A cafe with an unusual name, ‘Ice C U’, has introduced a unique menu item: ‘Som Tam Thai Ice Cream’. This spicy and creamy concoction has been a hit with customers, selling out in less than two months.
The cafe, located in Trang, is owned by 39-year-old Suwit Laksawut, a jewelry design graduate who returned home seven months ago to open a small som tam cafe amidst his family’s fruit orchard.
A som tam (papaya spicy salad) aficionado, Suwit came up with the idea of turning the savory dish into a sweet treat, resulting in the creation of Som Tam Thai Ice Cream.
Customers can choose from three levels of spiciness: mild, medium, and hot. The ice cream is served with a side salad of lettuce, crispy deep-fried papaya, grapes, and tomatoes, topped with a scoop of ice cream containing all the ingredients of som tam. Eating the ice cream alone tastes like som tam dressing, but once it melts and mixes with the toppings, it tastes like deep-fried som tam.
In just two months, the cafe has been selling 40-50 servings of Som Tam Thai Ice Cream per week.
In addition to the savory ice cream, the cafe also offers over 30 flavors of homemade fruit ice cream made with seasonal fruits, such as santol, salak, mango, sapodilla, mangosteen, durian, and coconut milk.
The ice cream is sweetened with fruit and uses minimal sugar, making it a healthier option for customers. Priced at 30-50 baht per cup, the ice cream is decorated with cartoon characters to add color and fun to the eating experience. (TNA)
