Lab Made Ice Cream

If there is one thing that isn’t lacking in TST, it’s ice cream. This «laboratory» of an ice cream parlor maintains its distinction by being the only liquid nitrogen based ice cream maker, which by all accounts tastes like regular ice cream. That said, Lab Made has done a pretty good job in producing quality flavors, despite costing a pretty penny.
The stand sits at the bottom of the stairs of the Miramar Shopping Centre (
) and is just a hilly step from Knutsford Terrace (
). It’s probably one of the more fancy standalone food stands in the area, in its shiny metal exterior and air conditioned interior. During the sweaty HK summers, this place is prone to lines.
Supposedly the science that goes behind liquid nitrogen based ice cream is the temperature is so cold that the process takes less than a minute, resulting in a creamier and smoother texture. Truth is, the ice cream is rather tasty. Really tasty.
The flavor rotation changes up all the time. They sport a lot of seasonal flavors, such as the Crispy HK Toast (奶醬脆多), which was well and above my favorite so far. It was buttery, crunchy, and sweet from a healthy coating of condensed milk. Other favorites include the Sea Salted Caramel Pretzels (海鹽焦糖配蝴蝶脆餅) and Earl Grey Caramel Crunch (伯爵茶焦糖脆).
If there is any knock, it’s the price tag. At roughly 40HKD a pop, the value is hard to see when the portions sizes are so small. The liquid nitrogen bit is a great angle for the upsell, but diminutive cup sizes will leave people wanting more. Perhaps that’s been their mission all along.

I bought the Jurlique x LabMade iced Flower Tea nitrogen drink here. I think it was limited time only. But this drink is by far the best drink I have had, and nothing in the USA has this type of drink, well not that I know of. Price was alright, but the way they make it and present it to you is great and entertaining! Staff was good! Will go back again if I ever make it back out to HK.

There’s a difference between asian ice cream that’s sometimes more solid and just not creamy enough and the USA ice cream which is well, perfect.
For a taste of home I came here for some USA, or close enough to it, ice cream.
Be prepared for some far out flavors though. Like Lycée, Taro, and goodness knows what other funky fruit they choose that day.
There’s no cookies and cream here, or rocky road ice cream, but hey, it’s ice cream nonetheless.
And just to prove that their asian inspired ice cream they will put your ice cream on toast if you want.
A lot pricier than your local soft serve places or dessert houses nearby, but hey you’re paying for the show and a European/​american touch I suppose.

Dry ice effect? Here you go. Lab made is all around Hong Kong and I am glad for that. They have different flavors every month and it’s definitely worth a try!

Freshly made in-​front-​of-​your-​face creamy ice cream with fresh fruit bits! I got the peach flavour and it was delicious!

I was expecting to be blown away, but I guess it is still just ice cream at the end of the day. I’d say you should still come here just to see how this stuff is made, because it is pretty cool. They really just mix the ice cream ingredients in a Kitchen Aid machine and pour the liquid nitrogen in, and mix some more! Straight outta Terminator 2 with the liquid nitrogen!
We had the milk tea flavor and it tasted like, you guessed it, milk tea in ice cream form. Exactly what you’d expect. Kinda like another crappy Adam Sandler movie from the past 10 years.
The shop is actually located right outside of the mall, so don’t be fooled into thinking it’s indoors because it’s on the mall directory –_–

What a great idea — a walk-​up ice cream shop in the middle of TST… and also make it interesting to watch while you concoct unique flavour profiles with a chemical dangerous to handle…
A bit dramatic, I know. But liquid nitrogen is not for the timid, including those in molecular gastronomy.
But what these guys do with liquid nitrogen turns your ice cream a show as well as a tasty sensation.
Recommended for sure. And bring a date, she’ll be impressed.

Been here a few times already since I always stay in a hotel nearby during my visits to Hong Kong. They have seasonal flavors and during my visit this week, I tried the piña colada + Malibu. There were chunks of pineapple and I can definitely feel the warmth in my throat from the Malibu. They also included a paper umbrella for the extra touch.
The whole liquid nitrogen concept is cool and they prepare the ice cream in front of you so you see the whole process. Service can be slow when there are big crowds and you’ll be staring at the boards for your number to be called.
The one con about this location is the lack of seating/​waiting area. You’re kind of standing awkwardly in the middle of the street trying not to be in people’s way while eating.
They also have liquid nitrogen iced teas which I have yet to try.

I met up with my HK friends and they took me to some delicious good eatery. Ice cream was our dessert. It was $ 6 for a mini scoop. I ordered the tofu sesame flavor. It was mixed in a machine and cold steam came out while making it. Wow! Why doesn’t Hawaii have this? The ice cream was smooth. It was light, not heavy cream and milky like the regular ice cream. The flavors are special. I think there were 4 – 5 flavors only.
Great experience if you travel to HK! It gets busy but it’s made fast.

