workshop is a Japanese fast casual chain with a location in the Westfield Mall, right near the hotel I frequently stay. People seem to like the rice bowls, the curry bowls, the ramen. The lineup of fried snacks looks pretty good too.
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| Cones. |
So, yes, I sought out Rice Workshop, even though only a few blocks away are Aqua S and Oh Matcha, both known for their soft serve. Why? Well, I had Oh Matcha's black sesame soft serve my first day in Sydney, and although it was good, I found myself craving black sesame soft serve ever since. And I happened to walk by Rice Workshop earlier in the week and see the sign that they offer soft serve ...
 |
| Black Sesame Soft Serve in Black Sesame Cone. $2.50. |
Only one size available, but it was a very reasonable size - big enough to enjoy, not feel like it was too small, but not a monster like the soft serve places where I grew up. I liked the size.
The ice cream was rich, creamy, and intensely black sesame flavored. Some nuttiness to it. I think the flavor was better than that at Oh Matcha, although the Oh Matcha texture might have been slightly better, creamier. I did also try a sample of the matcha, but didn't care for it, it was fairly grainy.
I'll give credit to the beautiful looking swirl as well. My server looked like she could care less, and when I asked if the cones were just colored or actually flavored she had no idea and seemed like she'd never served an ice cream before, but, she clearly knew how to make a nice looking cone.
Speaking of the cone, I picked the black cone because I was worried the green one was matcha and might have caffeine. I didn't really taste any distinct flavor, but, it was a fresh waffle cone, not too sweet.
Since Rice Workshop didn't have toppings, I brought my own sprinkles, which I applied using a lid from their ramen bowls, and rolling my cone in sprinkles on it. It looked far less pretty after this, but, I loved having the crunch from sprinkles.
Overall, I was pleased. For the price, it was incredible. But even not considering the bargain price, the flavor was great, texture good, and very convenient. I'd return again without hesitation, although I think the lack of flavor variety or toppings will keep it from being a regular for me.
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