No matter where you live, it’s always a good idea to get to know your neighbors… especially if they own an ice cream store! Just a hop, skip, and a jump away from my apartment in Montreal is Kem CoBa, the newest addition to Mile-End’s ice cream scene.
The store is located at 60 Avenue Fairmount Ouest and is owned by husband and wife team, Vincent and Ngoc. It’s hard not to notice the store with it’s fun green and pink exterior and impressive lighted water wall, but if you do, just look for the crowd of happy ice cream eaters hanging outside the store front.
A true family business, the couple’s young, ice cream-loving niece, Aurelia, inspired Kem CoBa’s name. Ngoc explained that in Vietnamese, “kem” means “ice cream,” and was taken from the French word “crème” when the French colonized Vietnam. “CoBa” translates to “third aunt,” Aurelia’s nickname for her Aunt Ngco. Together, “Kem CoBa” means “Third Aunt’s Ice Cream” and is the perfect spot for the young girl to indulge in her favorite frozen food. Aurelia’s soft spot for yummy crème glacée even inspired the store’s logo, in which she’s pictured seated on top of a giant ice cream cone.
In addition to serving an array of delicious homemade (and additive-free!) sorbets, Vincent and Ngoc also make two unique flavors of soft serve ice cream that they change on a bi-weekly basis according to their mood. As they listed off their past creative endeavors (72% dark chocolate, strawberry cheesecake, coconut-mango, and passion fruit, just to name a few), I had to try my hardest to stop my mouth from watering! If you’re in the mood for something a little more solid than sorbets an ice cream, Kem CoBa can also satisfy your sweet tooth with its selection of chocolates and pastries that are made on site by Ngoc herself. From shortbread, to brownies, to almond tiles, to butter cakes, to canelés, and sponge cakes, she’s got you covered!
One thing’s for sure. I don’t think I’ll ever be stopping by my neighbors Kem CoBa to borrow cream or sugar, but I’ll definitely be dropping by the store to buy them!
xoxo
Photo Credit: Julia C. Vona
Article written for LoftsMTL : http://attitudeloft.com/fr/best-neighborhood-montreal/kem-coba-ice-cream-stand-mile-end/
