I Met Her...at Ice Cream
5 Admiralty Way. Lekki Phase I, Lagos.
FOLLY: So basically, right after Mama Ebo we drove down to Ice Cream Factory on Admiralty for a palate cleanser of sorts. Did you know the original Ice Cream Factory branch on Omega Bank close is now closed? RIP
NOSA: It was across the street from Pattaya, right? I wonder what happened. Do you know there's a Lynxxx song about this place?
Ice Cream Factory (ICF) used to be such an integral part of Noble's "Memoirs of a Slu...ssssh". The internet was so fire that year. I remember I used to make jokes about that blog in my other life. Good times.
This place reminds me of those joints in Nollywood movies where the hero and his love interest go eat jollof rice & chicken for their first date. She's going at her chicken with her fork and knife, while Celine Dion plays in the background and his poor acting chops show up in the fake conversation he's supposed to have with her. I'm sorry, I have AfMag warriors in my house.
FOLLY: So I ordered only my second favourite dessert EVER – Apple Crumble. First is crème brûlée, then apple crumble, and finally cheesecake. In case you were wondering, there you have it.
Anyways, you know how you can be certain that this Apple Crumble is amazing? Cause Nosa ate it and he’s a self-professed hater of fruits and so many other things,. It’s really so much easier for Nosa to hate things than for him to like them.
NOSA: Hating things really comes so naturally to me. Probably easier than walking. I probably learned to say "No" before "Yes" as a baby.
FOLLY: I, myself, am a former hater of apples but this dessert changed me. When I get married, my guests will probably be served more dessert than real food. There’ll also be no swallow at MY wedding, there’ll be swallow at my parent’s wedding though, aka my traditional wedding, I love you amala, but I have to bench you cause you could stain my white.
NOSA: I actually prefer this one to the one we had at Orchid Bistro. The Orchid Bistro one was like cake and pap. Abeg, I'm not involved.
FOLLY: Anyways, I really do love Orchid Bistro and Ice Cream Factory’s Apple Crumble equally because although they are the same dessert they are made in two distinctively different ways.
Nosa prefers ICF’s because it’s served without “pap” aka custard.
But here’s what really makes them different: Orchid’s is a sweeter crumble, while ICF’s is a delightful oaty crumble with a cinnamon-y apple base.
NOSA: The ICF one is a lot "dryer".
FOLLY: When I bake this dessert myself I use a recipe similar to ICF’s.
Okay, okay, if I had to pick Ice Cream Factory wins.
NOSA: While Folly got the Apple Crumble, I got the Belgian Waffle with Tiramisu Ice Cream.
As far as waffles go, this might be the best one I've had in Lagos. Better than the ones at Crust & Cream and Mico's House of Chicken & Waffles. This one got a couple more seconds in the waffle iron and that's the key thing for me. It might not work for you, but it definitely worked for me.
FOLLY: Negative, Sir. Bistro 7's is the best I've had in Lagos.
NOSA: Didn't hurt that it actually tasted like they used proper waffle mix not one of those "pancake or waffle, as the spirit leads" mixes. Helps a whole lot.
POSTCRIPT
NOSA: Let me not front, Ice Cream Factory is one of the better, if not the best, dessert places in Lagos. The place is actually not bad. I really thought Coldstone would take them out of business, but they've survived. As soon as that Hans & Rene joint opens full time, they might proper competition.
DAMAGE
Belgian Waffle - N1700
Apple Crumble - N2100