Edible Charcoal? – Dip and Swirls

When one thinks about a popular ice cream shop, s/he imagines a good sized store displaying a variety of classic flavors, with a lot of people waiting and eating their treats. One would imagine a lit-up environment with a case encasing chocolate, mint, vanilla and any other delicious flavor to choose from. Well, there is a new store in town which breaks all of these stereotypes but still satisfies its customers on another level: Drips & Swirls.

Founded by famous youtuber David So, Drips & Swirls is an ice cream shop located in, for the lack of better words, the shadier part of Los Angeles. The building itself is a small, simple and white, with a small window on the side where the employee takes the customer’s order. The choices on the menu are rather limited but mind blowing with charcoal and melon, along with seasonal flavors as the year goes on. This little store also has smooth coffee drinks like the Nitro Cold Brew.

After placing your order, you can go into this small, wooden hut attached to the other side of the store and sit at the counter surrounded by fairy lights and greenery. This area, personally, was such an aesthetically pleasing area where I was able to take photos of my ice cream in front of the “Drips & Swirls” Sign or the walls. 

Now let us talk about the flavor. I got the charcoal ice cream with a charcoal cone, and at first I felt slightly skeptical about the whole thing. I mean, charcoal flavored ice cream? It felt slightly weird. However, once I tasted it, I was blown away by the yummy flavor which seemed almost bean-like. It was one of those flavors that you simply cannot explain, but is so delicious that you do not care to do so. 

This small but sweet shop was a perfect example of “do not judge a book by its cover”. Although I had my doubts about the place at first, the bold flavor of the ice cream absolutely blew me away, and I am sure it did and would for past and future customers.