Sno is a relatively new ice cream company, at least to me. If you saw my other review, you’ll know I only tried them because I saw an Instagram add for their Pine Tree Mint ice creams.
I mentioned I was happy to learn they had a few other vegan offerings, but at the time, they were sold out.
I finally got my hands on one of their other flavours, which brings us to the reason for this review!
I first tried these cones just in March of this year, so this might be the newest product review I’ve written.
Only 3 cones come in a box, and while that sucks, they are relatively big – or at least, are comparable to other frozen ice cream cones I’ve seen. According to the box, the cones are supposed to be, Creamy caramel frozen dessert swirled with a salted caramel ribbon, a caramel center and topped with crunchy caramel bites.
The first cone out of my box had a lot of the crunchy caramel bites on the top. To the point if I had tipped the cone, they would’ve fallen off easily because there was so many they weren’t stuck in the ice cream. Honestly, I felt a little sick after eating them all, and that was before I even got to the rest of the cone!
Those small circle-things are the ‘crunchy bites’
The rest of the cone was pretty lack-luster, I won’t lie. The caramel on the top of the cone was weirdly warm (the ice cream was still cold so it wasn’t because it was out of the freezer), it was also very thick and goopy. It tasted good, but the texture was just very… off, in my opinion.
The ice cream itself just tasted like plain vanilla, and unfortunately, it was just on the top of the cone. The cone itself was empty/hallow, but did have chocolate coating the inside.
As far as first impressions went, this was a miss. Which sucked, because I really wanted to like this ice cream!
Luckily though, 3 cones come in 1 box, so the next time I went for a cone, I was pleasantly surprised! I swear to God, the difference between the first and second cone was night and day.
The second cone had a (thankfully) modest amount of crunchy bites on the top, the caramel was cold, not as weirdly thick, and though the rest of the ice cream I’m pretty sure was still just vanilla, it went all the way down into the tip of the cone!
The tie-breaking last cone was thankfully like the second, which leads me to think I somehow got a reject cone my first time around. I don’t know how it passed inspection, or maybe the equipment had a weird malfunction, but the other two cones in the box completely saved this product from getting written off.
While I think 3 cones for $5.97 (Wal-Mart) is a little steep, they’re less expensive than those Magnum bars or a pint of Ben & Jerry’s – and a potential of 2/3 being good – I still think this product is worth not only trying but also adding to your summer shopping list!
Have you tried these bars? What did you think of them? Did you happen to get any reject cones like I did? Let me know in the comments!
I first discovered the company Sno around Christmas 2022 when I saw an Instagram ad for their holiday themed tree-shaped ice creams. The ad caught my attention for two reasons: the first being that it was a vegan ice cream brand I hadn’t heard of, and the second was because the ad stated for each box sold, they would be planting a tree!
I promptly took a screenshot of the ad and vowed to check them out after the holiday season was over. (Read: once my bank balance went back up)
I ended up buying my first box in January but unfortunately by then, the Peppermint Trees were no longer available. I was only slightly disappointed by this, though since I’m not really one for the mint/chocolate combo.
I decided instead to try their Triple Caramel bars, but alas, the store was sold out. That’s how I ended up with a box of their Crunchy Raspberry Ice Cream Bars.
Though these weren’t my first choice – and I’m pretty sure I’d like the Caramel bars better (if any of the stores by my house ever stopped being sold out) – these bars were better than I thought they’d be!
I’m also not the biggest fan of fruit with chocolate, so while I probably won’t buy this specific product again, I’m excited to try their other offerings!
As soon as you open the packaging, you’re hit with the scent of raspberries and chocolate. It also doesn’t smell like that artificial raspberry flavour, it smelled like actual, fresh raspberries. It actually momentarily brought me back in time to when I used to eat Pop-Tarts.
True to the name, the chocolate shell was pretty crunchy, and it also had bits of raspberry stuck to it. The chocolate I don’t think was dark – I didn’t get that usual dry-out-your-mouth thing I normally get when eating dark chocolate, but it also didn’t taste like it was mylk chocolate or anything. The raspberry chunks weren’t anything special, just bits of frozen raspberry. Tasted exactly how you’d expect them to.
The ice-cream itself was soft, and also a nice light shade of pink. The raspberry flavour was a lot more subtle in the ice-cream than it was with the chunks in the shell, though you could definitely still tell what flavour it was.
