After missing out in Boston, I was really craving Ube flavored ice cream when I arrived in New York City. The closest place I found was Soft Swerve NYC Ice Cream.
Location
They have 2 location in NYC. I went to:
ADR: 379 3rd Ave, New York, NY 10016 [Gmaps]
The other location is:
ADR: 85B Allen St, New York, NY 10002 {Gmaps]
Cost
I thought it was a little expensive but I did get a few extra toppings.
My cone cost me: $7.50USD plus taxes
- Sugar cone with ube ice cream: $5.50USD
- Mochi: $1.00USD
- Toasted Coconut Dip: $1.00 USD
What is Ube?
Ube is also called Purple Yam. It can get complicated but people often mistake it as taro and purple sweet potato which isn’t the same. Ube is sweeter and softer than the other 2. It’s also easier to incorporate into dessert or sweets compared to taro and purple sweet potato which tend to be less sweet and more starchy than ube.
The skin of an ube is like a golden potato; it’s light, off white color. The color inside, the “meat”, is light purple. It turns dark purple when it’s cooked.
Sweet Swerve NYC Menu
I took photos of the menu at the location I went to but you can check their website for all the items they have to offer.
They serve their ice cream 3 different ways with different prices:
- Sugar Cone: $5.50USD
- Waffle Cone: $7.00USD
- Cup: $5.50USD
The price includes the ice cream but any toppings cost extra!
Soft Serve Flavors:
- Vanilla
- Purple Yam (Ube)
- Thai Tea
- Frozen Hot Chocolate
- HK Milk Tea
- Vietnamese Coffee
Toppings:
- Dips ($1.00USD)each:
- *Chocolate *Cherry *Butterscotch *Birthday Cake *Peanut Butter *Toasted Coconut
- Crunchies/Chewies ($0.50 US CENTS)ea:
- *Almonds *Fruity Peebles *Marshmallows *Toasted Coconut *Oreos *Mochi $1.00USD *Hazelnut *Chocolate Sprinkles *Sprinkles *Cotton Candy Crunch
- Drizzles ($0.50 US CENTS)ea:
- *Chocolate *Caramel * Strawberry *Peanut Butter *Condensed Milk *Dark Chocolate
Specials:
- Rockefeller Center
- Strawberry Shortcake
- Division Street
- Woodside
- Broadway
Taste
The ube flavor was mild but I could stil taste it. It was sweet and creamy. The mochi was pretty basic store bought mochi. Initially it was hard because it was cold but it got softer over time. I wasn’t completely thrilled by the coconut dip because it was very watery and the toasted coconut bits made it look dirty.
I was hoping more for a thicker coconut flavored white chocolate dip that would cover the entire ice cream and not just in parts. In fact, the worker had trouble getting the cone dipped. Normally to cover ice cream with dip, you dip it quickly and the cold from the ice cream solidifies it. The worker instead had to use a ladle and pour the dip several times over my cone.
That’s why the disk is covered in it in the photo. In the end, the coconut dip tasted good. It had a decent coconut flavor but it was more like coconut flavored syrup than an actual dip.
Would I return to Soft Swerve NYC? Maybe
I enjoyed the ube ice cream I got but I felt it was a little lacking. Still the quality of the soft serve ice cream is really good and if you skip on the toppings, dips and other add ons, $5.50USD plus taxes for unique ice cream flavors isn’t too bad, especially for New York City.
I actually didn’t notice until after but I had unexpectedly ordered their Woodside special. I personally mainly pair anything ube flavored with coconut because it’s the perfect and common pairing. It was a little funny that it turned out that way.
You can see more of what they have to offer on their SNS:
RATING INDEX
Soft Swerve NYC
Overall
