Although the winter season is upon is, there is no stopping to Vancouver’s ice cream craze. New to the dessert scene is Ice Queen, Metro Vancouver’s first and only fried ice cream shop. I had passed by their location during the summer while they were under construction and was excited to find out they had just opened last month. Their location is a bit hidden being in a corner on the second level of the newly opened Aberdeen Square in Richmond. Yesterday, I visited Ice Queen to try out their unique offerings.
Ice Queen Menu
Those of you who have been to On Yogurt in Downtown Vancouver will find that Ice Queen has a similar concept. The difference is that Ice Queen prepares fried ice cream rolls versus fried yogurt rolls at On Yogurt.
At Ice Queen, the process involves flash freezing the cream mixture. Customers can watch the entire process happen right in front of their eyes. First, the mixture is spread out thinly and evenly on a pan that is at -19 degrees Celsius. The cream is then solidified becoming “ice cream,” then scraped up in rolls and finished off with toppings for your enjoyment. The process to make the dessert takes about 5 minutes based on my experience. As I was editing the video of the process, I can’t help but to applaud the staff member who prepared my order. He was quite an expert in making these desserts.
Ice Queen currently has 8 signature fried ice cream creations including Ice Queen (Smartie flavoured, cotton candy), Puddilicious (pudding flavoured), Berry Berry (triple berry flavoured) and more. The desserts come in one size only and are priced around $9 – $10. You can also create your own dessert by choosing the ice cream flavour and toppings.
What I Tried
If you are a social media follower of Ice Queen, you can receive a 10% discount. I received this discount on my order of Matcha World ($9.75) and I <3 Mango ($8.75).
According to staff, Matcha World is a popular flavour and it really is hard to go wrong with the classic matcha and red bean combination. The ice cream itself is matcha flavoured and the toppings are red beans, a matcha macaron by Kitchening & Co, two matcha Pocky sticks, whipped cream, mochi, and matcha drizzle.
In terms of texture, I found the ice cream to be quite smooth and creamy. It was a bit too cold to eat right away so I waited briefly for it to warm up ever so slightly. I thought that the ice cream had a very good matcha flavour. The red beans were actually cold and gave the dessert a bit of a crunchy texture. One issue I had was the matcha drizzle on the macaron. The reason is that the egg-like shell of the macaron is really a highlight of the macaron itself. I thought the drizzle made the macaron too soggy and added an extra sweetness which was not necessary. A simple macaron on top without drizzle on it would have been better in my opinion.
As a mango dessert lover, I most certainly had to try the I <3 Mango. It has mango-flavoured ice cream, fresh mango cubes, whipped cream and mango drizzle. According to staff, the mangos are from Brazil. I liked how the mangos did not taste overly tart. With a bit of syrup to sweeten it up, this mango dessert tasted pretty good. I would recommend it.
Overall Impression of Ice Queen
While both the matcha & red bean and mango fried ice creams were good, I enjoyed the mango one the most and would recommend it. I was impressed with staff who demonstrated professionalism and expertise in making these desserts. Pricing was a bit on the higher side for what you get but still okay. Rating: 4/5
Facebook: @icqueenqueen
Hours of Operation: 1 1am – 7 pm Sunday -Wed, 11am – 9 pm Thurs – Sat
Nosh and Nibble
Saturday 3rd of December 2016
Man that hallway is so tucked away. Good find!