Mia and I dropped by South & North Okinawa Gelato pop-up stall last night and sampled their gelato made in the island of natural goodness - Okinawa.
I believe most of us know how different gelato is from ice-cream. Gelato is commonly known to be more flavourful, has less fats contained and healthier in that aspect, uses fewer egg yolks in comparison to average ice-creams.
The more unique point of Okinawan Gelato is that they use only Hokkaido & Yamakawa milk and natural flavours. Their gelato is made using tradition confectionery method i.e. in line with Okinawa tradition. What's more, being a Japanese brand, they visit farmers and producers personally to select only the finest and most suitable ingredients to produce the Gelato. In addition, there are no artificial essence used.
There are 8 flavours available for sampling at the pop-up store at Raffles Xchange. To start off, here are 3 of my personal favourites:
(In clockwise direction, beginning with the purple flavour)
❤ Purple sweet potato : From Yomitan villange and Miyako island. The purple sweet potato is made into velvety paste before blending into the gelato. The overall taste combined a mild sweetness and intense potato “punch”. I was initially skeptical towards this with thoughts of it as a savory flavour. However, it gave my tongue quite a lovely surprise. After sampling all 8 flavours, this left quite a deep impression on me as the taste of the sweet potato was powerful yet not overwhelming. I eventually bag it home!
❤ Shikuwasa sorbert : Made in ogimi village. The tangy sweetness of the green fruit is surprising refreshing and fruity, with a sweet orangey aftertaste which is really invigorating.
❤ Black Tea : Made in Kunigami Village. A unique Okinawa tea leaves from Inzatsu Assam variety offer an full aroma character. I like how fragrant and refreshingly light this is, bagged it home too!
(In clockwise direction, beginning with the green flavour)
❤ Matcha : Using tea leaves from Shizouka Prefecture, this gelato has intense yet slightly bitter after-taste. Great for matcha lover who is looking for the real matcha “punch”.
❤ Salted milk : Made using Nuchi masu salt. Seawater is drawn off the coast of Miyagi Island. This sea salt contain high in minerals and it can accentuated the creaminess of the milk flavor. Reminds me slightly of salted caramel, milky version!
❤ Brown Sugar : Made in Tarama Village. This gelato offer a sweetness with a complex, mineral-rich finish.
❤ Okinawa Tofu : Made in Nanho city. Okinawan tofu, being extremely high in protein, is often referred to as “longevity food”. The overall gelao is gently rich with Okinawa soyabeans.
The remaining two flavours (not pictured close-up:
❤ Meyer Lemon yogurt : Meyer Lemon is a natural hybrid of lemon and orange. The tanginess is much more powerful than the Shikuwasa sorbet above. This unique yogurt can be suitable after-dinner.
❤ Cheese : Made in Ishigaki Island using milk from Jersey cows. It’s very mild, almost like a milk gelato. A great alternative if you fancy the "plain vanilla" kind of flavour (pun not intended).
Each tub of gelato retails at $4.90 currently. As South & North Okinawan Gelato does not have a permanent store in Singapore yet, do visit the pop-up store at Raffles Xchange instead, available until 29th July! :)
(In clockwise direction, beginning with the purple flavour)
❤ Purple sweet potato : From Yomitan villange and Miyako island. The purple sweet potato is made into velvety paste before blending into the gelato. The overall taste combined a mild sweetness and intense potato “punch”. I was initially skeptical towards this with thoughts of it as a savory flavour. However, it gave my tongue quite a lovely surprise. After sampling all 8 flavours, this left quite a deep impression on me as the taste of the sweet potato was powerful yet not overwhelming. I eventually bag it home!
❤ Shikuwasa sorbert : Made in ogimi village. The tangy sweetness of the green fruit is surprising refreshing and fruity, with a sweet orangey aftertaste which is really invigorating.
❤ Black Tea : Made in Kunigami Village. A unique Okinawa tea leaves from Inzatsu Assam variety offer an full aroma character. I like how fragrant and refreshingly light this is, bagged it home too!
(In clockwise direction, beginning with the green flavour)
❤ Matcha : Using tea leaves from Shizouka Prefecture, this gelato has intense yet slightly bitter after-taste. Great for matcha lover who is looking for the real matcha “punch”.
❤ Salted milk : Made using Nuchi masu salt. Seawater is drawn off the coast of Miyagi Island. This sea salt contain high in minerals and it can accentuated the creaminess of the milk flavor. Reminds me slightly of salted caramel, milky version!
❤ Brown Sugar : Made in Tarama Village. This gelato offer a sweetness with a complex, mineral-rich finish.
❤ Okinawa Tofu : Made in Nanho city. Okinawan tofu, being extremely high in protein, is often referred to as “longevity food”. The overall gelao is gently rich with Okinawa soyabeans.
The remaining two flavours (not pictured close-up:
❤ Meyer Lemon yogurt : Meyer Lemon is a natural hybrid of lemon and orange. The tanginess is much more powerful than the Shikuwasa sorbet above. This unique yogurt can be suitable after-dinner.
❤ Cheese : Made in Ishigaki Island using milk from Jersey cows. It’s very mild, almost like a milk gelato. A great alternative if you fancy the "plain vanilla" kind of flavour (pun not intended).
Each tub of gelato retails at $4.90 currently. As South & North Okinawan Gelato does not have a permanent store in Singapore yet, do visit the pop-up store at Raffles Xchange instead, available until 29th July! :)
my matcha and black tea... need to wait for 3 weeks in order to eat them. T.T
ReplyDeleteleft in the freezer for too long. kena stolen! T.T
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