Courtesy of Creaminal

As an avid ice cream eater and lover, I have about five half-eaten, freezer-burnt tubs of ice cream that I ordered off of Duffl out of convenience. But these bland and boring tubs are no solution to anyone’s ice cream cravings. After going to the “No Sad Sundaes” ice cream social … like I did, you’re about to throw them all away. These sundaes are so good, they’re criminal.

“No Sad Sundaes” is an ice cream social held every Saturday night from 8-9 p.m. at Your Choice Thai Restaurant featuring Creaminal ice cream and unique toppings that compliment the ice cream flavors. The sundae menu rotates weekly, except for their crowd-favorite Mango Sticky Rice Sundae. Creaminal posts their flavors for the week on their Instagram @eatcreaminal. 

Creaminal’s ice cream flavors have me going back week after week to try new variations and special sundaes inspired by Asian American culture. When you walk into the restaurant, you’re welcomed by the smiling faces of the owners of Creaminal and Your Choice Thai Restaurant, married couple Piti Sukavivatanachai and Kathy Dao who hand scoop your order and create your sundae right in front of you. They feature Creaminal branded merchandise on the walls and offer plenty of seating in the restaurant. Creaminal offers a free “fast pass” you can sign up for on their website for those who want to skip the line. I would definitely recommend getting it, as the line for “No Sad Sundaes” wrapped around the corner of the restaurant! But, the staff moves very quickly so even if you have to wait, it probably wouldn’t be for too long.

So far, I have been to No Sad Sundaes on two separate occasions this year. On Jan. 21, I opted for the classic Mango Sticky Rice Sundae and the Strawberry Pistachio Sundae. Feeding into my new addiction, I came back to the ice cream social on Feb. 4 and chose the Boba Milk Tea and the Banana S’mores Sundae. 

The Mango Sticky Rice Sundae features their creamy and refreshing mango ice cream that manages to not overpower the amazing coconut sticky rice underneath the giant scoop of ice cream. The sticky rice was my favorite part of the sundae. It had just the right amount of chewiness and coconut flavor that complimented the mango ice cream perfectly. It was topped with a creamy coconut sauce and butter-toasted rice crispies that added a crunchy texture. This sundae brought me back to my childhood when my mom would make mango sticky rice for us on special occasions, and this sundae flawlessly executed their take on this Asian dish while evoking feelings of comfort and wistful familiarity. I will order this again and again and tell everyone I know about it.

The Strawberry Pistachio Sundae had strawberry ice cream, strawberry coulis, pistachio drizzle and strawberry shortcake crumble. The ice cream was slightly sweet with a fresh flavor; the coulis and drizzle were nice additions, adding a bit more sweetness and nuttiness while the shortcake crumble brought nostalgic memories of the strawberry shortcake bars found at ice cream trucks. I rated this sundae an 8/10 for its great take on classic strawberry ice cream, but I needed more hints of pistachio to make it dynamic.

The Boba Milk Tea Sundae featured a sweet and distinct Hong Kong milk tea ice cream flavor, chewy and perfectly cooked honey boba, classic grass jelly, and black sugar sauce to top it off. This sundae was absolutely delicious, taking boba milk tea to a new level by fusing two of my favorite desserts into one. This sundae earns a score of 9/10 for its strong flavors, and it was off the charts on topping textures. The ice cream was slightly sweet but still amazingly delicious.

The Banana S’mores Sundae featured light and fresh roasted banana ice cream, topped with a large torched marshmallow and chocolate sauce. It also had a graham cracker crunch topping and crushed banana chips which paired effortlessly with the notes of banana and marshmallow. I rate this sundae a 10/10. It’s absolutely photo-ready, and I’m telling all the banana lovers to order it next time they come.

My experience at the “No Sad Sundaes” ice cream social was absolutely amazing. From the friendly faces of staff to the comforting atmosphere to the hand scooped sundaes, Creaminal truly offers high-quality ice cream made by high-quality people. If you’re looking for a new dessert spot, the “No Sad Sundaes” ice cream social is the place to go. I’ll be coming back every Saturday to try a new sundae, so I hope to see you at the next one!

A version of this article appeared on p. 10 of the February 23, 2023 version of the Daily Nexus.