La Casa Gelato

[mamster]

Has La Casa Gelato in Vancouver been mentioned on this board yet?  It's an ice cream parlor on a seedy stretch of Venables, run by an obsessive Italian gelato maven who makes 198 flavors.  Literally.  I'm skeptical of "biggest in the world" claims, but I'd sure be surprised (and pleased) to find more flavors in some other shop.

I was in Vancouver the last couple of days (I'll be posting some reviews) and went to the Casa Gelato twice.  Among the more interesting flavors available this trip were balsamic vinegar (excellent), frangelico hazelnut with chocolate shavings, apple-cheddar, and pandanus leaf, which turned out to be one of the best ice cream flavors ever.

If you visit Vancouver and miss La Casa Gelato, you are either lactose intolerant or insane.

[col klink]

Great, I hear about this place AFTER I go to Vancouver.

Well, I'll put it on the list for next time, along with Dim Sum and Vij's.

[cabrales]

On La Casa Gelato, a limited number of flavors can be sampled at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory store on Robson Street, near the intersection of that street with Burrard Street.  Note I have not followed up on whether other Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory locations carry LCG.

The disadvantage of having LCG at Rocky Mountain is that there were less than 20 flavors, and the flavors included were generally more traditional ones. (For example, the durian flavor which had appeared interesting from the LCG website was not present.)  In addition, the gelato appeared to have been served at a temperature slightly above what was appropriate. I am not aware of whether, at an actual LCG-owned stores these problems would be presented.  The advantage of sampling LCG at the Rocky Mountain shop at Robson & Burrard is the central location. (Robson is a street frequented by many visitors to Vancouver.)

I sampled the maple gelato, which included a limited amount of crushed nuts. I considered the texture of this item not sufficiently "rich", even taking into account the fact that it was gelato. Note Rocky Mountain also offered a selection of candied apples and fudge (including maple-flavored), which were not sampled.

[LaurieA-B]

I have a LCG postcard circa 1997 advertising 138 flavours--they're now up to 198, with no sign of stopping.

On our most recent visit I sampled the pandanus leaf, which Matthew recommended. It is pale green with a light, nutty flavour.

I lacked the courage to sample the very dark green ice cream in a center case. No, it wasn't avocado; I'd tasted the avocado before, and found it mild and creamy. This was... arugula. And it looked like arugula. And I like arugula. But I wasn't about to taste it as ice cream.

I also tried the pear ice cream, which tasted nice and juicy. Other flavours noted were garlic and pear-Gorgonzola. They have a nice array of fruity sorbets, some with champagne or liqueur enhancements.

In case anyone is wondering, their gelato is delicious. Choosing is very difficult, even with the instant elimination of salad ingredients.

I ended up with a pleasant dish of apple pie flavour. Guess I was feeling American.

[Fat Guy]

I think you mentioned it before, Mamster, but it deserves as many mentions as you can work in.

[Rhea_S]

La Casa Gelato is definitely a must-visit while in Vancouver. My main problem there is that there are too many flavours and I'm too undecisive.

On a side note, gelato appears to be biggest fad in Vancouver at the moment. Gelato shops seem to have suddenly popped up all over the place in the 8 months since my last trip home. The biggest draw (aside from LCG) are the Mondo Gelato stores on Denman and Robson -- lines out the door. I was recently a bridesmaid at a wedding and we had to stop for gelati after photos at Stanley Park. Quite good but I still like the "No Air" gelato stand at the PNE better.

Another fad in Vancouver: Hongkong "cafes." They serve the opposite of Americanized Chinese food; it's the Hongkong version of quick western food. There's lots of goofy sauces and everything seemed to be on the sweet side (actually, that sounds like Americanized Chinese food!). It was worth the experience, but not something I would choose to try again.

[cabrales]

Another fad in Vancouver: Hongkong "cafes." They serve the opposite of Americanized Chinese food; it's the Hongkong version of quick western food.

Rhea S: The cafes you describe vary greatly in quality. One that I think is acceptable is Cafe Gloucester, on Cambie (between King Edward and 12th St. somewhere) -- I believe that's the name. I consider the large pork chops with a tomato-based sauce (peas, carrots) and slightly gratined to be acceptable. One can order it with a rice-base or with spaghetti-style noodles. Also, the seafood gratin on rice is not poor. There are very reasonable "prix fixe" menus (that's not what they're called at the cafe). Another decent HK-style cafe is the one that overlooks the bowling center in Aberdeen Center, Richmond. It might be called Rhino, but I seriously doubt it. I think Gloucester is better.

[Rhea_S]

I guess it's nice to know that the cafe fad can be good and my friends' tongues hadn't gone completely numb. I was taken to I-Cafe at the lower level and back of Fairchild Mall (Broadway). It was very busy, noisy and definitely focused on style. The food was edible and inexpensive, but I just couldn't understand how that type of food could be so popular. But then again, there are lots of "Chinese" restaurants where I currently live and the food at all of them is much worse than at I-Cafe yet these restaurants stay in business.

Isn't Aberdeen the mall that just got torn down recently? Or has it already been re-built?

[cabrales]

Aberdeen was still there three months ago. Back to Gloucester: It is in the minority with respect to being an appealing HK-style cafe. For the very roughly C$12-18 entire meal I could have there (no alcoholic beverages), I'd rather stop by Lumiere Bar or Ouest Bar for a single dish and drink water (if I were limited to that amount).

[richie]

From my travel diary, from the chapter "La Casa"

As we drive towards tonight’s final destination [other than the hotel], we can see the city lights. It’s still relatively bright outside, even if it is past 9:00. And also relatively warm; Vancouver, at least while we have been here, seems to have the most mild and static and pleasant temperature of anywhere. The city lights look beautiful underneath the clouds and the magnificence of the towering purple mountains. The final destination is La Casa Gelato. “198 Flavors,” the sign says. I had heard about this place online, and we had to check it out. Outside there are people sitting in chairs, licking every frozen treat color and flavor imaginable: light blue, white with red spots, pepper-color. What lies inside reminds me as to why I think that, along with music, the only thing that can save the world is food.

The place is packed. People are crowded around the vast display cases of ice cream, delighted looks on their faces. Within everyone is the wish to go to a candy land of sorts, a Willie Wonka world. This place does the job quite nicely, with the kaleidoscope of colors, the paintings on the walls, and its legendary status. I look around. Taro root, wasabi, jack fruit, white chocolate raspberry, caramel, green tea, sesame seed, death by mango. These are just some of the flavors. They also have vanilla and chocolate, but where is the fun in that? I jump for the durian flavored ice cream without hesitation and without sampling. I am very curious about this fruit; very popular in parts of Asia, and apparently very tasty, despite its infamous stench. The containers are sealed, perhaps so as not to let the stench float out into the store. The color looks a bit like French Vanilla. As I open my mouth around it, the gasses seep into my nasal system and fill my mouth. The stench evokes thoughts of sweet onions and urine. And it tastes pretty much the same, as well. Everyone in my family thinks it smells terrible. The more you eat it, the subtler the taste of the onion flavor, and the creamier it seems. Really, it just tastes a little like vanilla with an onion aftertaste. Is it good? Well, yes and no. I like it and I dislike it. I eat it all, and it tasted quite good, but it leaves an unpleasant taste in your mouth. Most certainly, it’s an acquired taste. We have to go here again, I tell Dad.

From the chapter "Of Dinner and Dessert"

Afterwards, we go to La Casa Gelato again. I have mangoteen this time, some sort of exotic fruit flavor again. It tastes like mango, though not quite as yellow, or not quite as orange. If that made any sense.