REVIEW | TWICE CREAM | EDMONTON

 

There may be doubters, haters, naysayers, but Edmonton is kind of an ice cream city. Our winters can be long and (bitterly) cold, but ice cream runs through our veins. Case in point, pioneer Kind Ice Cream has expanded to two locations (with a soon-to-be third) after opening their first store in 2019. Calgary's Made by Marcus has also opened up two shops in Edmonton and just this past summer, two new local ice cream stores have popped up, giving the aforementioned two a run for their money.

One of these new ice cream shops is Twice Cream, a little neighbourhood gem in the Westmount area. They opened their doors officially on Canada Day last year.

During our first visit in February, it was just a mere -22°C outside. No biggie. 

 

Upon entering the store, we were greeted warmly by one of Twice Cream's owners, Romeo. When he heard that it was our first time, he began offering samples left, right and centre. So if there's a flavour you're curious about, but worried about commitment, feel free to ask for a sample! 

Twice Cream currently has 10 "forever" flavours, 2 of them vegan, which are available year-round. They also have a bunch of rotating flavours that change with the month or season. 

 

 

Both LT and I opted for a single cup ($5.50 each) which gives you a choice of up to two flavours. 

 

LT decided on the Michael Cluizel chocolate and the Remedy chai. The chocolate ice cream is made with premium French chocolate while Remedy chai is a flavour collaboration with Edmonton's own Remedy Cafe. It's a super spice-forward ice cream with flavours like cardamon, cinnamon, and ginger at the forefront. If you're a fan of chai lattes, you'll love this frozen version.  

For my flavours, I chose the vegan black sesame and tres leches. Black sesame is one of my favourite flavours and Twice Cream's rendition is so delicious! It's nutty, toasty, and sweet, with bits of sesame and pumpkin seed brittle mixed throughout. It even has my Asian mom's stamp of approval. And the best part? You can't even tell it's vegan! On the flip side, the tres leches has all the milks. Just like the Mexican cake, it's a really creamy flavour, but I found the cake chunks were too hard for my liking.

 

On a nicer day this past weekend, we made another trip out to the shop. This time, I went for a kid's scoop ($3.50) which was still a lot of ice cream. I decided on the banana honeycomb which is another vegan offering. This flavour has roasted bananas blended into their vegan base (cashew and coconut milk) along with bits of sponge toffee. It seemed like a struggle for them to scoop and I was a bit worried looking at the crumbly texture but all fears were cast aside when I tried my first bite. It was creamy with a strong banana flavour. Think sweet banana bread or bananas foster, none of that artificial stuff. I promise I'm not vegan (or lactose intolerant), but their vegan flavours knock it out of the park for me.   

Twice Cream so nice, I had to go twice.

 

Twice Cream

www.twicecream.ca

10983 127 ST NW

Edmonton, AB

(587) 520-5505

- CT

SNAPSHOTS | TORONTO 2022 | DAY 6 & 7

 

 

The final instalment of the Toronto diaries! Our last full day in the city was my birthday, so you know we had to eat lots of good food and yummy treats to celebrate. 

 

 

First pit stop was for chocolate chip cookies ($3.95 each) at Le Gourmand. This busy cafe is known for having some of the best cookies in Toronto. Maybe it's because we didn't eat them right away but I thought they were pretty average cookies. The dough does taste really buttery but they felt overbaked and a bit dry.

Another bakery we stopped at was Blackbird Baking Co. in Kensington Market. This bakery sells a variety of breads and pastries. It's important to go early for the best selection!

I got a canele ($4.00) and a pain au raisin ($4.00). The canele was probably the best out of the other places I tried in Toronto. The crust was crispy and the inside was moist. We didn't get to eat the pain au raisin until the next day so it did dry out a little bit. I'm sure a few minutes in an oven would have helped.

 

 

For an actual breakfast, we stopped at Egg Bae, also located in Kensington Market. Egg Bae is a casual eatery that focuses on gourmet breakfast sandwiches. There are five sandwiches total, all prepared using free-range eggs and their housemade egg buns. We got the seaside bae ($11.00) which had soft scrambled eggs, house-cured salmon, potato chips, pickled shallots, arugula, and herbed mayo. True to their name, they prepare their eggs really well. Soft, fluffy, and perfectly cooked. We also got a side of their tater tots with bae sauce ($4.50) which were a great crispy, salty accompaniment. 

 

Next on our itinerary, we headed to Yorkdale Mall. It's quite a ways out from downtown Toronto but I never expected it would take an hour through traffic to get here.

 

 

Lots of high-end stores in Yorkdale but of course my focus is on the food. This is the Kit Kat Chocolatory where you can customize your own Kit Kat or buy exclusive limited edition flavours. A good spot for gifts but probably not something I would buy for myself. Unfortunately, they've since closed down.

 

 

More cookies! This time from Craig's Cookies. I tried the pride cookie ($3.00) which is their regular chocolate chip cookie filled with rainbow chips. This was like a gourmet version of Chip's Ahoy! which was one of my childhood favourites. It was thick, soft, and gooey with bits of crunch from the rainbow chips. I liked it much better than the cookie at Le Gourmand.

 

For dinner, we deviated from our original itinerary after getting a craving for peking duck ($78.00). We went to BAO in Chinatown which is a modern and sleek looking restaurant. The peking duck arrives on the prettiest plate alongside hoisin sauce, sugar, green onion, and cucumber. The duck is expertly sliced with nice, crispy skin. Rolled into a crepe, each bite was rich and succulent.

