We’re no strangers to seeing companies, brands, and restaurants joking and pretending to release strange flavours or products every time April Fool’s Day comes around, but this year, IKEA is not playing around. The global furniture chain has released a limited-time tomato fried egg ice cream cone unique to Hong Kong. Yes, it’s actually real and yes, we tried it.
Stir-fried tomato and scrambled eggs is a staple menu in cha chaan tengs and two-dish-rice establishments across the city. We all know and love the familiar sour and sweet eggy flavours with rice, so, how about having it in ice cream form? IKEA offers just that with its April Fools’ joke that’s… not really a joke.
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The tomato and fried egg ice cream cone is available until April 3 for only HK$6. You can find it in all IKEA Bistros across the city, except for the Sha Tin branch. Still unsure of whether you want to try? Keep reading below to find out how we feel about it.
Our thoughts on the tomato fried egg ice cream
As I walked over to my nearest IKEA, I was surprised by the number of people I saw carrying the strange ice cream. The concept is definitely out there, but seems like it’s not strange enough to drive people away — the opposite, in fact. While waiting in line for my cone, the staff had to constantly go back and forth between the counter and the ice cream machine, filling up three cones at a time non-stop due to the high demand.
When I finally got my hands on it, I noticed the red and yellow ice cream looked paler than the images, which is… good? Bad? I’m honestly not quite sure in this case. I had no idea what to expect, but still, I was excited (and a little scared) to try it. It looked just like any other IKEA ice cream cone and it didn’t smell different. So, I took my first bite.
At first, it tasted just like the chain’s vanilla ice cream. I was surprised that it actually tasted good, though a little let down that it was so normal. After a few seconds, the telltale sweet and sour flavour of fresh tomatoes finally came through, alleviating my disappointment. Personally, I’m not a fan of the taste of fresh tomatoes, but it was very mild and gentle, making it a pretty pleasant experience.
I finished the entire cone with surprising ease. The tomato flavour became more noticeable over time, but it didn’t overpower the sweetness of the ice cream and only made it more refreshing. I was hoping the egg part would taste more like custard, but the vanilla flavour was still welcome.
All in all, I would recommend getting the tomato fried egg ice cream cone while it’s still available until April 3. For only HK$6, it’s a good deal for a one-of-a-kind flavour you can’t get anywhere else. Head over to your nearest IKEA and try it out before it’s too late!
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This article first appeared on Lifestyle Asia Hong Kong
