Fugo Desserts
Fugo Desserts is a small dessert shop where frozen treats draw inspiration from across the globe. As is a la mode with ice cream in Toronto these days, owners Jethro Kwan and Jie Dai aim to introduce playful, Instagram-worthy creations.
The menu, which is painted on the wall, is presumably still growing. At some point they'll probably have to cross out items that aren't available that day - after all, the soft serve machine can only feature so many flavours at once.
When I visit there's earl grey tea, vanilla and Thai tea. Black sesame is one advertised flavour I'm particularly looking forward to trying, but it wasn't available.
Swirls of soft serve sell for $3.49 for a small or $4.49 for a large while hard ice cream ranges from $2.99 for a single scoop to $5.49 for a triple scoop. Plain cones are free, a waffle cone costs $1, while Fugo cones - with cookies, cereal and marshmallow fluff - are an extra $2.49.
The Cookie Monster cone is the one getting most of the Instagram love so far - it comes with a hard scoop of blue cookies and cream ice cream and Chips Ahoy minis on a cone decorated with crushed Oreos.
From the lineup of specialty desserts ($6.99), the Crispy Comb features vanilla soft serve layered over corn flakes in a cup with a chunk of sweet, natural honeycomb and a dusting of matcha powder on top. It's like the ideal compromise for someone who wants to partake in the outrageous dessert trend but is avoiding artificial flavours and colouring.
Bubble waffles ($5.49) are a welcome alternative for those who prefer savoury treats. The batter is still a little dessert-like but add-ins like ham and cheese or sautĂŠed mushrooms effectively balance out the sweetness.
Kwan seems kind of like a mad scientist in a laboratory and there are seemingly no limits to how far he'll push the ice cream phenomenon. I'm not sure if he's taking suggestions, but I'm kind of hoping he'll do a mash-up with the ice cream and savoury waffles. Maybe vanilla soft serve in a cheddar waffle with apple pie filling on top? They could call it The Ipsum.
Photos by Jesse Milns