Opening in London's Chinatown on 14 April is street food favourite and Instagram sensation, Yolkin.
This will be founder Sammie Le's flagship site, bringing her sensationally photogenic ice cream macarons permanently to the up-and-coming food haven of Rupert Street.
Londoner Le first débuted Yolkin in 2015 at Rupert Street's Street Food Union market, and three years on she returns to her roots with her first bricks and mortar site. From the entrance to her new permanent shop, Le can virtually see the spot were she used to trade.
Having built up a loyal following through the market, as well as a number of pop-ups, Yolkin now have close to 40K Instagram followers and growing.
At the new 18-seater site, Yolkin lovers will be able to get their favourite flavours available in scoops, delectable soft serve, milkshakes, and of course, Sammie's signature colourful macaron ice cream sandwiches. Using free-range eggs, the impeccably formed macarons are baked to perfection, before being filled with a range of gently pasteurised, preservative free, homemade ice creams.
Yolkin's delicious and inventive flavours are inspired by the fusion of South East Asian and British comfort flavours that Sammie grew up with, having been born to Chinese Vietnamese parents in Hong Kong, and grown up in South London. From lychee, black sesame and HK Milk Tea, to bano?ee, Earl Grey and salted caramel, there will even be a new vegan pandan and coconut option.
Elsewhere on the menu, ice cream-cakes and an Asian twist on Artic Rolls pay homage to Sammie's childhood school dinners. Sammie loves experimenting, and there will be seasonal flavours and wacky new combinations added to the offering regularly.
Le is a self-taught baker and self-confessed macaron lover, whose determination to master the notoriously difficult bake turned into a year of experimenting and perfecting in the kitchen with her daughters.
It was one such weekend that Le created the product behind the name. Not wanting to waste the yolks leftover from the macaron mixture, but also facing a revolt from her family because she kept force-feeding them custard, she set upon looking for another recipe to use them in. This is when she discovered egg yolk ice cream.
At the new site, Le has been careful to use as much up-cycled equipment and furniture as possible, and has chosen compostable and biodegradable cutlery in line with her ethos of no waste. From the food down to the furnishing, sustainability is a key part of her business approach.
