Philly Spotlight: TEASSERT BAR

Tinsel & Tine Highlight: TEASSERT BAR

By Editor, Le Anne Lindsay

Originating from Thailand, Ice Cream Rolls are becoming a popular dessert in the US, with Ice cream roll bars trending in New York last summer, and this summer in Philly. Best place to go for Ice Cream Rolls is Teassert Bar in Chinatown (227 N. 10th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107) because their rolls are made with all natural ingredients, no powders, nothing artificial, no coloring agents.

When I first saw the cold stone slabs, I thought, oh it’s like Cold Stone Creamery except they roll the ice cream instead of traditional ice cream scoops, but it’s much more than that. There’s no ice cream hanging out in freezers, Teassert makes the ice cream right before your eyes, for each order. They have several cream, cane sugar & non-fat milk bases, which depending on the flavor you order, ingredients get added to that base, then stirred & chopped on the cold slab, smoothed out and rolled up. See what I’m talking about in the little video I made while at Teassert Bar.

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Teassert opened later in the season, I was invited to the grand opening, but had a conflict. A couple weeks later I got a chance to visit after work. It took me a while to decide which ice cream to go with, eventually choosing a tea theme – Jasmine Ice Cream inside a Green Tea Waffle (toppings: cheesecake bits & blueberries) and a Matcha Latte (japanese Green tea with milk) Bubble Tea. I love bubble tea, cause those little balls are like bubble wrap for your teeth 🙂 This tea combo worked for me, but if it’s not appealing to you, don’t worry, they’re plenty of other flavors and toppings and a traditional waffle batter to choose from. Come fall they’ll change the menu to reflect the season.

I did ask why can’t the ice cream be rolled when you order a waffle? It’s the same made to order ice cream, but not in the roll shape. I was told it’s because the container is too small. That’s not a good reason, they need to get a flatter, banana split type shape container, so you can have rolls on your waffle. I do however, admire the bubble tea cups with the plastic seal on top, which gets punctured with a thick straw, so much more secure than a regular plastic lid with a straw slit.

The owner of Teassert Bar is Stephen Ngo. I got to ask Steve how he came to owning an ice cream roll establishment:

Well, I’ve always loved ice cream and notice that there was a new trend in NYC of ice cream rolls. So, I thought it was a cool concept to bring to Philadelphia. Soon after I signed my lease, I realized there were 3-4 other place opening up in Philly Chinatown alone, so I thought to myself.. I had to be unique. What makes Teassert Bar unique is the different flavors that we offer and the 30+ topping selection along with an unlimited toppings option. We thought about having higher standards for ourselves and that means we had to have amazing quality. I thought, there’s no better way than to offer All natural ice cream and made without any artificial flavors, preservatives or powders. Being one of the last ice cream shops to open in the city is not always easy, but we realize that throughout time.. customers will realize which ice cream shop offers the best products and service – STEVE NGO

The place seems to have caught on since its opening, I was there over an hour watching steady traffic both eat in and take out the whole time. Hours: Sunday to Thursday 11AM – 11PM, Friday & Saturday 11AM – 12AM