UYU Ice Cream
UYU is Korean for milk. They specialize in organic milk soft serve ice cream and milk shakes. Over the past year organic milk soft ice cream has gained in popularity in Vancouver with several shops offering it. We happened to walk by UYU after lunch and decided to give it a try!
We were scrambling on Instagram in front of the store to find what was good. We found flavours that looked tasty but were disappointed that the menu rotates often and none of the ones we had pre-picked were actually available. They menu is small, only 4 options to pick from. Follow them on social media to view the current offerings.
Matcha Soft Ice Cream + Condensed Milk
They try to make up lack of flavours with options for 16 toppings, and 7 sauces to drizzle. The toppings are an extra charge.
It was our first time and our original plans of ordering a past flavour was derailed. We went with the recommendation from the cashier and tried the cereal milk flavour. It is nice they have fun flavours like Organic Milk, Cereal Milk, Salted Caramel, Yuzu Lemon, Banana Milk, Earl Grey, Matcha, Belgian Chocolate, Thai Ice Tea, Vietnamese Coffee, Oreo Cheesecake, and Black Sesame.
After picking an ice cream flavour, you have the option to drizzle syrup on your ice cream free of charge! The flavours they offered were black currant, caramel, condensed milk, honey, passion fruit, raspberry, and strawberry. These offerings may change. We are a sucker for condensed milk and went with that! Is there anything condensed milk doesn't go well with? Put that shit on everything!
Aside from sauces you can drizzle your ice cream with, they also offer 16 toppings but these are only for those who order in a cup.
WHAT WE TRIED:
Cereal Milk Soft Ice Cream + Condensed Milk | $4.75
Matcha Soft Ice Cream + Condensed Milk | $4.75
Cereal Milk Milkshake | $5.95
We decided to come again after hearing they were closing this location and will re-open when they find a new home. Maybe we just had caught them on a bad day the first time. Our second time there we ordered the Matcha soft ice cream with condensed milk and cereal milk milkshake. Both were great flavour-wise but unfortunately both fall short in the texture & body. The "milkshake" is far too thin! We both loved the flavour but it tasted like drinking milk instead of a milkshake. The matcha ice icream had great flavour too but body was thin and borderline icy again. They need to work on thickening the body of their soft ice cream and milk shake.
OVERALL IMPRESSION OF UYU ICE CREAM:
UYU Ice Cream offers fun & interesting flavours that are very photogenic in their modern space. It's a local favourite that is insanely hyped on social media. However the texture of the ice cream and milkshake needs work. It tasted thin and a bit on the icy side, like it has freezer burn. Comparing to Soft Peaks where it's thick in body and actually tastes like milk. If you want the taste of organic milk ice cream go to Soft Peaks a few blocks away. If you just want to take a pretty photo for Instagram then go here. The cereal milk milkshake, also a victim of being too thin is actually quite nice. It's not as heavy as a milk shake, and makes a nice light treat. We would come back for the cereal milk milkshake again, and may try new flavours if they have something interesting on the menu.
The Bad:
- Limited flavours
- No samples!
- Thin body and icy texture
The Good:
- Fun & experimental flavours
- Looks pretty in photos
- Fast service
Rating: 6.9/10
DETAILS:
Facebook: /UYUicecream
Instagram: @uyu_icecream
Twitter: @uyuicecream
Website: uyuicecream