Though Franklin Street is home to several dessert shops, none of them is like the newest addition, Ice Lab, which is home to the latest trend–Thai-style rolled ice cream.
Owner Andy Chen first got the idea for Ice Lab from New York City. “The first time I saw [rolled ice cream], I knew it was a fantastic idea,” Chen said.
Rolled ice cream, also known as Thai fried ice cream, originated and became popularized in Southeast Asia but has become increasingly prominent in American cities.
The ice cream starts out in liquid form and is then shaped into a thin square layer and is transformed into rolls on a metal plate that instantly freezes the dessert. Customers can watch the production process of the dessert, which is one of the main reasons rolled ice cream has become so popular.
Many Chapel Hill students, including senior Gabe Christianson, have made the trip to Ice Lab because of pictures they have seen online.
“[Ice Lab] is cool because it looks like [the employees] are actually in a lab when they mix the ice cream on the cold stove,” Christianson said.
A fellow student, senior Kevin Mendoza, works at Ice Lab. “I was walking by one day, and I saw [Ice Lab],” Mendoza said. “I came in, and it looked like an interesting place to work.”
Mendoza started the job having no knowledge of how to make rolled ice cream.
“It was hard to learn at first. It looked easy, but, once I tried doing it, it took maybe a month to grasp,” Mendoza said.
His favorite part of the job has been coming up with new combinations of ice cream flavors.
“I tried combining strawberry with mango and banana. There [are] so many combinations you can do,” Mendoza said.
Ice Lab offers 15 flavor combinations, the most popular being “Oreo Men,” “Monkey Business” and “Pink Lady.” Customers can build their own cup by choosing a base, mix-in, toppings and sauce.
Senior Zara Waheed was impressed with the variety at Ice Lab. “There are a ton of choices. A lot of them are odd, but it’s good and trendy and fun, although it’s pretty expensive,” she said.
An order of rolled ice cream, including three toppings, sells for $6.50, and extra toppings cost 25 cents each.
Ice Lab also sells $1.99 specialty hot drinks, including hot chocolate, matcha, Thai tea lattes and coffee. Smoothies sell for $3.95.
When walking into Ice Lab, customers are surrounded by pink–on the building, on the writing on the walls and even in the form of the logo, a snail.
“We chose a snail as our logo because rolled ice cream looks just like the pattern of a snail shell,” Chen said.
The bright colors on the chalkboard menu and twinkly white lights hanging in the shop appeal to a younger crowd of customers. Junior Skylar Naderer thinks that the cheerful environment makes Ice Lab unique.
“I think the style stands out because it’s a smaller place and does not really appeal to families but is more of a high-school and college-student after-school or after-class hang-out spot,” Naderer said.
Chen anticipated slow business due to the opening of Ice Lab coinciding with the onset of cold weather, but he is optimistic for Ice Lab’s future role in the business community.
“Winter time is just so-so,” Chen said. “We hope to do some partnerships with other companies or restaurants in the future.”
