Walking into the Highlander Union Building (HUB), you will be greeted by the usual sights of students staring at their phones at the ever-long Panda Express line, playing video games near Chronic Tacos and the usual academic weapon making you feel guilty grinding away just behind Hibachi San. But the HUB’s latest installment has the potential to add a splash of color to its fast paced environment. Scoops, the University of California, Riverside’s (UCR) blink-and-you-miss-it ice cream shop that opened just last month, might become the HUB’s new go-to comfort restaurant with its bold flavors, high quality ice cream and stellar service.
Located just behind Halal Shack, Scoops shares the same bright white countertops, polished wooden line bar and vibrant yellow backsplash that create a sense of familiarity for those who spot it. The display cases sit fairly empty, but create a sense of anticipation with the waffle bowls and cookies that sit inside them. When you make your way to the beginning of the line you can even see the same menus displayed on TV screens that show the various items open for selection.
The one, somewhat off-putting detail about Scoop’s exterior is that it does not have a sign. This makes it both hard to locate (hence why it is so easy to miss) and gives it a lack of personality. Each restaurant in the HUB has its own unique flavor (pun intended), and without a sign, Scoops seems to lose a little bit of character, making it hard to identify. Most people do not know that there is an ice cream store on campus, and I would take a gander as the lack of a sign being part of the reason why. However, despite all that, the sweet scents that roam across the area and bright colors do give the location a positive energy that is both comforting and familiar as well as invigorating and exciting, enticing everyone to give it a try.
Three-scoop bowl
At $7.99, the three-scoop bowl gets you three hefty scoops of ice cream of your choice from the eight flavors offered at Scoops. If you feel passionately about adding a waffle cone to this tasty treat, it will run you an extra $1.00. But Scoops definitely gives you a bang for your buck when it comes to portion sizes, which I very much appreciate as a broke college student.
Vanilla Citrus — 8/10
The warm sweet vanilla combined with the bright, zesty citrus notes allowed for an orange creamsicle-like flavor, making it the perfect sweet treat and dynamic dessert. The orange flavor was fresh and strong and the vanilla was not overpoweringly sweet. This allowed the two flavors to balance each other out, creating a comforting, yet invigorating dessert that puts a smile on your face. Like a good limoncello ice cream, the ratio of citrusy orange to the buttery vanilla base created a wonderfully summery dessert. The ice cream was creamy and easy to dig into as well as robust in texture with real orange pieces mixed into the ice cream. All in all, the two flavors were well balanced yet subtle, creating a smooth ice cream to appeal to the UCR’s culinary nostalgia.
Chocolate Citrus — 4/10
While not a complete devastation, I do wonder why a first time ice cream shop like Scoops would choose such a controversial flavor combination that is so hard to get right. The tragedy of it all is that the chocolate aspect of the chocolate citrus ice cream was in fact very good. Much like the vanilla citrus ice cream and it was easy to eat and wonderfully creamy. As someone who generally does not like chocolate ice cream, I found myself appreciating the rich bitter flavor that chocolate ice cream is supposed to embody without the overwhelming sweetness that it usually has. However, the chocolate combined with a hugely artificial orange flavor, created a confusing and rather jarring tasting experience. It almost felt as though someone had accidentally spilled a bottle of orange extract into a vat of chocolate ice cream and decided not to tell their boss. In short, the citrus in the Chocolate Citrus was dissonant and lackluster, bringing down the ice cream as a whole, bringing the flavor to a 4/10.
Mango Sorbet — 9/10
A light, tangy refreshing treat that nailed all the aspects of what makes mango a wonderful flavor, Scoop’s knocked its dairy free flavor out of the park. Mango as a flavor is so difficult to get right due to the combination of tartness and sweetness the fruit has when it is ripe. It is because of this that mango flavored desserts are often either immensely sweet, leaving customers wondering if they even tasted the mango at all, or ridiculously sour not doing justice to the fruit at all. This sorbet manages to encapsulate the best of both worlds, capturing the sweetness of the desert that makes people love to eat it, and the tartness that gives it such a unique and multifaceted flavor profile. Since it is dairy-free, it’s a fairly light dessert, making it the perfect tool to beat the summer heat. All in all the mango sorbet is filled with vibrant flavors that will satisfy your mango cravings and keep you cool in the Riverside heat.
Waffle Cone Bowl — 7/10
The waffle cone was solid, not too tough and not too sweet providing a wonderful crunch to pair the creaminess of the ice cream. I cannot say it was worth the extra dollar to compliment the ice cream; however, I do think it is worth adding on for a special occasion.
Vanilla Citrus Float with Orange Crush — 5/10
At first glance, this mix of Vanilla Citrus Ice Cream and orange crush had me on the edge. Orange on orange, sugar on sugar — I was scared. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that while all distinguishable orange flavors had blended into one commercial orange mass, the vanilla aspect of the ice cream allows for a very enjoyable creamy float. The high quality ice cream could easily fill you up and combined with the flavor of your choosing could make for a fun dessert for only $7.99. But there was just one massive caveat. We had to make it ourselves. Once the kind, well-meaning workers at Scoops had squeezed the ice cream into a rather flimsy plastic cup, we then made our way to the Chronic Tacos soda fountain and poured the Crush in and had to precariously mix the thick creamy ice cream and the frothy Crush together with a singular plastic spoon. It was difficult — it was delicious — but, for $7.99 we really shouldn’t have been the ones doing all the work. Of course this is attributed to the fact that Scoops opened up so recently, but if they didn’t have the appropriate tools to make the float in the first place one does wonder why they would offer it.
All in all, Scoops has the potential to be a comfortable location for the students of UCR. After all, ice cream is one of those desserts that is with you at your highs and lows. Scoops has the potential to become a place for students to celebrate, cry, pick themselves up or just be a quick stop for a sweet treat. Much of the issues we faced with Scoops had to do with the fact that it was just starting out. Its elusive location, lack of hardware, rigid hours and uncertain personality make it easy to gloss over. Yet, with its friendly staff, solid flavors, burgeoning ambiance and quality ingredients, Scoops has begun establishing itself as a solid ice cream shop. Food is often at the center of some of our most treasured memories, and at least for me that is especially true for sweets. I look forward to going back to Scoops again — my stomach and heart hungry for more.
