DISH OF THE WEEK: The Whipped Twist at WHIPPED URBAN DESSERT LAB

You might think Whipped is never open. Every time I walk by the trendy ice cream shop adjacent to the Tenement Museum, its grates are down. Could this place really be only open in the evenings for the late night crowd? Doesn’t anybody eat ice cream in this neighborhood during the day?

Turns out they are only open during the day on weekends. Perhaps it’s a business choice, but I’m sort of surprised they don’t turn their lights on for the tourists visiting the museum next door.

Lucky for me I finally found myself down here after their 2pm weekend opening.

The deal here is that all the ice cream is made out of oat milk and it is whipped into soft serve. Most Tik Tok’ers and their followers order one of the customizable waffle cone sundaes stuffed and topped with all sorts of toppings.

I am truly a purist and wanted a simple soft serve cup. I had no interest in sauces and sprinkles. I admit I didn’t have huge expectations for this vegan ice cream as I have tried many other varieties and they often have a strange aftertaste. Not this one. It was really really good.

The only two flavors are Chocolate and Sweet Creme, so of course, I went for the twist.

The chocolate had some dark cocoa notes and the sweet creme had a hint of vanilla. The oat milk flavor was very subtle throughout with possibly a bit of a marshmallow note and a restrained sweetness.

The texture was irresistible. Not quite as airy as I expected, but it had a meringue-like quality that allowed the ice cream to somewhat melt in my mouth. It was stupendous.

I really don’t think anybody would know this was made of oat milk. It has all the flavor of ice cream and an even extra-special texture situation. The only disappointment is the somewhat difficult hours. I am not vegan or lactose intolerant so I can’t say for sure, but I have to imagine people with dietary restrictions crave ice cream in the afternoon too, don’t they? Price: $5.75 ($8 for hand-crafted creations)