The box only came with 3 bars, but was also only $5.97 (Loblaws), so it’s comparable to other vegan ice-cream bars on the market. They also don’t only make bars, they also have a few different flavours of ice-cream sandwiches available, and even a couple pints.
And, perhaps the most important thing? They’re Canadian.
This ice cream is one of my all time favourites, though I have to be careful about how much of it I eat.
I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned this in another post, but my body is very sensitive to certain things. Spiciness, alcohol, and caffeine, specifically. (Though I’m sure there’s more)
There was actually one time after I went vegan when I discovered Starbucks had a drink called a Mocha, which is essentially hot chocolate mixed with coffee. But not just any type of coffee, it has espresso in it. Now, for those who don’t know, espresso is basically a highly concentrated shot of caffeine. This is why they typically serve espresso in tiny cups, because that’s all you need.
Apparently, Starbuck’s Mocha, has 2 shots of espresso in a Grande (Large) size. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t know that the first time I ordered it. Also unfortunately for me, I really liked the taste of the drink. By the time I had reached my house (about 10 minutes away) I had already finished more than half of the drink.
The good news, is that I made it home before my body started to react to the caffeine. I was trying to type up an article, and I noticed my fingers were having trouble hitting the keys I wanted them to. They kept over-extending, and jerking out of position, much to my confusion.
Now, me being the rational person I am, I assumed this shaking/jittering was because I hadn’t eaten yet that day. (It was maybe 11am at this point, and I had only woken up around 10am, so not eating wasn’t unusual) After breaking my concentration, I also noticed my heart was thumping very hard. Like, cartoon levels of wanting to leap out of my chest thumping.
Doing my best to quell my quickly mounting worry, I ventured into the kitchen to get myself some food, hoping that would fix whatever was happening. When I entered the kitchen, my brother (I was living at my parent’s home at this time), asked if I was feeling okay. I told him about my thumping heart, and shaking hands, to which he told me I looked very pale, and seemed to literally be vibrating where I stood.
Concerned, he asked me what I had done that day, so I told him about my trip to Starbucks, and trying the Mocha. And then he proceeded to double over with laughter. I had to wait until his laughter died down for him to explain that there was espresso in the drink – and what that meant in coffee terms – and then told me to drink some water, and eat something and I would be good in a few hours.
Suffice it to say, I felt pretty dumb at that moment. Considering I never drank coffee before that – with the exception of 1 instant black coffee I had drank on that year’s Christmas – that was kind of a lot of caffeine for my body to try to process.
I still don’t drink coffee regularly by any means – and I definitely stay away from espresso – but I do enjoy the taste of it. I had just discovered different flavours (other than black) such as hazelnut or vanilla lattes, and I was pretty bummed to learn my body reacted so intensely.
I thought I was doomed to a coffee free existence!
Then I discovered decaf coffee, which I learned was basically all the coffee flavour, but none of the caffeine. This decaf stuff was like uncovering a secret. See, growing up, the only thing I had ever heard about people who drank coffee, was that they drank it for the caffeine, so I didn’t know anything else existed!
Needless to say, I was excited I could have my maybe twice-a-year coffee fix without blowing out my heart.
I was equally excited to learn about this coffee caramel ice cream. I mean, coffee flavoured ice cream with caramel swirls? That was like a new dream of mine!
So I went out and bought my first pint. (Can you see where this is going)
I take full responsibility for this, as I apparently hadn’t read the description for the ice cream closely enough. Apparently, it wasn’t coffee flavoured ice cream, it was straight coffee ice cream.
And that meant it has caffeine.
Luckily, I don’t eat ice cream in large quantities when I eat it, so I didn’t have as intense of a reaction as I did back when I had my first Mocha, but I definitely felt the affects of the caffeine.
Aside from the caffeine reaction, I loved the taste of this ice cream!
It definitely tastes like a coffee – not black coffee, mind you, it’s closer to a latte flavour – and I absolutely love the caramel swirls! The ice cream itself is also very smooth when it’s in your mouth.
It’s a little hard to explain, but you know when you’re drinking something, and the liquid almost wants to slide down your throat? Unlike when you have solid food in your mouth, and it sort of gets ‘stuck’ on your tongue, and you have the urge to chew?
