The Sassy Foodophile: We all scream for ice cream!

Mother Nature has been having mood swings this year. Whether it is because of the fact that 2012 indicates the end of the world or simply that the earth warming's consequences are starting to make its effect, we had heat waves at unexpected time of the year! Fortunately, that gives us more reasons to indulge into iced and delicious treats!

Here is a list of my fave go to places to cool down:

Crèmerie Pineault

This ice cream parlor in Laval is so worth the detour! Seriously! Every single person I brought there is now addicted to their soft serve! Read this: they include real fruits, cookies pieces, candies, chocolate and much more IN their soft serve ice cream!!!! You can combine 1, 2 or 3 flavors into a GIANT cone of deliciousness! They are proposing their own combinations such as Pêche Melba (strawberry, peach and almonds) or you should most definitely create your own foodgasm cone! Here are some of the awesomeness just to name a few that you can add to your dairy yumminess:

Hazelnut syrup	Pineapple	Strawberry
Banana	Oreos	Skor
Mint	Maple	Almonds
Blueberry	Peach	Chocolate
Kit Kat	Marshmallow	Mango

The place is small so do expect a line up! And depending on how many flavors you choose and the base you want (ice milk, ice cream or frozen yogurt), the price can vary from 4 to 6 bucks. But check out how much you get:

My go to choice: Blueberry-pineapple frozen yogurt with chocolate syrup!

Les Givrés

Les Givrés was one of my best discoveries last year during a dishcrawl. Les Givrés is owned by three passionate men, Julien Lebuis, Martin Maheux-Picard and Alexandre Deslauriers. E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G they sell is homemade, from the cones to the ice cream to the sherbet to the marshmallow to the pastries! And their cones are made in a super mega cool machine right in front of you and their logo is even printed on it! All of their ice cream are made with real ingredients, not flavors, not store-bought preparation, the REAL thing! One of the unique feature of Les Givrés is their sherbet which comes out of a soft-serve machine and every week, they propose new flavors that you can try alone or twist it with their regular vanilla soft serve. Also, they offer sampling of their desserts for a very affordable price. The details can be found on their facebook page!

My go to choices: Maple Taffy or Coffee ice cream and their homemade-its-so-fluffy-im-gonna-die-marshmallow!!!

Ripples

Ripples has been existing on the Plateau for over 17 years and is still going strong! It is the perfect sweet fix after a greasy smoked meat at Schwartz since it is right in front of it! All of their ice cream is homemade and features exotic and original flavors such as Halavah (middle east sweet confection made with sesame paste and pistachios), Kulfi (indian flavored dessert with cardamone and pistachio), Green or Chai Tea! For your conservative peeps, don't worry, they are very well known for their French Vanilla (won Montreal Gazette's Quest for the best) and Chocolate x6 flavors as well! And let me tell you that the latter will satisfy any chocoholic! Extremely rich and intense in cocoa but not overwhelmingly sweet, this baby includes milk, dark, white chocolate and is work every single calorie. Note: They only accept cash!

My go to choices: The Kulfi or Chocolate 6x ice cream!

Bo Bec

The perfect dessert destination on Laurier after feasting on delicious sushis at Tri Express! You will find your traditionnal ice cream shop that will bring you back to your childhood! Everything ranging from slush, blizzards, banana splits, homemade popsicle in those plastic cups with the wooden stick, homemade ice cream sandwiches and drumstick, and an array of mouth-watering ice cream flavors . They also offer tofu ice cream which is a great alternative for vegans or lactose intolerant customers!

My go to choices: A good traditional blue raspberry slush with a drop of soft serve ice cream in it! Or the strawberry basil or salty chocolate flavor!

Image from

http://www.midnightpoutine.ca/food/2007/07/i_scream_you_scream_-_creme_glacee_bo-bec/

Birks Café

If you feel fancy one day and want to cool down surrounded by expensive jewelries, it is the place to go! Birks Café is installed in the Birks Jewelry shop on Ste-Catherine and is known for their afternoon tea but personally, I absolutely love their iced treats! Jérôme Ferrer adds his luxurious touch on the ice cream by serving them in martini glasses and including ingredients such as Chambord Liquor, Turron nougatine or fresh fruit salads infused with lemongrass to bring your sweet experience to a whole new level!!! The price is also well reflected at almost 14$ a cup!

My go to choice: La coupe Melba (Peaches in syrup, vanilla ice cream, red currant jelly, roasted almonds and chantilly cream)

So there you go! A list of my places that are close to my heart whenever I want to treat myself to iced indulgence! You can also refer to my previous fro-yo post whenever I want to feel less guilty of eating sweet iced treats!

Crèmerie Pineault