KindKreme: Organic, Raw, Vegan Ice Cream

I love my roommate. She is my complete opposite in every way, making us each other's balancing force  - especially with food.

I'll admit that I'm a bad influence. Food is exciting, my true comfort, while she looks at it purely as nourishment. Valerie can often be seen joyfully eating lettuce out of the bag, trash-talking gluten and trying to keep her body alkaline (secret: I still don't know what that means).

But we can agree on one thing: ice cream! The two of us ventured to Studio City for a scoop of vegan, organic and raw ice cream. If you can't already sense it, I'm skeptical.

KindKreme, is located in a strip mall right by the 101 Freeway, next to Poquito Mas. I made a crack about eating carnitas before going into a cafe full of dietary restriction (Secret #2: I was only half kidding).

It looks like any gelato shop. There is a case with a dozen flavors, all up for tasting. I try the Coffee Nib and the Caramel Latte, both made with an almond milk base. Val got the caramel apple, made with coconut milk. We were both sold.

Each scoop is $3.99 and toppings are $.99 (super pricey!), but when you look at the ingredients they are working with, it seems fair. They only use vanilla, coconut, almonds, cashews, agave, honey, cacao, maca and chia. And no, I didn't know what those last two items were either. Maca is a root vegetable and chia is an edible desert seed. If I ate either of them that day, there would be no way of knowing.

Luckily, you can get two different flavors in a scoop. I enjoyed both my coffee flavors with raw salted caramel syrup and Val indulged in caramel apple with cacoa nibs. I'll admit it was surprising that the flavors were so tasty. The only thing that differs from real ice cream is the texture. It was more icy, similar to a finely chopped snow cone. The "kreme" melts quicker and you don't get the fullness like after eating the real deal. This may be a perk for some people.

All in all, KindKreme has a lot to offer. They serve coffee, espresso, shakes, smoothies, cafe fare (Kale Salad of the Day, anyone?) and even waffles. Almost their entire menu, sans Newman's Os as a topping, is gluten free. They are also organic, except for a bit of lecithin used in their kreme. It's all very impressive, especially once you realize this could only exist in L.A.

We also saw a popular 90s actor come into the shop with a very beautiful blonde woman. I hated that I knew who he was - just like I hated that I was in a raw, vegan establishment. It's not KindKreme's fault.

The place is very cute, a bright and colorful cafe tucked away in the corner. If you eat your dessert there, you are served in a ramekin and given a biodegradable spoon. Yes, my roommate asked when she was denied a real spoon.

Just as I was pondering whether to move out of our house on account of vegan overload, a message appeared at the bottom of my dish. It read: What are you greatful for?

The answer was so clear: dairy!

KindKreme  

3701 Cahuenga Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90068

P. (818) 308-6758