MoMo & Coco

HK’s Most Unique and Creative Best Asian Ice Cream Tour Guide

Introduction

After almost a year away from NYC, we can say that the dessert landscape in NYC is not always a trend setter or particularly innovative. Ever tried to google “best Asian ice cream”? In NYC, there’s the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory for pan-Asian flavours, and Sundaes Best for Korean-centric flavours. But otherwise…we are scratching our heads to think of another specialist Asian ice cream shop in NYC. Across the world in HK, the story is oddly similar  — there’s no ice cream shop exclusively dedicated to Asian flavours. But, undeterred, we spent the last couple of weeks in the sweltering summer here in HK, trekking through some of the city’s most popular ice cream shops in the Central District to find the best and most creative Asian-inspired ice cream flavours. What we found was surprising — having discovered some very interesting flavours, we might say that HK is at the forefront of ice cream creativity. However, at almost HKD 80 a cup on average, someone needs to explain to us why is ice cream so expensive in HK?!!

Icecream stop #1: Messina 

  • ☑ Dessert destination: Messina, Central District, Hong Kong Island. 
  • ☑ Must eat flavour: Egg Tart, HK Milk Tea. 
  • ☑ Budget: $$
  • ☑ Short and sweet story:  Messina is an Australian import, rather than a local HK born and bred ice cream purveyor. However, compared to the average Australian politician lacking in cultural awareness, Messina does not forget that it is operating in HK and instead infuses its icecream with some iconic Hong Kong flavours. We especially love Messina’s “Egg Tart” ice cream with its egg custard tones and flakes of egg tarts sprinkled all over, and the excellently evocative “HK Milk Tea.” The “Dragon Fruit” is also a refreshing whisper of sweetness admist the almost suffocating humidity of summer in Hong Kong. 

Icecream stop #2: XTC Gelato

  • ☑ Dessert destination: XTC Gelato, Central District, Hong Kong Island.
  • ☑ Must eat flavour: Ginger Tea, HK Milk Tea, Lemongrass.
  • ☑ Budget: $$
  • ☑ Short and sweet story: XTC Gelato has been around for a long time — we remember it from a decade ago when we were last in Hong Kong. The shop is still a squishy little nook just under the Mid-Levels Escalator. Ice cream flavours rotate regularly, and of the small range of HK-inspired flavours, we have had a delightfully light-yet-creamy “Tofu Fa Pudding” one before, as well as a “HK Milk Tea.” We particularly love XTC’s “Ginger Tea” with its smooth heart-warming tones and the sharpness of the “Lemongrass” sorbet.

Icecream stop #3: Snack Baby Gelato

  • ☑ Dessert destination: Snack Baby Gelato, Central District, Hong Kong Island.
  • ☑ Must eat flavour: Sichuan Mango, Dragonfruit Lemon. 
  • ☑ Budget: $$
  • ☑ Short and sweet story: Located on the border of Central and Sheung Wan, Snack Baby Gelato feels like a local secret compared to Messina or XTC Gelato which are (over-)crowded by locals and tourists alike. Exuding a first date-type of vibe, Snack Baby Gelato is both a coffee pitstop and a gelato stopover. Relatively obscured in an otherwise quotidien menu of predominantly European-leaning gelato flavours, the peppery “Sichuan Mango” adds a dash of interest, while the “Dragonfruit” errs towards a refreshing gelato compared to Messina’s creamier ice cream version. The “Yuzu Ginger” is not bad either, although the yuzu tones fight with the ginger for attention. 

Icecream stop #4: L’antico Gelateria

  • ☑ Dessert destination: L’antico Gelato, Central District, Hong Kong Island. 
  • ☑ Must eat flavour: Lychee Oolong, Yuzu.
  • ☑ Budget: $$
  • ☑ Short and sweet story:  Similar to Snack Baby Gelato, L’antico also feels like an Italian aperitivo bar. However, L’antico distinguishes itself by offerig an Italian-leaning gelato menu with a smattering of Japanese-accented flavours. The flavours are all punchy, sometimes with an added injection of liqueur. For example, L’antico’s “Yuzu” feels like biting into a frozen yuzu fruit, unabated acidic tones cutting through all the ice. Similarly, its “Lychee Oolong” is stronger than most oolong teas we have had before. We have also tried scoops of “Japanese Peach” and  “Hojicha,” which are similarly assertive in flavour profile. Bravo to L’antico for not watering down such Asian-esque flavours into sweet nothings. 

Icecream stop #5: Sleep Well, Eat More

  • ☑ Dessert destination: Sleep Well, Eat More, Central District, Hong Kong Island. 
  • ☑ Must eat flavour: Cinnamon Persimmon, Oriental Beauty Tea, Japanese Rice Milk, Hokkaido Milk.
  • ☑ Budget: $$.
  • ☑ Short and sweet story:  If you are bored of standard Asian-flavoured ice cream, and do not want to see yet another black sesame or matcha or milk tea ice cream (*yawn*), you need to visit Sleep Well Eat More. Its art studio-like external appearance is rather deceiving. Behind that bland facade, it finds inspiration from both China and Japan to concoct exceedingly unique flavour combinations. Although the icecream here has a tendency to melt quickly, the flavours themselves are all thought provoking and well worth the taste adventure. Of all the ice cream stops on this list, we recommend Sleep Well Eat More the most for unparalleled creativity.

Icecream stop #6: The Ice Cream & Cookie Inc

  • Dessert destination: The Ice Cream & Cookie Inc, Central District, Hong Kong Island.
  • ☑ Must eat flavour: Ondeh Ondeh, White Peach Oolong.
  • ☑ Budget: $$
  • ☑ Short and sweet story: A few doors down from Sleep Well Eat More is a little coffee and icecream hybrid shop that scoops out large orbs of particularly creamy ice cream. Of a menu that skips across a range of Western flavours, there are two Asian flavours of note. Don’t miss the shop’s evocative interpretation of the South East Asian “Ondeh Ondeh,” coloured almost like kaya, and lusciously infused with coconut, pandan and gula melaka, nor the “White Peach Oolong,” which sees peach whispering across an oolong tea ice cream base.

Icecream stop #7: Liz & Tori

  • ☑ Dessert destination: Liz & Tori, Central District, Hong Kong Island.
  • ☑ Must eat flavour: Salted Duck Egg, Black Sugar Mochi.
  • ☑ Budget: $$
  • ☑ Short and sweet story: Liz & Tori has a similar Italian-esque vibe to L’antico Gelateria and Snack Baby Gelato. Whereas you can get multiple scoops of icecream at the two latter spots, Liz & Tori specializes in mini-sundaes instead. And when we mean mini, we do mean mini. Note that the size of the scoop here is a little miserly compared to the other ice cream purveyors on this list. The “Salted Duck Egg” is the most unique flavour at Liz & Tori  – it’s barely sweet, and features a scattering of quinoa and hard bits of salted duck egg for textural contrast. We have also previously sampled the “Lemon Meringe” and the “Black Sugar Mochi,” and while they are textbook renditions of their namesake flavours, they do not particularly stand out in our memory. 

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