According to the proprietors of this business venture, the spark came from an episode of Taiwanese talk show Kangxi Lai Le (康熙来了) which featured the flagship stall in Taipei. Realizing the business potential here, they traveled to Taiwan immediately to secure master franchising rights in Malaysia. Now, that’s fast!
Unlike pre-frozen ice cream sold by Baskin-Robbins and Häagen-Dazs, liquid nitrogen ice cream is prepared from the spot from raw ingredients and chilled on the spot using liquid nitrogen. Liquid nitrogen finds numerous practical applications ranging from cryogenics to molecular gastronomy. This industrial is relatively cheap to produce and its by-product, nitrogen gas, is largely harmless. At standard atmospheric pressure, nitrogen boils at -195.79oC, which is way colder than water ice (0oC) or dry ice (-78.5oC).
To prepare liquid nitrogen ice cream, milk ingredients and accompanying flavoring are combined in a mixer. Flasks of liquid nitrogen are then emptied into the mixing bowl, causing the mixture to freeze rapidly. After a couple of minutes, the mixture attains gelato-like consistency. Since liquid nitrogen is much colder than regular ice, ice cream prepared from the former has significantly smaller ice crystals than the latter’s. This explains why the liquid nitrogen ice cream tends to be more compact and smoother in texture.
For starters, Cool N2 is introducing 6 of the bestselling flavors in Taiwan. Winnie The Pooh (小熊维尼, RM16.90) is the recommended flavor especially for first-timers. The ice cream is named so due to the use of honey as topping. More honey is also provided in a syringe. Corn flakes are also added for crispy appeal. Among the 6 versions, this is the ideal one to really enjoy liquid nitrogen ice cream for what it really is.
For matcha lovers, Genmaicha Popcorn (玄风抹茶, RM16.90) offers green tea flavoring with speckles of roasted brown rice (玄米). Rice grains provide crispy mouthfeel and distinctive husk-like aroma. Chocolate chips are added on top, but I am not sure whether it is the best idea because chocolate appears disjoint from the ice cream. Perhaps it would be nicer to add boiled red beans into the mix instead.
Sunny Day Beach (夏日沙滩, RM16.90) features Lotus biscuits, a popular brand of biscoff cookies from Belgium. Several pieces are crushed and added to the ice cream, giving it crumb-like texture and pleasant caramelized flavor. A couple of Lotus biscuits are also provided on top.
Black Bomber (黑色轰炸机, RM16.90) is the densest among available flavors, therefore also most filling. Like the previous version, the Black Bomber also contains cookie crumbs. In this case, Oreo cookies are used instead. As Oreo cookies are quite common in ice cream parlance, I suggest that you try other ice cream variants first especially if you have not done so.
Adding a twist to liquid nitrogen ice cream, there are also 2 alcoholic versions available. To this end, Cool N2 uses Johnnie Walker Double Black Whisky and Baileys’ Original Irish Cream.
Make-Up Whisky (浓妆威士忌, RM19.90) uses chocolate ice cream as the base, but with an infusion of aromatic whisky. Additional liquor is provided in a Pasteur pipette (dropper) – some 3 millilitres. I find the bitter sensation of whisky quite compatible with chocolate ice cream.
Cupid (微醺邱比特, RM19.90) also starts with a hearty scoop of dark chocolate ice cream. A dropper of Baileys’ Original Irish Cream is provided for alcoholic appeal. I think not many types of ice cream are compatible with Baileys’ Original Irish Cream, but Cool N2 does this quite right. The last time I encountered this liqueur in ice cream is at 43 Café.
Each serving of ice cream contains over 200 millilitres of milk, so a single cup is often sufficient for most people. Ice cream is made to order such that nitrogen vapors are still present when served. Since no food conditioner is used during preparation, the ice cream starts to melt after a short while. Nevertheless, melted cream itself is quite likeable too. Its scent and taste are quite similar to fresh milk.
In summary, Cool N2 has something unique to offer in this competitive F&B landscape. Ice cream quality is certainly commendable, and the novelty of using liquid nitrogen is an added appeal. Although the number of flavors are quite limited, the proprietors promise to introduce new choices from time to time.