In life, many paths lead to the same outcome. So it is with ice cream, although Chin Chin certainly take the road less-travelled to incredible ice cream. Taking principles more akin to a mad scientist than ice cream makers, they use liquid nitrogen to create wacky, wonderful flavours, and scoops of ice cream smoother than a mid-90s jazz album – and we’re sailing right along with them.
With dessert bars in Soho and Camden, Chin Chin have brought their nitro-powered ice cream to the masses since opening in 2010. The process of creating their ice cream is simple, and yet somehow metal AF – pouring liquid nitrogen over their inventive mixes, and hand churning them into glossy scoops of ice cream. The results are truly outstanding; seriously, if you haven’t tasted liquid nitrogen ice cream, you’re really missing out.
The Ice Cream at Chin Chin
The Chin Chin empire is built on three classic flavours, each elevating a humble flavour to new heights. Their Tonka Bean ice cream is vanilla on steroids, Valrhona Chocolate takes your standard chocolate to a richer, deeper place, and Burnt Butter Caramel provides a worthy finale to this holy triumvirate. Not merely remaining content with these three winners, Chin Chin also have weekly specials which change with the seasons. Themed specials are also common, including a clover-flavoured ice cream for St Patrick’s Day!
Cranking up the deliciousness even further is a range of toppings which include grilled white chocolate, bee pollen honeycomb, truffle crumble, hazelnut sand, marshmallow fluff, pistachio and cardamom powder, and many more. The sheer number of times you’d need to visit to try every combination is a delicious, albeit wallet-terrifying, prospect. Finally, you can have your scoops served in a tub, to maintain the pretence of health, or inside a brownie cookie sandwich, a marshmallow-stuffed waffle cone, or atop a bowl of griddled cookie dough. There’s even more choice at the Soho bar, where desserts including tiramisu sundae, brioche waffle, and banana jam ice cream pie slices make a regular appearance.
Wait, there’s hot chocolate too?
Hell to the yes. All that and we haven’t even mentioned Chin Chin’s glorious hot chocolates, about which we could probably write a whole separate article. Molten hot chocolate is topped with gooey marshmallow fluff and blowtorched until it evokes the taste of toasting marshmallows over a campfire, and the result is heavenly.
It is sheer kitchen wizardry, the kind that’s now de rigeur for Chin Chin. Deliciousness awaits whatever you choose to order… and there’s no way we’ll judge you if you choose to opt for everything!
Find them in Soho at 54 Greek Street, W1D 3DS, and in Camden at 49-50 Camden Lock Place, NW1 8AF. More info is available on their website.
Also published on Medium.