This ice cream is definitely closer to a liquid mouth feel. If you let it melt and then drank it, it’d probably be the same texture and mouth feel – the only difference would be it wouldn’t be quite as cold.
The least smooth thing about this ice cream is the fudge chunks that are sprinkled throughout. They are very hard bits of chocolate that I definitely recommend not trying to bite through. The fudge bits are dark chocolate, I believe, and the bitter of the chocolate provides a nice contrast to the sweetness of the caramel.
I highly recommend you go test this ice cream for yourself. If you like coffee, or caramel, you definitely won’t be disappointed.
Just be aware if you’re caffeine sensitive: you probably won’t want to eat it too late in the day, unless you want to be up till 4am.
Vanilla gets a bad wrap as being a ‘boring’ flavour, but, without a solid foundation, you can’t build ice creams that are more complex. Also, sometimes you just want a ‘boring’ flavour, or maybe someone doesn’t like a weird combo of flavours – whatever your reasoning, vanilla is a great basic flavour to keep stocked in the freezer.
That said, this means the review of a plain-er flavour won’t be as long, because there’s not as much to talk about flavour-wise. But again, I don’t think that should influence someone’s decision to buy it!
Okay, that’s enough defending, let’s get down to the review.
I’m going to be honest, this ice cream didn’t actually taste like vanilla. It tasted like coconut, which is fine, since it’s a coconut-based ice cream. And it wasn’t an overpowering coconut flavour like some other things I’ve tried. It was actually a much more subtle flavour than I thought it’d be. I don’t know if they added vanilla, and that’s what muted the coconut, or if that’s just what plain coconut ice cream tastes like, but it was nice, even though it’s not the flavour that’s advertised on the label.
The ice cream was also very ‘light’ and refreshing, unlike some more complex flavours which feel ‘heavier’ when eating them. This ice cream was a perfect, light snack. It actually kind of reminded me of summer, in the same way that eating watermelon does.
It was also pretty soft. I don’t know if it’s because it was coconut based or not, but I actually loved how soft it was! I could take it right out of the freezer and eat it, unlike with (as an example) Ben and Jerry’s, where you have to leave it on the counter for 5-10 minutes just to get a spoon in it.
A downside to this, and so far all vegan ice cream, is unfortunately it still came in the small pint containers, like the Ben and Jerry’s ice creams. I don’t know why there’s no family sized vegan ice cream out there, but I wish someone would start making it! Sure, for one person, this size would last maybe a week (if you ate a little every day), but what should you do if you have a celebration, like a birthday? You could buy multiple pints, but the amount you’d need to feed everyone, coupled with the high price, makes it not worth the effort.
I’m going to try to restrain myself from launching into a whole rant about the sizing thing – if you’ve read any of my other reviews, you know how much the smaller size thing irks me.
That’s really everything I had to cover for this ice cream: nice, light, coconut-y flavour, and a small container. Not much else I can say about it, except tell you to buy it if you like mellow flavoured ice creams.
I was so happy and excited the first time I tried this flavour, that I thought it tasted similar to a marshmallow. While that actually isn’t the case, this is still one of my favourite flavours from Ben and Jerry’s. I’m so glad that they’ve continued to release new non-dairy flavours! (And, if you guys are taking suggestions, a Rocky Road pint would be awesome!)
*picture of pint*
This Netflix and Chill’d flavour has peanut butter ice cream, with sweet and salty pretzel swirls and fudge brownies. And honestly, with a description like that, how could anybody not like this flavour?
The base peanut butter ice cream is pretty good. It tastes like what I imagine Reece ice cream does. I will say though, that because there are so many other flavours going on with this ice cream, the peanut butter taste can get lost. For example, if you’re eating it and watching TV, it’s easy to forget/not taste that the peanut butter ice cream is peanut butter. At one point I had to re-read the pint because for a moment I thought it was vanilla, or some other ‘basic’ flavour.
The fudge brownie pieces are very good as well. They’re chocolate-y and cake-y, which is never not a plus when we’re talking about ice cream. Whoever was the first person to think ‘hey, y’know what would taste good in ice cream? Brownie pieces’ was a genius.
