"What?! You went again?!" is the reaction I'm expecting from loyal readers (in the case where there are any albeit my failure to maintain a constant posting schedule).
But the answer is: Yes. Yes, I did.
But the answer is: Yes. Yes, I did.
I must confess that seeing the never-ending stream of Specialty Soft Serves was one of the factors, but a minor one if at all. A thought that constantly resonated within me since my previous two visits (1, 2) was that, due to certain circumstances (ie. being too full from lunch), I never actually got the chance to try their most popular items: their range of "Pimped Out" Soft Serves.
Alas, the day had finally arrived.
I found myself at the corner of King and John at quarter to twelve, on my way to MEC to check out backpacks, when it hit me.
"It's not 12pm yet." A voice uttered quietly, "Let's see how diligent people are about lining up."
My feet gradually led to me La Carnita, and then to the corner of the plaza. There was no lineup at all!
Alas, the day had finally arrived.
I found myself at the corner of King and John at quarter to twelve, on my way to MEC to check out backpacks, when it hit me.
"It's not 12pm yet." A voice uttered quietly, "Let's see how diligent people are about lining up."
My feet gradually led to me La Carnita, and then to the corner of the plaza. There was no lineup at all!
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I walked right up to the counter and asked the girl at the cashier about the evident lack of impatient customers. She replied that the lines have since dissipated drastically as TIFF activities had concluded, and that the wait times (if any duration at all) were nowhere near as painstakingly long as they had been.
As the clock read 11:50 AM, I knew that soft serve-based drinks (such as the wonderfully flavourful Espresso Shake from my second visit) would not be available yet. I opted for their churros instead. But as luck would have it, the first batch of churros were supposedly overdone and had to be re-cooked.
The clock struck twelve, and I was still waiting. "Might as well order their soft serve while I'm here then!" rang my thought process.
As the clock read 11:50 AM, I knew that soft serve-based drinks (such as the wonderfully flavourful Espresso Shake from my second visit) would not be available yet. I opted for their churros instead. But as luck would have it, the first batch of churros were supposedly overdone and had to be re-cooked.
The clock struck twelve, and I was still waiting. "Might as well order their soft serve while I'm here then!" rang my thought process.
"Elvis" was sold out, not due to high demand, but since their machine was unable to pump out the banana-flavoured soft serve which was utilized as the base of the dessert. "Lemon Coconut Cream Pie" sounded like a good, refreshing alternative, and so the order was processed.
The foundation of the cone, besides the standard sugar cone itself, was a basic vanilla soft serve. It was sweeter than it was milky, which I suppose was intentional; it further emphasized the tartness of the lemon syrup squirted in thin, vertical strips along swirled ice cream. Topping it all off was a layer of flaky, streusel-like material mixed in with a pinch of gently-toasted coconut shreds, which I presume is the "Coconut Pie" portion of the creation.
The foundation of the cone, besides the standard sugar cone itself, was a basic vanilla soft serve. It was sweeter than it was milky, which I suppose was intentional; it further emphasized the tartness of the lemon syrup squirted in thin, vertical strips along swirled ice cream. Topping it all off was a layer of flaky, streusel-like material mixed in with a pinch of gently-toasted coconut shreds, which I presume is the "Coconut Pie" portion of the creation.
Perhaps I'm more accustomed to firmer soft serves (as in Wooffles & Cream-esque swirls), but I found that Sweet Jesus' soft serve just melted much too quickly. As per Instagram, a number of users had been provided with donut-like cone attachments that acted as a balcony for the melty dessert. However, they were most likely given out at random, as not all customers received the same utensils.
By the time I had captured a thorough collection of my purchases, the soft serve had largely melted - all within a span of five minutes or so. Cone in one hand, and churros in the other, it wasn't exactly a glorious moment for me when sweet, sticky soft serve began to disintegrate from the warmth of my hands and onto my cardigan. It was an especially unflattering moment as I received a sneaky message not even two minutes after stopping at an intersection to clean myself up, questioning whether I was "carrying more food than I could carry" and gobbling ice cream as if I hadn't eaten in several days.
Needless to say, the Specialty Soft Serve wasn't the cleanest, nor most sophisticated, food item to devour while the other hand is occupied, and a camera is dangling from the same wrist. Taste-wise though, I must remark that it did, indeed, evoke the exact flavours of lemon cream pie with hints of coconut. It wasn't overly sweet, but still considerably sticky. The pie crust-like toppings added quite a nice texture contrast to the rest of the cone; unfortunately, the sugar cone on which the entire concoction rested upon was average at best.
