Cold Rock Ice Creamery, Sydney > Reviews (1)

There are some innovative ideas and inventions in the world that are just genius. Cold Rock is one of them.

I have unknowingly been adopting the Cold Rock concept for many years. I know what I like when it comes to sweet items - ice creams, crepes, waffles - and when my desired combination isn't on the menu, I ask the person behind the counter if I can adapt one of their concoctions in a simple enough way, for example by trading butterscotch sauce for chocolate, or removing the sprinkling of nuts, or substituting banana ice cream for vanilla.

*** The Concept ***

Cold Rock takes the idea of building an ice cream sundaeone step further by allowing you to create custom made ice cream

flavours. Each branch has an array of ice creams and an array of mix ins. You choose the size and the flavour, and then you choose the items you want to be mixed into it. This is not a case of adding a topping to a scoop - they literally infuse your flavour with the mix in by spreading the ice cream out on a slab of ice, chopping or slicing or shredding your mix in if required and pounding the two together. It's like cookies and cream ice cream - the cookies are literally mixed all the way through the ice cream - except here you decide when you get there what items you want mixed into what.

Flavours and mix-ins change regularly which is nice if you like to chop and change, but annoying if you go there with something in mind and then they don't have it. Typically though, flavours will include

Natural Cream
White Chocolate
Aussie Vanilla
Banana
Strawberry
Coffee
Cookies & Cream
Double Chocolate
Chocolate Chip
Choc Mint
Cheesecake
Bubblegum
English Toffee
Honeycomb…and many more. They also have sorbet and low fat ice creams

Mix-ins I've seen include

CHOCOLATE / SWEETS : Mars, Snickers, Cherry Ripe, Bounty, Crunchie, M&M's, Peanut M&M's, Mini M&M's, Milky Way, Jaffas, Freddo Frogs, Gummi Bears, Maltesers, Tim Tams (like Penguins), Flake, Violet Crumble, Picnic, Caramello Koalas, , Marshmallows, Nerds, Sour sweets, Sherbert, Fudge, Kit Kat, Oreos

FRUIT: Strawberries, Raspberries, Boysenberries, Mango, Blueberries

NUTS: Macadamias, Pecans, Crushed Nuts..

EXTRAS: Brownies, Cookie Dough, Milo (a cocoa powder), Nutella, Peanut Butter.

Your choice is truly limited only by your imagination. We have been many times in my 2 months in Sydney, and three of my most memorable concoctions include:

- Mint choc chip with Freddo bars and Nutella
- Cheesecake with Nutella, Brownies and Tim Tams
- Cookies and Cream with cookie dough and Oreos

Sizes range from individual cups (a small scoop to several scoops) to take home packs of a litre, a great idea if you're celebrating a birthday or other occasion at home.

*** The Taste ***

Without a doubt, the ice cream and the mix ins could not taste fresher or more divine. The mix ins sit in airtight jars on the counter, and many are also individually wrapped until selected by you to be mixed in with the monster snack you are putting together.

However although it is nice to be able to have exactly what you want in / with your ice cream, it's easy to go wrong.

The ice cream flavours are marked with recommendations of what would go well with them, but it is truly up to you as the purchaser what you decide to go for, and the staff will mix anything in with anything, even if it sounds gross. This has its downside however as you're then stuck with an ice cream that isn't wonderful - for example if you put in mix ins that just don't complement each other, or you end up with too many hard mix ins so your ice cream becomes something you have to chew rather than slurp. Some mix ins, such as cookie dough, go with most things, while others, such as mars bars

, really need a blander or simpler flavour so they don't taste sickly. It is also possible to go for too many mix ins - 2 is really the maximum that will hold together well with one scoop, and even then it can be a struggle if they're both hard chocolate bars, not a spread or sauce of some kind. It's a process of trial and error, but every error made by me and the group here has still been edible, and I can think of worse mistakes to make.

*** Other Products ***

In addition to the cups of ice cream, Cold Rock do Ice Cream cakes, sundaes, waffles, banana splits and hot and cold drinks and shakes. Their brownie sundaes are amazing - a chocolate brownie, two scoops of the ice cream of your choice (no mix ins), rivers of hot chocolate sauce, a mound of whipped cream and a malteaser (the perfect alternative to the usual cherry). A great choice when you're pushed for time, and a delicious way to spend $6.50.

*** The Prices ***

Prices depend on the number of scoops and the number of mix ins - typically you'll pay between $5 (2GBP) and $7 (3 GBP) for one or two scoops and some mix ins which seems very reasonable given the work the staff have to put in mixing the flavours for you, though you can spend a lot more if you go for a sundae or a waffle or a take home pack. Still, it's only the same price as one of the other Gelato places in the city, and for a customized flavour most people would happily pay more.*** The Stores ***

The stores mainly cater to people wanting ice cream to take away, although all the ones I have visited have a few tables and chairs in case you do want to enjoy your concoction on site (and remain there for a few moments in case you realise you want to go back for more). The stores are small but welcoming, clean with warm not too bright lighting, a well laid out selection to choose from, helpful wall signs and pricing information and a clear serving structure - at other ice cream places here people elbow each other out of the way to get to the front, but here, amazingly, they queue. The staff always seem quite happy to hand out free tastings and to offer tips and advice, or to explain how the set up works.

Cold Rock have dozens of stores across Australia. I generally go to the one at Hay Market in Sydney (in between Central Station and Darling Harbour) but there's also one in Manly, a local beach resort. There is a store locater on their website if you're in other parts of Australia and need a fix.

Stores are open late too - the other night we got ice cream cravings around 9.30pm so jumped in a car and headed into town as it had to be Cold Rock - Gelatissimo just down the road wouldn't do. An ice cream that warrants a 40 minute round trip when you should be getting ready for bed - that says it all really.

*** Verdict ***

When a friend told me about Cold Rock I wanted to go and try it immediately, and for the first few visits I was captivated. Since then it's lost its appeal slightly, but only through over exposure (we go there a *lot*) because I now know what to expect. It can also be over whelming when you're trying to concoct the perfect flavour, as there are over 3000 possible combinations and it's hard to know what to go for at times. That said, I enjoy it every time I go, and will continue to visit it regularly during my stay in Australia. Your first trip is a truly magical experience, and I felt like a kid in a candy shop (which I guess I was), amazed by all the options and choices. I spent ages deciding on what to have and changing my mind dozens of times. I felt like that old Fisherprice advert was speaking directly to me - "Oh The Possibilities…".

It's an awesome concept and they're busy every time we go, so the local Franchisees must be making a fortune. I only wish I had thought of it first. Currently they have franchises in Germany, the UAE and the Philippines and they're expanding…so if anyone out there has $500 000 to spare and fancies bringing the idea to England, put it in Manchester and I promise to visit religiously.

Visit www.coldrock.com.au for more information, store locaters, history and much more. Their international (franchise) site is at www.coldrockinternational.com