I’m moving!
From now on, my address will be: 516 East 6th Street, New York.
Oh wait. That just so happens to also be the address of Lula’s Sweet Apothecary and its cashew-based ice cream flavors such as caramel swirl, peanut butter chocolate chip, butterscotch, soft-serve cake batter… Coincidence?
Above: Mocha Chip and Cream Soda ice cream.
Did I mention that eating at Lula’s got my boyfriend to grudgingly admit vegan ice cream can be awesome? We’ve now been to Lula’s umm… three times in a week. I think know I’m in love.
Lula’s has the uncanny ability to churn out ice creams that exactly mimic the flavor of their inspired foods. The cookies-n-cream tastes like eating Oreos, the cream soda is so authentic it should come with a straw, and if you close your eyes while consuming the pb&j ice cream you will swear that you’re biting into a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
On the first trip, I ordered their famous cake batter soft serve:
It tasted exactly like cake batter.
And it made me embarrassed for posting my Cake Batter Milkshake.
My shake recipe tastes like a delicious vanilla-y shake… But Lula’s soft serve? It tastes like you are literally eating raw cake batter in the form of ice cream. In fact, it was a little too weird for me; the cake batter flavor was too spot-on! Since I didn’t want to settle for something I didn’t completely love (on what I thought would be my only trip to Lula’s), I went back in and ordered the chocolate soft serve:
Hands down the best thing I’d eaten on the entire vacation.
(As mentioned earlier, we went back twice more after that first trip to Lula’s, and I ordered their non-soft-serve chocolate ice cream and oatmeal-raisin cookie. Please, Lula’s, please come to Texas!!)
Later…
For dinner, we met up with Jessica and her boyfriend at Souen, one of my favorite restaurants in NYC. Souen is macrobiotic, but not completely vegetarian, and the boys both ordered sushi.
I usually order the Kuzu Stew, but Jessica kept raving about a particular dish with the unassuming name of “Squash Tofu.” I never would’ve thought to try it had she not gone on and on (and on) about how good it was.
The dish (which we both ordered sans tofu) boasts a plethora of vegetables—broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, onion, kale, carrot, and kabocha squash—enveloped in the most delicious creamy tahini sauce you could ever imagine. Think: the taste and texture of peanut sauce, but with tahini instead of peanut butter. It was thick and rich and the perfect balance of salty and sweet.
(Above, Jess and her dinner, which also came with a side of brown rice.)
Question of the Day:
What restaurant or bakery would you like to live at?
If anyone needs me, I’ll be in the Lula’s freezer, eating my way through their chocolate ice cream. Note to the staff at Lula’s: stock up.
Link of the Day:
Fiona @Everyday Spiritual Wisdom says
I tried to find an email address for you but didn’t succeed. I didn’t know if you’ve tried Banana ice-cream? I only found it out a couple of weeks ago and I you might like it… so here it is for you and your readers.
5 ripe banana’s
5 tablespoons of cream or milk or coconut milk or soya milk
Dollop of honey
Whizz in the blender until smooth and then freeze 🙂
Alternative: you can use chopped up frozen banana’s and it’ll be ready to eat straight away.
Fiona,x
Rachel's Cottage House says
mmmmm! that looks soooo good! need to go there someday!!!
Rachel says
If you’re ever in Los Angeles – http://kindkreme.com
Sabra says
Thanks for recommending Lula’s! I had never heard of it before, and now we’ve been there twice in the past two weeks. The peanut butter chip is AMAZING! If you haven’t tried them already, the next time you visit NYC consider Dirt Candy and Cafe Blossom (the one on Carmine St.) for dinner. Both are really yummy : )
Molly says
I just went here the other day thanks to this recommendation. Cookies and Cream Ice Cream = nectar of the vegan gods.
Have you made it to the little grocery/cafe Earth Matters in the lower east side? It’s unfortunately closing soon but it has a really great vegan/vegetarian selection of prepared foods.
Sarah @ bakeonthrough.com says
Katie- I can’t thank you enough for telling me about Lula’s. In a 36 hour trip to NYC, I had Lula’s THREE times. The mint chip? Amazing. Actually, it’s all amazing. I dreamed about it the night I got back from NYC. It’s a sick obsession. Did you know Cafe Blossom also serves Lula’s? I went there for brunch and got Lula’s as dessert!
Lily says
I would live @ Orange Leaf. It’s not vegan though.
Erica says
im kinda confused… do the cake batter and funfetti desserts you make have the same flavour? if yes, then i breath a sigh of relief. ive been calling your cake batter milkshake a funfetti milkshake for a while now!
Janet Paula says
Do you have Lula’s ice cream recipe. I live abroad so I’m afraid I won’t be able to visit in order to get a first hand taste. Thanks.