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Watching the making of the ice-cream is quite an experience[/caption]
I have wanted to visit Chin Chin Labs in Camden Lock for ages. After all, who wouldn't want to go to Europe's only Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream Parlour?
Consequently, I was very excited to visit the shop yesterday with mum and a friend, and couldn't wait to get stuck in to a mouth-watering tub of ice cream. First of all, we had to actually find the shop - Camden Town is a busy, bustling mecca of shops and stalls which is incredibly difficult to navigate! We walked through a market full of amazing clothes, went past a countless amount of vegan and health stores and marvelled at some hanging mobiles which looked spectacular in the wind. Camden is a brilliant shopping destination, as there are just so many shops and something for everyone.
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Chin Chin Labs is in Camden, North London[/caption]
We finally stumbled upon Chin Chin Labs, and spent ages deciding on which flavour to try. The shop has two regular flavours - Pondicherry Vanilla and Valrhona Chocolate - and two specials which change weekly. When we went, these were Tonka Pineapple and Fig Jam Doughnut (£3.95 each with a sauce/topping included). Something else that looked delicious was called the Brown-Wich, which is their vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two brownie cookies (£4.95). The store also makes coffee, hot chocolate, juice and sells toppings in bags, such as honeycomb and caramelised pretzels.
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The ice-cream bases are prepared in liquid form and the nitrogen is added to freeze it straightaway[/caption]
Our ice creams were made right in front of our eyes, which was incredible! The shop is like a chemistry lab as the basic liquids are taken and liquid nitrogen added to freeze it quickly. There were clouds of steam billowing everywhere, and I felt as if I was in a science fiction film. The liquid was churned to an ice cream consistency with a mixer in seconds, and the experience was phenomenal. It's the kind of thing they do in very posh restaurants, but I don't get to go to many of those, so it was entirely new to me.
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Doughnut ice cream with fig jam, and dairy free Tonka pineapple sorbet - both delicious![/caption]
Soon enough, the freshly made ice cream was scooped into a cup, ready to eat. I had chosen Fig Jam Doughnut flavour, so my ice cream tasted of doughnuts and was topped with a delicious fig mixture. Both my friend and mum chose grilled white chocolate to top their Tonka Pineapple and chocolate flavour ice creams, and we soon got stuck in.
I honestly had some of the best ice cream of my life - the flavour was so unique and different and there were no ice crystals as it had been frozen really quickly. I would absolutely love to come back another week and try out some of the new flavours.
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We scraped out all the ice-cream we could find![/caption]
Overall, Chin Chin Labs is an amazing place to visit and you should definitely give it a go if you are in the area. Seeing it being made right in front of us was just amazing, and the ice cream was fantastic. Yes, it is expensive, but the experience and quality of ice cream more than makes up for it. I will definitely be bringing more of my friends in the future!
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Three Amazing Places to Eat in Bristol With KidsLabels: Blog, Camden, Camden Lock, Chin Chin Labs, food in London, ice-cream, liquid nitrogen, London, UK