I used to not believe in liquid nitrogen ice cream because it sounded like it was more for the novel concept and/​or the Instagram with the mystic gaseous cloud. But in my HK dessert tour I decided to try Lab Made per a friend’s recommendation, and it was love at first bite… falsely scientific and gimmicky though it may sound, liquid nitrogen does make a difference!
I got the sweet potato and ginger special, and I especially liked the bits of candied ginger. As for the ice cream itself, it was exceptionally soft, creamy, and fresh. Presentation was also impressive – usually ice cream is either a perfect dome-​shaped scoop or an imperfect scoop with the frills around it – as if the liquid nitrogen blast weren’t schmexy enough, my ice cream with a beautiful, radially symmetric rose pattern on top.
With the fancy schmancy liquid N, the ambiance is posh as expected: a sleek shiny black and white theme with branded mixers and the like, with professional-​looking stainless steel accents. However in typical hipster spirit, of course it looks cool and casual with street food-​food truck ambiance. Staff are dressed in whimsical labcoat-​like uniforms… almost like something out of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factor, but with class.
It’s rather expensive, especially with the abundance of low-​cost deliciousness all over HK, but worth a try if you are an ice cream fanatic and/​or like 特別 things.

Liquid Nitrogen + ice cream = CRAZY GOOD
This place always has the creamiest and smoothest ice cream with the most outrageous flavors. The most memorable flavor I had was when they collaborated with Clinique and created their Raspberry Rose Lychee (44hkd)… it was so smooth, tart, and perfect. I have also tried all of their Halloween flavors for 2014 (31hkd): muddy graveyard, bloody tears, worm grabber, mummy mocha. They were delicious as well. Once again, so smooth!
With Lab Made, they have 4 different flavors every two weeks. When you order, you choose A, B, C, or D, and they will call your number when it’s finished and you go to the respective line. The flavors change so often that you should come to try it from time to time. If you want to find out beforehand what flavors they have, check their social media page. I have seen tiramisu, ferrero rocher, HK toast, custard bun, levi’s red white and blue, and lots more!
No seating outside but people usually sit on the steps and eat the ice cream there. It’s cutely painted so it’s adorable to get take a picture there anyway.
Happy liquid nitrogen ice cream eating!

This is a dessert place with an interesting concept. They only serve 4 items each day and they are classified into A, B, C and D. You don’t know what’s on the menu each day till you get there. Talk about surprise element, this is really «you-​get-​what-​you-​see» and «no-​buts-​about-​it».
Today’s ice cream was Sea Salt Caramel with chocolate and potato chips. Sounds odd but it goes so well together. The slight savory taste from the potato chips, together with its crunch, makes this ice cream interesting in taste and texture.
The balance between the sweet and savory is just right, leaving you wanting to take one bite after another and another and another. Even though the evening was chilly, the joy of consuming such a wonderfully mixed ice cream is enough to warm you.
This outlet is located at the base of the steps of Mira Mall so many people hang out at the steps to enjoy their order. Nice!

Liquid nitrogen ice cream! Famous even all the way to Canada. Saw it on news and tv a few times. So, I really can’t help but to try it out.
They offer rotating menu of a few ice creams of choices. We picked almond roca. And it does resemble the chocolate somewhat. And the experience was enjoyable as the taste is acceptable, however, not as good as the expectations built in me. I guess the interesting part is that the ice cream is made on site and also have changing flavors.
The location has not seating area. If you want, there are seats on the staircase. Or above the staircases have a patio, probably from nearby Starbucks.
The lineup can be long but the ice cream do serve out very fast. Which deserve some credit for.
Overall, I might have some ice cream here in the future, if the line up is short, I happened to came by and the flavors look right for me.

Everyone loves Ice Cream!
Especially this one.
This was my second visit to Lab-​Made. They make you want to come back each time since you won’t really know what kind of flavors that they will have that evening. This night, I had Ferrero Roche and Flan! Both were very very good!
Sadly, there aren’t tables and chairs for you to enjoy your ice cream so, you just stand around on the steps near by. Anyway, no matter what flavor you decide on, the texture of the ice cream is always creamy and smooth.
*thumbs up*

