With the daily temperature and humidity rising to uncomfortable levels and the endless “very hot weather” warnings from HK Observatory, nothing cools you down quite so deliciously as your favourite frozen treat. Whether it’s a juicy popsicle, a creamy scoop of your favourite flavour du jour, or a guilt-free fro-yo, here are our top picks (in no particular order) to make the heat a little more bearable…one frozen treat at a time.
N*ICE POPS
Gourmet ice pops by this very cool new ‘urban street’ brand are lovingly handmade here in Hong Kong. Inspired by Mexican paletas, creative seasonal cocktails, health-conscious juicing, and the stuff we all love to eat, they create wonderfully nuanced flavours and textures in the form of gourmet frozen treats. Flavours include; red dragon blueberry compote, shiso infused beetroot and guava picante con limon. Try their even more indulgent boozy pops which include; gosling’s rum caramel burnt pineapple and leblon’s watermelon caipirinha. Prices range from $45 to $55. Keep an eye out for their cross promotion collaborations and mashups with other premium food and drink brands, indie fashion designers, musicians, street artists and DJs!
Find them on Sundays in the month of June at Island East Markets, Taikoo Place, Quarry Bay (except 22 June) and watch this space for more info on their future pop up stalls.
www.NICEPOPS.hk / www.facebook.com/nicepopshk
LAB Made
Some ice cream makers are putting new spins on the frozen treat. As Hong Kong’s first – and only – liquid nitrogen ice cream laboratory, Lab Made uses liquid nitrogen to flash-freeze fresh ingredients (with no artificial additives, colourings or preservatives). Started by two former pharmacists, ice-cream geniuses Ronnie Cheng and Jenny Chiu, all Lab Made’s creamy inventions are frozen right before your eyes in under two minutes giving off a dramatic, smoky vapour. Using extremely cold liquid nitrogen at -196℃ to rapidly freeze the ice creams, results in much smaller ice crystals, meaning you get a much smoother, creamier scoop! Flavours change every week and include Hong Kong Crispy Toast ($44), Chinese Beancurd Dessert ($44), Bakewell Tart ($44) and Mango and Pineapple Greek Yoghurt ($39). Our Foodie fav was the deliciously, somewhat nutty flavoured, ‘HK Crispy Toast’, which the lovely team from Lab Made served up at our Foodie Forks Awards earlier this week.
G/F, 6 Brown Street, Tai Hang, Causeway Bay
www.labmade.com.hk
XTC Gelato
All natural artisan gelatos using only the freshest ingredients and naturally lower in fat Australian milk, XTC claims to be low in fat and full in flavour. Made from scratch right here in Hong Kong, XTC prides themselves by doing everything by hand – from peeling and washing the fruit, to toasting and grinding the whole nuts. Flavours change with the seasons and generous quantities of ingredients ensure that big hit of pure, intense flavour.
Some of our favourite flavours have included the Hong Kong milk tea, lavender and Thai palm lemongrass coconut. With a wide range of sorbets, fro-yos, chocolate covered gelato sticks, ice-cream sandwiches, fresh fruit pops and gelato cakes, there’s a signature scoop and flavour for everyone. A single scoop costs $36; an ice pop is $22, gelato cookie sandwich is $38 and the small pots are $30.
XTC Gelato, Shop B, 45 Cochrane Street, Central, 2541 0500
XTC Gelato, B2, Hysan Place, 500 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay, 2870 3029
XTC Gelato, Unit KP-01, Star Ferry Terminal, TST, 2368 3602
http://xtc.com.hk/
Lola’s Ice Pops
Heaven on a stick. These homemade artisanal popsicles are created by two Hong Kong mums who make them fresh daily, using only the finest natural ingredients. No artificial flavouring, colouring or preservatives. Their fab flavour combos include; pink grapefruit rosemary, black sesame cream, green tea latte with homemade chocolate mocha, dark chocolate orange and even a few boozy ones such as sweet basil gin & tonic and pineapple margarita…um yes please! Priced at $30 each (customized hand dipped ice pops with chocolate, nuts or coconut flakes are $40 each). Catch them at the PMQ Night Markets on 6 – 8 and 13 – 15 June and at the Harbour Artisanal Food Fair in Tai Hang on 7 -8 June. Lola’s Ice Pops are also available 24/7 at Saffron Bakery in Stanley and The Bottle Shop in Sai Kung.
Saffron, Shop G04, G/F, 23 Carmel Road, 2813 0270
The Bottle Shop, G/F 114 Man Nin Street, Sai Kung, 9829 2883
www.lolasicepops.com / www.facebook.com/lolasicepops
Yo Mama
Fro-yo at its best. 100% indulgent, 50% less fat, Yo Mama’s fro-yo is irresistibly attractive. Low in fat but rich in probiotics, calcium and vitamin B12, this instant cooler is actually good for you too! Perfectly situated in the IFC mall, Yo Mama’s is perfect too for a mid-shop pick me up. With flavours such as green tea, chocolate hazelnut, cappuccino as well as of course the delicious original tart, natural yoghurt flavour. Each cup comes with a free selection of more than 20 toppings. Price for a regular cup, including one topping is $31.
Shop 1061, 1/F, 8 Finance Street, Central, 2547 5000
See all other Yo Mama locations in Hong Kong at www.yomama.com.hk
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