As I drove through the University Village frantically looking for parking to get lunch, something in the corner of my eye caught my attention: a logo that vaguely resembled a bitten ice cream cookie sandwich.
Being the extreme ice cream fanatic that I am, I braked suddenly (I’m a safe driver, I swear) to take a closer look at the spot where Polar Bear Shaved Ice used to be. To my delight, the subtitle confirmed my suspicions as it read: “ice cream sandwich.” From then on, I vowed to return in hopes of writing a restaurant review and to fully discover this new gem in the UV.
I returned on a 86 degree, sunny day to enjoy a dessert at Slickables with some friends. What was once a black and white colored interior was converted into a bright orange, black and white theme, instantly giving off a happier vibe in comparison to the hip and modern atmosphere that Polar Bear boasted.
Despite the fact that the main dining area had entirely empty walls (probably because this place just opened merely two weeks ago), the hallway area was decorated with a giant framed chalkboard menu that displayed the flavors of all the cookies and ice creams, along with a three-step instruction list. The first thing I noticed was that the ice cream sandwiches were only two dollars. Yes, you read that correctly; two dollars! I also couldn’t resist their “day young” cookie packets for a dollar strategically placed by the register, which I personally thought was a steal for four cookies.
The cheap-college student inside me lit up with complete joy — I can finally have a satisfying dessert for $2.16 (with tax)! The instructions were simple: 1. pick any two cookies, you can mix and match, 2. pick any one ice cream flavor and 3. they will assemble your creations. For those of you who don’t necessarily feel like having an ice cream sandwich, they also sell individual ice cream scoops for roughly a dollar each, cookies for 50 cents each, brownies for a dollar each, sundaes for two dollars and homestyle milkshakes for $3.50 and up, which are mixed with ice cream, milk and any toppings you wish to add such as a brownie, cookie or sauces.
I must admit that at first glance, I was a little overwhelmed by their extensive cookie flavors that included flavors like chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, funfetti sprinkled cookies and mint chip, as well as a wide array of ice cream flavors such as cookie dough, cookies and cream, butter pecan and green tea.
This was exciting but a little concerning, as I didn’t want to go crazy and mix and match a disgusting sandwich. After some contemplation, however, I decided to get a snickerdoodle and funfetti cookie, with cookies and cream ice cream.
I bit into my beautifully crafted ice cream cookie sandwich, confirming my friend Christal’s observation of the cookie giving off a doughy texture. It was soft but definitely not to the point of gooeyness (yes I enjoy my cookies a tiny bit undercooked) and the ice cream was the perfect filling. Although the worker gave me vanilla ice cream instead of cookies and cream, my sandwich was just as delicious and satisfying as I had imagined, and I secretly thank her for making the mistake since cookies and cream might have made it too sweet for me.
“I only wish that the cookie was warm…,” suggested my other friend Cody, as he went in for another bite of his cookies and cream ice cream sandwiched in between a snickerdoodle and a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie. Even though a warm cookie might have made the experience even more drool-worthy, it was heavenly nonetheless. My only critique is that the entire combination was still a little too sweet for me so I couldn’t finish my dessert without downing a cup of water. Also, toward the end it was difficult to maintain the sandwich shape so I had to resort to using a spoon.
Either way, Slickables made for a very pleasing and budget-friendly cheat-day dessert. With its wide selection of flavors and combinations, it’s definitely worth the $2.16 if you’re looking for a location close to campus to satisfy your sweet tooth when just ice cream isn’t enough.