Better (extraordinarily) late than never!

So....

There is really no excuse for the enormous lapse between what I am about to write about happening, and my getting around to actually writing about it. I apologise profusely and shall try not to be quite so tardy in future!

Back in February (see....told you it was flipping ages ago), Matt and I visited a London foodie hotspot - or should that be coolspot? If you 're in the vicinity, I heartily recommend you go and pay these guys a visit, especially as the weather gets increasingly scorchio.




The place in question is ChinChinLabs, in Camden. You can spot the entrance from the swings outside. (Yes. They have swings. You like them already, I can tell). The laboratorists have created Europe's first Nitro Ice-Cream Parlour, where the ice cream is made with, you've guessed it, liquid nitrogen.

Not only does this make ice-cream making a spectator sport for probably the first time ever, as hissing clouds of freezing steam erupt from the mixer while your ice cream is expertly churned in front of you, but the immediate freezing properties of the liquid nitrogen eradicates the possibility of ice crystals forming, so the end product you get is fabulously smooth.

Vanilla and chocolate are the base flavours, which are available all the time. But don't be fooled into thinking that the lab plays it too safely with their flavours. A 'flavour of the week' is also available to try. When we visited it was Red Velvet Cake (pictured) This was very rich, realistic and delicious, and made using real red velvet sponge soaked in milk. Yum!

Other flavours which have popped up recently (and which make me wish I lived closer to Camden so I could try them all) include: Moroccan Mint Tea, Candied Pina Colada, Lemon Meringue, Queen of Puddings, Burnt Butter Caramel, Ceylon Coconut Curry. There isn't one of these that hasn't piqued my interest, and I can feel a return visit coming on very soon.

AND I haven't even mentioned the toppings yet. Forget boring sprinkles and sauces, you can have luminescent popping candy, caramelized pretzels, grilled white chocolate, crystallized rose petals, sugared bacon shards and many many more to top off your tasty treat.

Red Velvet Ice Cream with salted caramel sauce, chocolate popping candy and honeycomb shards.

Go. Go soon. Go before I get there and eat them out of house and home!

Jen xx