Special thanks to The Ais for extending this food review invitation.
The Ais is a supplier of homemade ice cream to several local restaurants around Penang. It used to operate from a kiosk inside ie Organic at Pulau Tikus. Several months ago, The Ais moved to this modest shop at Chulia Street (Lebuh Chulia).
While the ground floor has only several small tables, there is substantially more dining space upstairs. The walls of the upper floor are decorated with colorful paintings – amateur artwork of the proprietor’s daughter. By the way, use caution when ascending the flight of chairs because it is quite steep.
Ice cream is sold in single scoop (RM6.90) or double scoops (RM12.90) portions. Several flavors are considered premium due to higher cost of ingredients; these premium flavors cost RM8.90 and RM14.40 respectively. Customers can also opt for a waffle cone for RM1.50 more. Ice cream is also sold by the pint – at RM29.00 and RM32.00 for regular and premium flavors respectively.
As for dine-in customers who prefer something more filling, go for a serving of Double & Waffle (RM15.90). These Belgian waffles come with 2 scoops of ice cream. Premium flavors only cost RM1.50 more, which I highly recommend that you go for.
The waffles appear dry when eaten directly, but they land on a sweet spot when consumed with ice cream. The dish is garnished with granola, dried cranberries, raisins, marshmallow and icing sugar. The actual presentation varies by the choice of ice cream flavors.
Avocado is one of the few ice cream flavors that contain neither milk nor eggs, making it ideal for vegans. This flavor takes full advantage of avocado’s natural creaminess. Made from Australian avocados, it is one of The Ais’ premium flavors. For a limited time, a pint of Avocado ice cream is priced at RM26.00, which makes it even cheaper than regular flavors.
I am also fascinated by Redwine Cranberry, which is another premium ice cream flavor. Alcohol actually lowers the melting point of ice cream, making the preparation process quite tricky. I love the soothing coolness that the ice cream bestows upon the tongue, as well as red wine’s bitter-sweet aftertaste that follows. This flavor is recommended for people who enjoy alcoholic ice cream.
Snow Bath (RM10.90) is presented as a small cup of kefir with a scoop of Snow White ice cream on top. Made from sorghum wine (高粱酒), the distinctive taste and aroma of the ice cream is tantalizing instead.
Meanwhile, kefir is a fermented milk drink. The culture, which is produced in-house, consists of a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. Lactose in milk is mostly broken down to lactic acid and ethanol. This makes kefir is a good milk substitute for people with lactose intolerance.
The Ais has more than 40 different ice cream flavors in its recipe book. To maintain freshness, only 16 flavors are prepared at any given time. In addition to those introduced earlier, other bestselling flavors are Matcha Oreo, Horlicks Kit Kat, Charcoal Cheese, Seasalt Caramel and Rum & Raisin. Occasionally, there are also seasonal flavors like Durian.
The Ais believes in giving a helping hand to those in need. A substantial amount of the eatery’s proceeds is donated to an orphanage in Thailand.
Name: The Ais
Address: 473, Lebuh Chulia, 10200 George Town, Pulau Pinang
Contact: 04-261-0427
Business hours: 2:00pm-10:00pm (Sunday-Thursday), 2:00pm-11:00pm (Friday-Saturday), closed on Mondays
Website: https://www.facebook.com/theaisblessings
Coordinates: 5.41955 N, 100.33339 E
Directions: From Penang Road (Jalan Penang), turn onto Chulia Street (Lebuh Chulia). The Ais is approximately 100 meters on the right. Street parking is available along Chulia Street (Lebuh Chulia) and Leith Street (Lebuh Leith). There is also a private parking lot next to The Ais.
