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KFC Japan starts selling soft-serve ice cream at select locations, and they’ve even put it in a biscuit

Oona McGee a few minute ago
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There are many ways to enjoy this new sweet dessert, including as a dip for fried chicken.

KFC is world-famous for its fried chicken, but right now it’s turning heads for something else in Japan, with the release of soft-serve ice cream. While that would be big news on its own, what’s even more impressive is the fact that the chain is also sandwiching the soft serve inside a biscuit, creating a brand new dessert on the menu.

Available only at select locations, we sent our ice-cream-loving reporter Mr Sato over to our nearest participating branch in Tokyo’s Akihabara to check it out as soon as we heard about it.

▼ Upon arriving, he saw this sign outside, which made him think “When the heck did this happen!?”

It really is an under-the-radar release, with information about it scarcely available online, and after asking staff about it, Mr Sato learned that sales only began in late October. Though Mr Sato thought it was a shame that sales hadn’t begun earlier in summer, he certainly wasn’t complaining, and after mulling over the three soft serve cones available – vanilla, chocolate and a mix of both for 290 yen (US$1.81) each – he decided to opt for the “Biscuit & Soft-Serve Drink Set” for 680 yen.

After placing his order, Mr Sato began to fret as he realised that the warm biscuit might make the soft serve melt faster than usual, which isn’t ideal for someone with the responsibility of photographing the dessert. Determined to get the best photos possible, he rubbed his hands together and prepared his fingers for some fast snapping, which meant that when it arrived, he was ready to grab a selfie with the new dessert.

Wasting no time, he turned the camera back towards the dessert, which looked gloriously sinful, but peering closer, he realised that…

▼ …the ice cream already seemed to be melting from the heat of the biscuit.

As an experienced soft-serve eater, Mr Sato knows that a variety of factors affect the melting rate of ice cream, including the milk fat content and the amount of air incorporated into it. With this variety looking both milky and airy, he had little time to waste, so he dipped his spoon in for a taste.

The flavour was very simple and not particularly strong, giving him neither an especially good nor bad impression. Personally, he thought that Family Mart’s soft-serve actually had more flavour, and was an arguably better deal at just 298 yen, even for the Giga Size.

▼ Still, the creaminess was great, and the ice cream isn’t designed to be eaten on its own, so he tried it with the biscuit.

The combination of warm, crispy biscuit and soft-serve ice cream was a winning one. The contrast between crunchiness and meltiness was irresistible, and though you can eat them together as a sort of ice cream sandwich, he found that dipping the biscuit into the soft-serve proved to be another great way to enjoy it.

Using the soft serve as a dip turned out to be such a good idea that he decided to try it with some of the other items on the menu.

▼ French fry and soft serve = heaven.

After trying the chip dip, it was time to move onto bigger fry, quite literally, with a fried chicken dip. You’d be forgiven for thinking Mr Sato may have gone too far with this idea, but he genuinely recommends giving this combination a try. The sweetness of the cream brings out the savoury saltiness and spices of the chicken, making it taste even better.

This unusual but delicious combo reminded Mr Sato of chicken and waffles – popular in the American South, the home of fried chicken – which combines fried chicken with maple syrup.

▼ That thought reminded him that the dessert came with honey maple syrup, so he wasted no time in pouring it over.

▼ The soft serve was now disappearing fast, so after snapping a couple of shots…

▼…he dipped his spoon in for a taste.

Though he’d now finished his chicken, so was unable to try it with the honey maple syrup-enhanced ice cream, the drizzle of sweet sauce elevated everything into pure dessert territory. The slightly sweet biscuit, sweet soft-serve and added sweetness from the honey maple syrup created the ultimate triple-sweet treat.

Mr Sato dialled up the bliss levels by enjoying it all with a hot coffee on the side, which helped to create the ultimate dessert experience. Trying the soft serve multiple ways is the key to ultimate enjoyment, and Mr Sato highly recommends trying it if you can.

As of now, Mr Sato was able to confirm that the soft-serve is currently available at the Akihabara and Asakusa branches in Tokyo, as well as the Minami-machida Grandberry Park branch. There doesn’t appear to be any official information about the rollout, so he recommends checking social media and confirming availability with each branch before visiting.

Restaurant information

Kentucky Fried Chicken Akihabara / ケンタッキーフライドチキン秋葉原店
Address: Tokyo-to, Chiyoda-ku, Sotokanda 1-4-11
東京都千代田区外神田1丁目4番11号
Open: 9 a.m.–10 p.m.

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