Many have commented that it would be possible to recreate Sweet Jesus' treats at home, simply by pouring topping on top in excess. While there is some truth to such statements, I cannot fully acknowledge their validity.
Without a doubt, the six dollar price tag is hefty for the size of the product you receive. However, it's also a fact that the soft serve baristas (?) create and decorate each cone with delicacy and precision. The toppings are not individually unique, but the final product is certainly distinctive. For example, Krusty the Cone has tufts of baby pink and blue cotton candy, while Cookies Cookies Cookies 'n' Cream has crushed Oreo pieces - both items can generally be found in bulk with wholesale discounts, but the combination of ingredients is exclusive to each respective Specialty Soft Serve. Not to mention, their cones possess a fascinating amount of visual appeal to the average soft serve-goer.
Of course, this is not to say that McDonald's more economical and minimalistic swirl soft serves aren't great afternoon snack alternatives either. (Frankly, my wallet likes the sound of that more.)
By the time I had captured a thorough collection of my purchases, the soft serve had largely melted - all within a span of five minutes or so. Cone in one hand, and churros in the other, it wasn't exactly a glorious moment for me when sweet, sticky soft serve began to disintegrate from the warmth of my hands and onto my cardigan. It was an especially unflattering moment as I received a sneaky message not even two minutes after stopping at an intersection to clean myself up, questioning whether I was "carrying more food than I could carry" and gobbling ice cream as if I hadn't eaten in several days.
Needless to say, the Specialty Soft Serve wasn't the cleanest, nor most sophisticated, food item to devour while the other hand is occupied, and a camera is dangling from the same wrist. Taste-wise though, I must remark that it did, indeed, evoke the exact flavours of lemon cream pie with hints of coconut. It wasn't overly sweet, but still considerably sticky. The pie crust-like toppings added quite a nice texture contrast to the rest of the cone; unfortunately, the sugar cone on which the entire concoction rested upon was average at best.
Many have commented that it would be possible to recreate Sweet Jesus' treats at home, simply by pouring topping on top in excess. While there is some truth to such statements, I cannot fully acknowledge their validity.
Without a doubt, the six dollar price tag is hefty for the size of the product you receive. However, it's also a fact that the soft serve baristas (?) create and decorate each cone with delicacy and precision. The toppings are not individually unique, but the final product is certainly distinctive. For example, Krusty the Cone has tufts of baby pink and blue cotton candy, while Cookies Cookies Cookies 'n' Cream has crushed Oreo pieces - both items can generally be found in bulk with wholesale discounts, but the combination of ingredients is exclusive to each respective Specialty Soft Serve. Not to mention, their cones possess a fascinating amount of visual appeal to the average soft serve-goer.
Of course, this is not to say that McDonald's more economical and minimalistic swirl soft serves aren't great afternoon snack alternatives either. (Frankly, my wallet likes the sound of that more.)
My stomach had reached 90% capacity after wolfing down my Lemon Coconut Cream Pie, but I decided that I still had to have a taste of their churros while still fresh. They were an interesting item, to say in the least: each churro had an extremely crispy exterior, with an almost-indiscernible, fluffy centre. For being heavily deep-fried, I was surprised to find that they weren't the least bit oily whatsoever!
Essentially, there were a thinner, crispier version of the Chinese fried dough sticks I consumed some two weekends ago, but were coated with a generous amount of granulated sugar. And if the trio wasn't sweet enough, it also came with a luscious, creamy caramel dipping sauce. (Hellooooooo diabetes in a cup!) In all honestly, this is one of those high-calorie treats that you indulge in once in your life (just to say that you went all out) and never munch on again for the sake of your own health. The dough was much more filling than expected, and one churro would probably be enough for me to last a day without lunch. That being said, I don't think I'll be getting these again unless I have a friend possessing a bottomless stomach in tow.
View the full album HERE !
Essentially, there were a thinner, crispier version of the Chinese fried dough sticks I consumed some two weekends ago, but were coated with a generous amount of granulated sugar. And if the trio wasn't sweet enough, it also came with a luscious, creamy caramel dipping sauce. (Hellooooooo diabetes in a cup!) In all honestly, this is one of those high-calorie treats that you indulge in once in your life (just to say that you went all out) and never munch on again for the sake of your own health. The dough was much more filling than expected, and one churro would probably be enough for me to last a day without lunch. That being said, I don't think I'll be getting these again unless I have a friend possessing a bottomless stomach in tow.
