By ANEESAH AKBAR
Staff Writer
Cream is a newly opened ice cream sandwich store at the Irvine Spectrum, the newest addition to a chain initially started by Jimmy and Gus Shamieh in Berkeley, California. Cream offers a diverse menu but is well-known for its ice cream sandwiches, which come in large portions that will thoroughly satisfy any sweet tooth.
When ordering Cream’s signature ice cream sandwich, customers are able to choose two large cookies and an ice cream flavor for the reasonable price of $3.99. They are also given the option to customize their order with any number of toppings for an additional $0.75 each.
Cream goes a step beyond typical dessert shops by offering delicious healthy alternatives to high-calorie desserts, such as vegan cookies in flavors like chocolate fudge and banana chocolate chip. In addition, Cream provides gluten free cookies and soy milk ice cream for customers with diet restrictions.
More adventurous foodies might order Cream’s ice cream sundaes or ice cream tacos, the latter of which consist of any three flavors of ice cream and any two toppings in either a red velvet or regular taco shell. Cream’s more unconventional ice cream flavors include toasted almond, blueberry cheesecake (a seasonal flavor) and salted caramel. The white chocolate macadamia nut and carnival cookie flavors add to the store’s unique twist on traditional desserts as well.
With more than 20 ice cream flavors, 11 types of cookies and 15 toppings to choose from, the combinations are nearly endless. Lakshmi Kannan (Jr.), who ordered chocolate chip cookies and vanilla ice cream with Nutella, said, “Cream is delicious, and the ice cream is soft and creamy.”
I visited Cream soon after the grand opening and was surprised by the 10-foot line, which doubled within a few minutes. The long wait was slightly inconvenient but evidence of the store’s popularity. I ordered an ice cream sandwich with Royal Caramel Swirl ice cream, a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie and a snickerdoodle cookie. I was a bit disappointed with the ice cream flavor because it tasted more of chocolate than caramel.
The cookies were delicious and rich in flavor; I could really taste the quality of the ingredients. They became slightly soggy with the melted ice cream and difficult to eat in the paper wrapping, but this issue was easily resolved by asking one of the friendly employees for a cup.
The ambiance is inviting: as soon as you enter, you are pleased with the fresh, clean environment. The store does not have indoor seating yet, but there are a few comfortable benches right outside. The employees at the buffet-style counter are courteous and professional, and I was able to watch them put my order together on the other side before it was handed to me.
Ashlyn Wang (Jr.) said, “I thought that it was amazing. One of the best ice-cream sandwich shops of all time. It’s like this bundle of deliciousness. The cookies are homemade and when you walk inside, your senses get overwhelmed with freshly baked cookies.”
Overall, my experience was enjoyable and worth the cost. I would definitely recommend Cream to any dessert lover who is interested in trying something new. Cream’s variety of options guarantee a perfect fit for just about everyone.
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640 Spectrum Center Drive
Irvine, CA 92618
949-341-0636
Hours:
Sunday-Thursday: 12pm – 11pm
Friday and Saturday: 12pm – 12am
