Let's just get this out there -- when it comes to summer time sweetness you are hard-pressed to beat the legends that are Bridge Drive-In and Sargent Sundae.
In fact, there are 10 ice cream dream institutions that we've covered before, so today we wanted to feature four must-have new (or newish) sweets (because three is too cliché) that can be found around the streets of Winnipeg.
Bringing Popcart pops to a picnic is a total party starter (PCG)
Pop Cart: If you are from Winnipeg and are on Instagram, then surely you have already at least seen these aesthetically-pleasing, fruit-forward creations from Angela Farkas and Alana Fiks. Marketing wise, they are killing it (just plug #popcart into IG to see for yourself), while their colourful pops quickly become the thing to have when these ladies pop up at events across the city (the refrain of, "oh my god, where did you get that popsicle?" will happen frequently if you are walking through the Exchange District with one of their numbers).
Here's the gist: Farkas, who is a pastry chef at ERA Bistro, and Fiks, who works for the Province, started making these pops after being inspired by carts in Mexico and New York City. They started doing pop-ups around town (as they both work nine-to-fives) and now have two carts that they ordered in from Brazil.
They do an insane amount of fruity flavours for $4 (our staff loved the Arnold Palmer and Pineapple Ginger) while they also do premium numbers for $5, of which I've fawned over the Salted Caramel, while yearning to get at the Pumpkin Pie and Toasted Marshmallow. They also do ice cream sandwiches for $5, and they even make popsicles for dogs (using bone broth and veg) -- because we all know you dog lovers out there will surely shell out $2 to give your pooch a tasty, cool treat.
For locations find them on Instagram and Twitter.
Cornell Creme ice cream cart: I'm really a big fan of Lisa Dyck's ice cream, and not just because her cows once licked me while I was doing a CBC Radio interview with her at her farm. This is farm-to-table ice cream at its best (the milk all comes from her cows) while the flavour combos and textures of this full fat ice cream (it is generally 19 percent milk fat, versus the average of 12 per cent) is near moan and/or coma-inducing.
The Lemon Meringue is always a good choice, as is the Raspberry White Chocolate, while the Malty Ale Pale is a nice one for all you beer lovers out there. I've even had a Honey Mustard ice cream of hers (they frequently do small batch runs of wacky creations) that I would put on nearly anything, savoury or sweet.
Cornell Creme's bike cart makes appearances at festivals around the city, serving up single serve beauties that you would inhale were it not for the risk of an ice cream headache. You can also buy them in one litre formats at all the shops listed here, which includes Cake-ology, which just happens to be our next stop.
Cake-ology: There are milkshakes, then there are Cake-ology's weekly array of "are you kidding me, this is a ridiculous, somewhat aggressive, yet-whimsical and full on flavoured, milkshake," milkshakes. These bad boys (pictured at the top of the article) are a work of art, featuring Prairie West Ice Cream that is jazzed up more than a Charlie Parker solo with whip cream and sprinkles.
My two favs so far (they just started doing milkshakes in June) are the French Toast and the Orange Creamsicle. The French Toast version is like drinking a really healthy breakfast with a creamy texture studded with maple syrup and bits of actual eggy bread decadence; it is surely chock-full of calcium and protein, which does a body good right? (I am not a dietician). I recommend you bring a friend because, like a tandem bicycle, these $6 monsters are built for two.
Cake-ology is located at 85 Arthur Street, right in the midst of the Exchange District and all the Fringe Fest action this week. So Fringers, if you need a decadent-yet-cool, pick-me-up between shows, you now know where to go.
The fancy plated version of Better Than Baba's blueberry perogie (Better Than Baba's)
Better Than Baba's dessert perogies: Also hanging all week at the Fringe Festival will be the Better Than Baba's food truck -- a purple behemoth of a truck that serves incredible perogies, including sour cherry and a blueberry versions that will make you more than a couple friends if you are willing to share.
Better Than Baba's young owner Andrew Malitsky is from the Ukraine (he moved here when he was 14) and wanted to show the city how perogies are done back in the homeland. He uses organic, locally milled flour to make the excellent dough, which has a toothy texture like al dente pasta. The sour cherry filling is both tart and a touch sweet, while the blueberry is a little taste of pure Canadiana. They both get topped off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and some chocolate sauce and will be there for you if you ever need to eat your feelings.
For locations check out their website or follow them on Twitter.