They highlight several flavours every week and they always seems to be interesting local treats that make up the flavours. A new addition to the menu is that they denote if gluten, dairy, egg or nuts are present in the flavour. So those of you with any if these allergies you’re in luck. Most places in these parts don’t really take note of allergies of such things so this is a real bonus.
Even if I don’t buy a scoop every time I go by I still love to check out what flavours are available.
This is a must try if visiting HK even if you we had liquid nitrogen ice cream elsewhere as the flavours are truly unique.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — –
ESSENTIAL TIPS & EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — –
# If I remember this correctly, this ice cream laboratory is on the corner of Carnarvon Road and Kimberly Road. It is NOT inside the Miramar Shopping Mall though it is part of it. It is right outside next to the road.
# You’re very close to Knutsford Terrace, an area with gastropubs, bars, and restaurants. I suggest you have lunch first then come here. I did it backwards. I had ice cream first then lunch because I had no idea I was basically at Knutsford Terrace. My HK friend only took me to this area once so once I recognized it, I knew I should’ve had lunch first.
# I tried the ice cream during Halloween Week so they had fun selections like a white chocolate eyeball cup, gummy worm zombie cup… stuff like that. Based on that, I can assume that they rotate flavors and themes for the week, month, or holiday.
# The ice cream costs approximately HK$ 44 or $ 5.68 (US Dollar). That’s pretty expensive for tiny little cup. I get it though. I’m sure liquid nitrogen and rent is expensive.
# The ice cream cup is tiny. You probably can’t split it with a friend. Get your own!
# The taste of the ice cream was smooth as expected from liquid nitrogen (I’ll explain below). I also liked my white chocolate eyeball (filled with jelly) and the pop rocks. I appreciate that The Lab uses natural flavors. However, I don’t think the flavors are strong enough. The ice cream was just a smooth, creamy sensation of okay
# I still recommend that you try it. Most people will never try ice cream made with liquid nitrogen. Usually this type of ice cream is only served at michelin-​starred restaurants.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — –
MY EXPERIENCE:
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — –
It’s cool that The Lab made liquid nitrogen ice cream affordable and accessible to the public! As I said, most people will not have the chance to try this type of ice cream unless they drop some money at a michelin-​starred restaurant. The only exception is if you had Dip N’ Dots before, which is made with liquid nitrogen too.
I like the liquid nitrogen concept and the use of natural flavors, but for some reason the natural flavors don’t really pack a punch. I got that white chocolate eyeball option and the ice cream tasted like faint sweet cream… lighter than the sweet cream at Cold Stone Creamery back in the U.S. The ice cream was very smooth which is awesome, but unless the flavors are incredible, there’s nothing more you can expect from it. I expected more from my ice cream so I would want to keep on coming back over and over again. The ice cream didn’t instill that kind of urge inside of me.
The ice cream is pricey too which again I understand. Liquid nitrogen is expensive to store and all that and the rent is high near Knutsford Terrace. But on top of that, the cup you get is really tiny. You cannot split it with a friend. Each of you needs to get his own. So flavor = average, price = high… so I say this place gets 3.5 stars, but I’m rounding down to a 3 to offset the 4 star reviews. I like the novelty of this store!
Now for the science. Liquid nitrogen is probably the best thing to use when making ice cream because when you pour it into ice cream mix, it flash freezes the molecules. Because it freezes the ice cream molecules so quickly, the ice crystals are extremely tiny which equals very smooth ice cream. When you make your own ice cream with a bag of ice, it’s chunky and rough because the ice crystals are large. And why? Because just using ice doesn’t freeze the ice cream fast enough. There you have it! Science!

Caveat: I’m not crazy about Asian desserts and I’m also not that crazy about the whole nitrogen ice cream trend.
That in mind, Lab Made is pretty «cool» (pun intended!) and pretty good. The flavors change regularly. When I went, I had an egg tart flavored ice cream. It tasted like egg tart!
There’s a full production-​like setup for watching the ice cream get made. The team is churning out ice cream in a series of kitchen aid mixers, complete with smoke coming out of them — and LCD screens show you what kinds of flavors or options are available.
At about 5USD the price point is a bit high, but for a one-​time experience as well as an ice cream, it’s worth springing for once, or once in awhile.

With my first few experiences, I never once thought it was that special. To me, I felt like it was just ice cream but made in a molecular gastronomy way. The flavours and taste didn’t justify making the trip just to get its ice cream.
A few days ago, I can say that my viewpoint has changed. We had dinner nearby so we didn’t have to make the extra trek out here to get the ice cream, naturally, we decided to stop by to see what they had available. They are currently doing a Sunkids promo, my friend wasn’t too interested but actually the chocolate orange caught my eye. I love that combination. We got one of those and the other unique flavour was… Moon cake flavour! Seriously, what can we expect from that! I was thoroughly impressed. Neither of them were very sweet. The chocolate orange was a surprise because I think they sprinkled chocolate bits on top, they were popping candy! I love that stuff!
The mooncake was also very surprising. Never would I have thought mooncake could be a legit ice cream flavour. You can actually taste the different depths of mooncake! Even down to the egg yolk! It was also more guilt free than having actual mooncake. Not bad, not bad at all. No more skepticism from me.

Perhaps the most approachable form of molecular gastronomy; I bet lab made ice cream is no strange name to most. Unlike the traditional freezing and churning, lab made ice cream makes use of liquid nitrogen as the cooling agent to rapidly cool down the ice cream mix while the machine is whipping away.
It is indeed quite a show seeing a huge veil of white fume pouring out from the mixing bowl when liquid nitrogen is added; it is said that by using this method, the ice cream will be smoother as the ice crystals formed from rapid freezing is much smaller. Pretty scientific eh?
Let alone the texture, what interests me more is the variety of flavors they offer. Not your everyday strawberry, vanilla or chocolate, the flavors served in lab made are exceptional; crème brûlée ice cream anyone? Not only is the cream itself carries the flavor, they even top the scoops with shards of crispy caramel. Can u image ice cream with the taste of Chinese custard buns that you can order only in yum cha places? Lab made has it covered. It was always a joy to go visit the shop once every 3 or so weeks to check out the new flavors on the menu~
Although its a bit pricy for an ice cream joint, it is somehow more exciting to try out a cup of exotic «lab made» ice cream than spending roughly the same price for two scoops of Haagen Dazs~ just my point of view