Up next on our Must-Visit LA Restaurants of 2018 is actually a dessert spot! Surely, if you’re reading this review, you’ve checked Holy Roly out on Yelp. If you haven’t, we’ll summarize the criticism on Yelp in two words: overpriced and parking. Nearly all of the complaints come from a lack of familiarity of the LA food scene, especially Koreatown. So, to debunk those myths… any dessert under $10 is normal and never think you’ll find parking in K-town.
Maybe we have an unfair advantage, having lived a few blocks away. We knew where to park and when to go. As a result, we didn’t spend thirty minutes parking and wait in any line here, so we weren’t in a bad mood before we started eating. We found out about Holy Roly from Maneet Chauhan, since it didn’t actually exist yet when we lived here. We actually discovered our love for rolled ice cream, in all places, at a Thai-owned and operated location in Montgomery, Alabama.
Honestly, this wasn’t quite as good, but it was still really enjoyable and by LA standards, definitely worth the price. The eatery is clean and minimalist with some seating, but most importantly, the ability to view the staff work their magic. Their team was really nice and patient with us, as we debated all of the delicious options. They have three signature touches on every single option: a Pocky stick, a well-done toasted marshmallow and whipped cream. Those come whole, as you can see, which provide an automatic textural contrast to every dish.
I ordered the Banana Nutella, which was mostly sweet, although it came through in a few ways: the banana’s natural sugars, Nutella’s richness and obviously the ice cream base, which definitely had plenty of sugar. Fit ordered the Matcha, which had green tea ice cream, mochi, and caramel. The ice cream itself was not very sweet for the Matcha and balanced well with the marshmallow and whipped cream. She’s still drooling over it. The ice cream was light and creamy, although it could’ve been a little more airy. This was the one way that the place in Alabama really excelled. The best part came through their whimsical creativity, by getting a bite of fruity pebbles. I actually wanted more fruity pebbles, of all things. I also could’ve used a little bit more of some salty nuttiness to create a more complete flavor profile, but it was definitely enjoyable.
Everyone else (three people) in our party ordered something different and devoured theirs. Most importantly, everyone agreed that this little detour to K-town (after our disappointing trip to Delancey–review coming soon) was well worth it! Especially since two of the people in our group had never experienced rolled ice cream. Would definitely return and certainly recommend, although they do have a few areas for improvement that they can control. As for what they can’t control… don’t hold it against them because being reasonable is one way to be hungry and fit!
hmm looks good!
so good! have you had rolled ice cream before?