The peking duck also comes with the duck bones (right), stir-fried with ginger and green onion. Glad they don't let any parts go to waste but it really is chewing on duck bones.

Another dish we ordered was the diced beef with black pepper and garlic ($23.00). The beef was tender and covered in a sticky, sweet and peppery sauce. We were all taken aback at the whole cloves of garlic that comes with the dish. They probably outnumbered the beef pieces. Rice is a must with this dish.

 

One last look at the CN Tower walking back to the hotel. On this night, it was illuminated orange for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

 

 

The next morning, we only had time for breakfast before heading to the airport. We walked down the block to French Made, a cafe located in the Bisha Hotel. A wide variety of pastries, cakes, and grab and go sandwiches/salads.

I can't comment on their coffee but the almond croissant was decent. Flaky and buttery. I did wish it had a bit more almond filling on the inside.

And that's a wrap on Toronto! After 6 days, I feel like we barely scratched the surface on what the city has to offer. I don't think I'm in any rush to go back, but I'm sure our paths will cross again. 

- CT

SNAPSHOTS | TORONTO 2022 | DAY 5

 

We took it easy the next morning after Niagara Falls and started off with continental breakfast down in the hotel lobby.

 

A balanced breakfast definitely includes pain au chocolat don't you think?

 

 

Before our lunch plans, we explored Chinatown some more and then checked out Graffiti Alley. It's exactly what it sounds like. An alley stretch filled top to bottom with street art and murals.

Just minutes away from Graffiti Alley was where we had lunch. Raku is a Japanese udon restaurant based in New York City. Its Toronto location sits on busy Queen Street W, but past its curtain, it's a calm, minimal space with lots of natural wood tones. Specializing in udon, you'll find plenty of cold and hot noodle options.

It was a really nice day out so we all chose a cold udon option. LT and KE both chose the ja ja ($20.00). Chilled noodles with spicy miso pork, cucumber, tomato, and a poached egg.

 

I decided to get the zaru ($14.00) with a side of shrimp tempura ($7.00). The zaru udon is chilled noodles served with a light soy dipping sauce. It also comes with extra toppings like green onion, mushroom, wasabi, and quail egg. The noodles are thinner than I'm used to but they were perfectly cooked with a slight chew. The dipping sauce was also flavourful and not too salty. I wasn't a huge fan of their shrimp tempura though. It was crispy but felt doughy at the same time.

Strolling further down Queen Street W, we popped into Nadege Patisserie for a quick break. There was a ton of goodies in their display cases. Tempting viennoiserie, cakes, macarons, and chocolates. I had my eye on their adorable mini canele (3 pieces for $4.00). These had a slight crisp on the outside but mostly soft. Not a bad snack.

 

 

The next stop on our unintentional dessert crawl was Bang Bang Ice Cream. I've been wanting to go to this ice cream shop for ages. They're known for their creative ice cream flavours (almost 30 different options!) which you can get sandwiched between cookies, egg waffles, cinnamon buns, etc. The sky's the limit!

 

My order (bottom) was a half sammie ($5.70) with burnt toffee and lychee rosewater raspberry ice cream in between an old fashioned oat cookie. The oat cookie had a good chew, with bits of raisins and dates throughout. The burnt toffee ice cream is a fior di latte (sweet cream) base with chunks of sponge toffee and saucy burnt sugar. I like how they describe it on the menu as a "sweetie" because that it was. It was really good but be prepared for a sugar rush! My favourite out of the two was definitely the lychee rosewater raspberry. The lychee flavour was super prominent and the raspberry curd was a nice balanced pairing.

 

We took a Lyft back to Uncle Tetsu downtown to pick up some souvenirs! Uncle Tetsu is our mom's favourite Japanese cheesecake so we had to pick up one for her. They also make cheese tarts and madeleines. The smell in the bakery is pretty intoxicating.

 

 

After a quick rest back at the hotel, we headed to Koreatown on Bloor St. You'll see lots of Korean restaurants and businesses line this popular street. 

 

 

Before dinner, we stopped into Hodo Kwaja for their freshly prepared walnut cakes. These little walnut-shaped cakes are filled with your choice of red bean or mashed potatoes mixed with brown sugar. The mashed potato is reminiscent of chestnuts since it's more sweet than savoury. I did prefer the red bean flavour more though. This huge box of 66 pieces ($27.00) was perfect to split among relatives back home.

 

 

For dinner, we had a Korean BBQ feast at Daldongnae, a local chain with 9 locations in the GTA and 2 locations in Quebec. The restaurant is a cool vibe with each table having a built-in grill. Meat is ordered a la carte (minimum of 2 orders) and comes with a bunch of sides including corn cheese, egg, lettuce, and side dishes.

 

 

I can't remember exactly which cuts we ordered but I don't think you can go wrong with any of them. None of the meats are marinated but they do give you a few different options to sauce it up. As for the banchan, my favourite was surprisingly the potato salad. It was creamy and sweet.

 

 

It seemed like a shame to end our night so soon so we headed to Snakes & Lattes just a couple of blocks down. It's a board game cafe where you pay a cover charge to play any board or card game that they have on hand. If you order a drink or food item, the cover charge is halved so it's a no brainer to order something. Some fun times were had!

- CT