Ice cream made-to-order with liquid nitrogen isn’t exactly new and exciting anymore—though it does remain absent in Sacramento. However, the latest trendy, made-to-order ice cream concoction has already landed in Sacramento: rolled ice cream.
The craze started in Southeast Asia—most attribute it to Thailand—but has already spread around the world. Locally, we can try it at Sixteen Degrees Fahrenheit (6905 Stockton Boulevard, Suite 240), which is now softly open in the same south Sacramento shopping center as Asia Pearl and Vampire Penguin.
Sixteen Degrees is a small spot with minimal seating, loud music and lighting like a nightclub. The shop also serves sugar cane juice—as did its predecessor—but the focus is on rolled ice cream. There are about a dozen pre-set sundaes to choose from, with a base ice cream flavor and toppings such as whipped cream, sprinkles, mochi, fresh fruit and candy.
How does the ice cream become a roll? It starts with a liquid base—a standard mix with cream, milk, eggs and sugar—which gets poured onto a frozen plate. A Sixteen Degrees staffer smooths the base across the plate and, as it freezes, skillfully eases the thin layer of ice cream into a roll shape. This happens a few times and takes a few minutes—there are only two stations, so if there’s a line, expect a lengthy wait for your dessert.
The result is lighter and less creamy than standard American ice cream, but the rolled nature achieves a nice a texture. It’s also less sweet than American sundaes, and Sixteen Degrees offers fruit flavors more popular in Asia like honeydew, cantaloupe and mango. Advocates argue that since the ice cream is made to order, there aren’t any emulsifiers or stabilizers, so you’re getting a more pure dessert. Regardless, it’s a tad pricey at $6.50 per order and the actual eating experience isn’t dramatically different from unrolled ice cream.
But they sure do look cool on Instagram, right?