Ice cream merchants scoop even deeper for unique flavours

Ice cream is a favourite summer snack enjoyed by people of all ages. But we’re no longer limited to yesteryear faves like chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. Thanks to some epicurean ingenuity, tastes have expanded to include flavours you never thought would top a cone. Here’s a look at a few of those local offerings.

See Yow

Little BonBon is located in the historic Hull Block in Edmonton’s Chinatown, and is from the same team as Yelo’d on Whyte Avenue. The flavours at Little BonBon are Asian-inspired and include See Yow, a salted caramel ice cream with soy sauce, and a caramel ribbon. This scoop is a sweet and salty adventure. The soy sauce doesn’t dominate, but rather enhances the flavour, resulting in a unique complexity. If you like salted caramel ice cream, you have to try See Yow. 

Marcona Almond & Ganache

A signature flavour at Made By Marcus, this flavour is crunchy and chocolatey. Made by Marcus’ Marcona almond toffee is embedded within a sweet cream base, with a ripple of chocolate ganache adding a rich finish. The flavour is not overly sweet and the nutty, buttery flavour of the Marcona almonds is the star of the scoop.  

Strawberry Calamansi

DRTY Ice Cream is one of Edmonton’s newest gourmet ice cream vendors. But don’t let the name put you off. DRTY serves up ice cream inspired by Filipino sorbetes: hand churned ice cream served as street food from colourful wooden push carts in the Philippines. Sorbetes became known as “dirty ice cream” as a local joke because it was made in and served from the street. Strawberry Calamansi is one of DRTY’s flavourful scoops. Calamansi is a citrus fruit sometimes referred to as Philippine lime. There is a delicate balance between the strawberry and citrus flavours, making for a light, refreshing experience. 

Fig and Cheese

La Carraia has 60 rotating flavours of gelato, bringing these authentic tastes of Florence, Italy to Edmonton—and making it possible to try something different each visit. One of the unique flavours made in-house is Fig and Cheese. The richness and sweetness of the mascarpone ice cream base is complemented by the subtle flavour of fig pieces, which also add texture to the smooth creaminess.

White Chocolate Raspberry

This is one of the signature flavours at gigi’s ice cream, located by The Cheesecake Cafe in Spruce Grove. Chocolate and raspberry is a winning combination, but using white chocolate adds a unique flavour dimension and richness. Gigi’s ice cream creations use the same ingredients as the cheesecakes that are made in the restaurant, so decadence is guaranteed.

Topping It Off

A fun and interesting topping can take the perfect ice cream scoop a step further. For example, at Little BonBon, for an extra charge you can have your ice cream scoop turned into a “bonbon” by having it rolled in cookie crumbs. At Made by Marcus, you can get a large toasted marshmallow torched by hand right before it is served. If chocolate is your thing, Drizzle Ice Cream has a dozen different flavours of Belgian chocolate dips. 

Taking indulgence to a new level, the Guardian reported how some chefs around the world were getting creative with savoury toppings to boost the flavour, like adding stilton to sea salt and caramel ice cream, or serving caviar atop walnut ice cream. 

Adding unconventional toppings to your ice cream can be a matter of personal taste, adventure, and seeing what’s in the pantry. Ben & Jerry’s offers a list of 10 recommended toppings to try, including candied bacon. Also listed is hot sauce and olive oil—the latter causing a viral reaction on social media. 

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LOCATIONS

Drizzle Ice Cream 

10322-81 Ave., Edmonton

Little BonBon Ice Cream

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gigi’s ice cream

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DRTY Ice Cream

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Made By Marcus

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Pinocchio Ice Cream

Pinocchio Ice Cream is available at a number of retailers, restaurants, and cafés in the Capital region and beyond.

pinocchioicecream.ca/locations

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La Carraia

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Drizzle Ice Cream 

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Yelo’d Ice Cream & Bake Shoppe

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