Food Tasting: South & North Okinawa Gelato

Craving for some icy treats in the sweltering heat these days but on a diet? 

Well, cut yourself some slack and grab yourself some Gelato!

We all know by now, that gelato is superior to just the standard ice creams as they're more flavourful and contains much less fats for they uses milk (instead of heavy cream for ice cream) and far fewer egg yolks. Most of the gelato in the market contains about 5% fat while their ice cream counterparts ranges between 15 - 30%.

South & North is a gelato brand from the island of natural goodness - Okinawa. 

They're voted the best gelato in Okinawa, and is also the choice gelato in Tokyo Disneyland and Disneysea. 

What makes South & North unique is that the milk in their gelato comes from two different location: one from Yamakawa Natural Farm Milk in Hokkaido and the other from Miyahira Dairy Milk in Okinawa. Hence, the name South & North. 

To allow their customers to get a feel for Okinawan tradition, culture and history through their food, South & North makes their gelato using traditional confectionery and manufacturing methods of Okinawa. They also take great pride in producing the natural finest, visiting Okinawan farmers and producers to select the finest ingredients and preparing them the right way to ensure that their gelato reflects the flavour of the ingredients at their very best, with no artifical colourings or flavourings to enhance the taste. 

Unlike popular brands with local flavours like Gula Melaka, Milo, Salted Caramel or the usual hot favourites of Italian gelato like Pistachio and Chocolate, South & North uses natural flavours found in Okinawa, some of which might raise a few eyebrows; like bittergourd, but it's not yet made available in SG yet. 

Right to Left: Tarama Brown Sugar, Nuchi-masu Salt (Salty Milk), Red Tea from Oku, Kunigami (Black Tea)

Tarama Brown Sugar: Made in Tarama Village. This gelato offer a sweetness with a complex, mineral-rich finish.

Salty milk : Made using Nuchi masu salt. Seawater is drawn off the coast of Miyagi Island. This sea salt contain high in minerals and it can accentuated the creaminess of the milk flavor.

Red Tea : Made in Kunigami Village. A unique Okinawa tea leaves from Inzatsu Assam variety offer an full aroma character.

Right to Left: Matcha, Okinawan Tofu, Purple Sweet Potato

 Matcha : Using tea leaves from Shizouka Prefecture, this gelato has intense yet slightly bitter after-taste. Great for matcha lover who is looking for the real matcha “kick”.

Okinawan Tofu : Made in Nanho city. Okinawan tofu, being extremely high in protein, is often referred to as “longevity food”. The overall gelato is gently rich with the taste of Okinawa soybeans.

Purple Sweet Potato : From Yomitan village and Miyako island. The purple sweet potato is made into velvety paste before blending into the gelato. The overall taste combined a mild sweetness and intense sweet potato taste, like a puree. 

Green Shikwasa Sorbet

Made in Ogimi village. The tangy sweetness of the green fruit (very similar to lime) is surprising refreshing and fruity. 

Not on display: Ishigaki Cream Cheese and Meyer Lemon Yogurt.

Ishigaki Cream Cheese : Made in Ishigaki Island using milk from Jersey cows. It’s mild, yet refined.

Meyer Lemon yogurt : Meyer Lemon is a natural hybrid of lemon and orange. We made this into a unique yogurt as a suitable alternative after heavy dinner.

Out of the 9 flavours I've tried, there's a few that I liked at first bite. 

Matcha - Seriously, what's not to like about a good, rich tasting Matcha gelato with just the right amount of distinctive bitter aftertaste? Actually I wouldn't even call that bitterness, I'll just call it the 'tea taste'. 

Red Tea (Black Tea) - Well, if they've done a great job with Matcha, they shouldn't do the other tea badly, right? The taste of this flavour is both rich and yet subtle. Rich, because the tea fragrance is really strong and subtle, because the sweetness of the gelato is mild and pleasant. 

Salty Milk - The uniqueness of the salty, milky taste was quite pleasant. But having too much of it might 'tire out' the tastebuds (too jerlat).

Green Shikwasa Sorbet - Tangy, light and refreshing like a glass of ice cold calamansi drink, but without the unpleasant biting sensation on your tongue. 

As for the flavours that didn't go too well with my tastebuds, I guess it would be Okinawan Tofu and Cream Cheese. The latter, because I'm never a fan of cream cheese and the former, because it just taste like a mild-tasting soyabean milk and I really cannot stand the taste of it. 

Sorry, Okinawan Tofu, it's not you it's me. 

South & North doesn't have a permanent shop in Singapore yet, but they are in the mist of finalizing the location.

For now, they have a pop up store at Raffles Xchange (in front of TCC) and they will be selling their yummy gelato at only $4.90 per pre-packed cup until 29th July 2016.

Till then, 

Mia Foo