View the full album HERE !
At this point, I've visited Millie Patisserie & Creamery on a few occasions. (Four times to be exact! Read about my previous experiences here: 1, 2 & 3).
As I wasn't sure of the creme caramel of the inverted Matcha Pudding Cup had melted during my last taste test, I decided to the Black Sesame version to re-confirm this.
It was saddening to discover that the creme caramel was, in fact, supposed to assume a liquid state. I would much rather it take on the crispy, bitter aspect of torched sugar (think creme brulee), however the milky black sesame made up for it slightly.
As visibly detected from the image below, the Black Sesame Pudding had been stabilized by a great deal of gelatin, more than I would deem necessary considering it would be contained in a plastic cup anyways. It lacked the fragrance that normally radiates from toasted sesame seeds, and did not compliment the creme caramel as well as the Matcha variation. It was, nonetheless, still a great post-lunch dessert, but it is likely that I'll opt for the Yuzu Delight should I suddenly develop a craving.
As visibly detected from the image below, the Black Sesame Pudding had been stabilized by a great deal of gelatin, more than I would deem necessary considering it would be contained in a plastic cup anyways. It lacked the fragrance that normally radiates from toasted sesame seeds, and did not compliment the creme caramel as well as the Matcha variation. It was, nonetheless, still a great post-lunch dessert, but it is likely that I'll opt for the Yuzu Delight should I suddenly develop a craving.
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Towards the end of my visit, I inquired about the availability of drinks. Informed by the same lipstick-donning, 50's style-wearing girl, I learned that Millie was in the process of perfecting iced latte recipes (both Original and Matcha flavours). While they were not officially listed on the menu as yet, they could still be ordered.
The Iced Matcha Latte was prepared in a rather peculiar way: a pre-mixed bottle of green substance was removed from the fridge and mixed with ice and milk to form the drink. This was a strange sight to witness, as it is to my knowledge that matcha has the tendency to settle very quickly.
Interestingly enough, the matcha within my drink did not metamorphose into suspended solids, and remained uniformly mixed. This later led me to think that the shop was not using authentic Japanese matcha, or at least not a pure form of the powdered tea.
The drink was made unsweetened, but both granulated and liquid sugar were provided to enable customers to adjust the sweetness level to their liking. I opted to go sugar-free (cue my fellow ARMYs!), as the latte was eminently creamy. It was also by consuming the drink sans-sweetener that I was able to identify the matcha powder used to not even hail from Japanese descent.
For those that have doubts in my statement, I assure you: I KNOW MY MATCHA. Far from suicha, and even further from Uji (true) matcha, the powder used at Millie is simply from the Chinese supermarket. (Yep, I said it.)
This is, not to say, that their products are not worthy. I thoroughly enjoyed their cheesetarts, and found an even greater degree of joy in tasting their Gelato in a Cream Puff. Chances are that I will be back for the tried-and-true items, but skip the things I found to be less than appealing to my taste preferences.
The Iced Matcha Latte was prepared in a rather peculiar way: a pre-mixed bottle of green substance was removed from the fridge and mixed with ice and milk to form the drink. This was a strange sight to witness, as it is to my knowledge that matcha has the tendency to settle very quickly.
Interestingly enough, the matcha within my drink did not metamorphose into suspended solids, and remained uniformly mixed. This later led me to think that the shop was not using authentic Japanese matcha, or at least not a pure form of the powdered tea.
The drink was made unsweetened, but both granulated and liquid sugar were provided to enable customers to adjust the sweetness level to their liking. I opted to go sugar-free (cue my fellow ARMYs!), as the latte was eminently creamy. It was also by consuming the drink sans-sweetener that I was able to identify the matcha powder used to not even hail from Japanese descent.
For those that have doubts in my statement, I assure you: I KNOW MY MATCHA. Far from suicha, and even further from Uji (true) matcha, the powder used at Millie is simply from the Chinese supermarket. (Yep, I said it.)
This is, not to say, that their products are not worthy. I thoroughly enjoyed their cheesetarts, and found an even greater degree of joy in tasting their Gelato in a Cream Puff. Chances are that I will be back for the tried-and-true items, but skip the things I found to be less than appealing to my taste preferences.
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