By Staff Writers Jessica Jen & Hana Sheikh
The newest addition to the dessert and tea stops in Fremont is Icy Blue, located at 43360 Mission Blvd Suite 120, Fremont, CA 94539. The Smoke Signal decided to try out this restaurant three weeks after its opening.
Overall: 3.5 / 5
Food
The menu features a wide variety of sweet drinks and desserts. Besides smoothies and frappuccinos, there were 25 types of milk tea with 20 toppings to choose from. The tea was served in plastic pouches which was unique, but the tea tasted bland. All of the desserts were very visually appealing, such as the Oreo Cookie Crumble Sundae, which was topped with cotton candy. The snow ice ended up untouched because of its overwhelming artificial sweetness, but the rolled ice cream was a success. Overall, the desserts and drinks seemed like a hit or miss.
Rating: 3/5
Price
The milk tea was affordable and similar in price to other tea shops in the area, at around $4, depending on the flavor of drink and toppings. The food was definitely on the pricier side despite the large portion sizes. Some of the more complex desserts were especially expensive, such as the rolled ice cream at $8.75 and the snow ice at $7.95. The scoops of ice cream range in price, from $3.50 to $7.50 based on choice of cone and scoop.
Rating: 3.5/5
Service
The employees were friendly, accommodating, and willing to answer questions about the food. Customers can watch their orders being made, which was especially intriguing with the rolled ice cream metal skillet and the cotton candy machine sitting on the front counter. Yet many of the items on the menu, such as the fresh mango snow ice, were unavailable, which was inconvenient. Even though there was no one else being served, the entire ordering process took over 20 minutes, which definitely dampered the experience.
Rating: 3.5/5
Ambiance
Bright blue walls with white accents and lots of natural lighting provided a great backdrop for taking pictures of food, and made the seating area very friendly looking. On the back wall hung a collection of photos showcasing the items served here, which added a personal touch to the atmosphere. There was clearly a lot of attention to detail to furnishing, as the wooden backsplash under the counter matched the wood of the menu board. One of the quirks here was the fully lit Christmas tree, which sat in the back corner, but it somehow fit into the aesthetic of the restaurant.
Rating: 5/5
Photo by Staff Writer Hana Sheikh
