Aaaaaaand, I quickly parked a block away so the girls and I could check out the new ice cream shop...
Flashback to earlier this April when the space looked like this:
(photo taken on March 28, 2014 and featured in my Sicilian Thing Once More" post, April 9, 2014)
and less than one week after I took the photo above, the signage was gone!
(photo taken on April 3, 2014 and also featured in my "Sicilian Thing Once More" post, April 9, 2014)
Now this is what you see...a temporary banner proclaiming that "Hammond's Gourmet Ice Cream" was now in that space. They had their soft opening this past weekend and will have their Grand Opening this coming weekend!
As I snapped this photo, I could see the owner inside who greeted us and was happy that we stepped in...
Our original plan was to go to Normal Heights and have ice cream at Mariposa because TC wanted to see the cats from the Adams Avenue Booktore (which we did go to later). Well, THOSE plans were put on the back burner because I had to come here and the girls were only too happy to comply (at least I think they were, but they didn't have a choice now did they!)
It's a cute space with a cool mint green and white color scheme and cute decor. Over in the back (sorry no closeup) there is a shelving featuring vintage ice cream scoopers!
We met the owners Ryan Hammond and his wife Trang (holding their very cute infant son Jack).
The ice creams come from Hawaii based Tropical Dreams with 32 flavors available, many of which I wanted to try in one go, but of course, couldn't possibly do without the benefit of repeat visits. Their flavors will be rotated. They had such an eclectic and tropical selection.
Behold, the flavors...
Toppings...
When I saw this little display for ice cream flights, I knew we just HAD to get them.
Flights were available in quantities of three, four, five and six. The flight of six was $7.50 which in retrospect was a bit on the pricier side considering the tiny size of these cones (each cone averaged to $1.25 each). However, for someone like myself who prefers to try many flavors without committing to just one, was willing to give the flight of six a shot.
We got two flights of six:
(aaagh, the ice cream was already starting to melt making it kind of a messy experience)
TC and Sherlock's flight consisted of: Mint & Cookies, Lychee (the lone "double" flavor), Mango sorbet, Vanilla Malt Tofee, Orange Dreamsicle, and Tahitian Vanilla.
My flight: Lychee, Kona Coffee with Toffee, Guava, Blueberry Cheesecake, Green Tea (bought as a contrast for the other flavors), and Pineapple Coconut Cream.
The girls enjoyed the mango sorbet the best while I really loved the pineapple coconut cream which was a bright and refreshing flavor. The lychee flavor was a bit faint as was the guava. I liked almost all of my flavors with green tea being the least liked.
I read online that this communal wooden table was made with reclaimed wood from a felled tree in the neighborhood. Very nice! The potted succulents were also a nice touch. All that other crap on the table was our mess.
I enjoyed chatting with Ryan and wished him and his wife well on their upcoming grand opening.
I have a feeling that this place will be quite popular since this street gets a lot of foot traffic. I know there's frozen yogurt at Yog-Art down the street, but in terms of actual premium ice cream, this place is the only one.
We were given little wooden spoons so we could share the flavors. The girls ended up eating their cones but I left mine in the holder. As I said earlier, the ice cream melted faster than I thought. With the flight of 6 being $7.50, each tiny cone amounts to $1.25 each. This also goes for all of the flight options Whether you get 3, 4, 5 or 6 flavors, it's all the same. I know that Bert would like a lot of their flavors here.
Other writeups of Hammond's:
Paul Jamason of SD Urban - "Hammond's Gourmet Ice Cream Now Open" June 6, 2014 - He has some cool shots of the ice cream sundae chandelier and the ice cream scooper display.
Eater SD - "North Park's got a new scoop shop" June 10, 2014 (TODAY in fact!)
and an older one from December 28, 2013 - North Park Scene which noted that the shop would open up in April...
Hammond's Ice Cream
3077 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92104
(619) 220-0231
www.hammondsgourmet.com
Don't forget! Their Grand Opening will be this Saturday, June 14th. If you're in the North Park area, check them out and it's buy one scoop, get one free all day!
2 comments:
Ice cream flights!! Be still, my heart. That sounds like a fun way to try a bunch of different flavors - even if it's a little pricer. I love the idea of that. Nice that they'll rotate flavors so you can try them all (eventually). The shop looks cute, too.
HI Mary - OMG, it's so cute in here. I'll have to go again. I can't believe I missed seeing that ice cream scoop display in the back. I think I was too excited and caught up talking with the owner. I do like the idea of trying a bunch of diff't flavors.
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