Chin Chin Labs | Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream
The couple that run Chin Chin Labs in Camden Market aren’t actually that odd, despite wearing lab coats and being tucked in behind bottles, test tubes and the intermittent smoke effect emanating from a freezing process that they use to make liquid nitrogen infused ice creams. But they look it.
Although there’s been a lot of hype about the smoothness of the Chin Chin ice-creams – and they are smooth – you go for the show. Using liquid nitrogen, chilling at -196 degrees C, to freeze their ingredients in less than 60 seconds leads to a pot or a cone of microcrystalline ice cream in one of three main flavours. Pick a topping (ranging from bee pollen honeycomb to vegan ‘crack’ – as if the experience needed to be any weirder) and you’re good to go. No really, it’s a takeaway: get out of there.
A couple of points to note are, firstly, that the ice creams can melt pretty quickly when it’s warm. But you already knew that, because it’s what ice creams do. Secondly, queues can last up to half an hour in peak season. Peak season is basically when it’s warm. You knew that too. The clear solution to this cackling siamese twin of a seemingly insurmountable problem is to head down there when it’s freezing outside: you’ll skip the summer queues and ensure that your purchase survives long enough to eat it.
That’s good thinking.
NOTE: Chin Chin Labs is open daily 12-7pm – you can find out more HERE. They also have a shiny new branch in Soho.
Chin Chin Labs | 49-50 Camden Lock Place, NW1 8AF
Like ice cream? Then you’ll be particularly partial to this Central London ice cream crawl…