The only thing that I would say disappointed me about this flavour (other than the fact that the pint is still super small!), is the fact that the pretzel ‘swirls’ are like, little tiny pieces of pretzel – like the dust/crumbs at the end of a bag – and not actual pieces of pretzels. I think this flavour would be a better experience if there were actual chunks/pieces of pretzel in it. Need a little salty crunch to balance out all the other soft sweetness.
All in all, this is one of my favourite ice cream flavours, and I highly recommend you try it for yourself. Just make sure not to eat the whole pint at once (even though you’ll want to).
I am very saddened to be posting this review in lieu of the annual Vegandale Festival review. Unfortunately, this year the corona virus caused all kinds of havoc and due to safety concerns, the festival was cancelled/postponed until next year.
This is the first year pretty much since I went vegan where I wasn’t able to attend the festival. Yes, I’m bummed but the show must go on, so please accept this still summer-y review of Breyers Non-Dairy Vanilla Peanut Butter Ice Cream.
This is actually the second Breyers non-dairy ice cream I’ve tried, but I apparently didn’t post the Cookies and Crème review I did, so I’m gonna be doing this backwards. That review will come some time next year, (most likely in the summer).
This ice cream is hard for me to describe, because most of the ice creams I’ve had in my life are ‘hard’. Like, the Ben and Jerry’s Non-Dairy line – how you have to chip away at them to get them out of the container? Like that. This ice cream however, is a lot softer, and doesn’t ‘chip’ – you can actually scoop it right out of the freezer without breaking your wrist. I would say maybe the best word to describe the consistency is ‘smooth’ and ‘softer’ than the others. (Or, dare I say… creamier?)
Another thing I like about this ice cream is how big the container is.
Seriously.
This ice cream comes in a 1,660ml container, which is over 3x the size of the Ben and Jerry’s Non-Dairy ice creams (500ml). Also, the Breyers was $5.98 at the Real Canadian Superstore, while Ben and Jerry’s is $7.28. At other stores though, (Loblaws, Metro and Shopper’s), the Ben and Jerry’s is usually around $9.98.
So not only is it 3x the size, but it’s also cheaper.
The size alone makes this ice cream a must try for me, but the flavour itself is great, too. The ice cream is basic ‘smooth’ vanilla, and it has bits of peanut butter throughout. The peanut butter is in these sort-of-weird drizzled lines. They’re not in chunked pieces like they are in the Ben and Jerry’s Peanut Butter ice cream. It’s actually kind of hard to explain. It looked like they drizzled liquid peanut butter and layered it in with the ice cream, allowing the ice cream to freeze it. I’m not sure if that’s actually how they get it in there, but that’s what it looks like. The peanut butter parts of the ice cream were ‘hard’. I’m tempted to akin it to peanut brittle, but they’re not that hard. And when I say ‘hard’ I don’t mean ‘crunchy’, I mean like how ice is hard – it’s like that.
Because of this, you have to be careful when excavating the peanut butter parts out of the ice cream. Too much strength, and you risk flinging ice cream all over yourself. (I totally don’t know this from first-hand experience) Not that the hardness of the peanut butter is jarring (… no pun intended?) – it melts as soon as it hits your tongue – but it is something to watch out for. I feel like, not that they need a warning on the label, but if people were at least aware of that going in, it might up their experience.
All in all, this ice cream is definitely decent for the price and size that it is, and if you haven’t tried it yet, I’d definitely recommend that you do, if for no other reason than to laugh at the comparison of size.
That’s right! Three years, baby! This is my third year in a row going to the Vegandale Festival in Toronto and I am still pumped about it! I don’t think the novelty will ever wear off of getting to go to a place where I can try whatever I want, and not have to ask about ingredients, or read the label before putting it in my mouth. (Save for cinnamon)
I was recently talking to one of my friends, and they made a joke about since this is my third year going, I could ‘take a break’ from going next year. Uhmm… what?
That’s when it hit me: other people can walk into any place and order whatever they want, without looking at the ingredients list, or worrying about what’s in a product. They can walk in, order what looks good and leave. So, it makes sense that people with that ability don’t even really think about how exciting that can be. They have no idea, that’s their ‘normal’, so they don’t understand the hype.
How boring are other people’s lives? They can just… do stuff without thinking about it? That’s such a foreign concept to me! But I definitely wouldn’t have it any other way. I love getting to be excited about things others aren’t. It’s like I’m a child discovering how awesome the world is all over again. Who wouldn’t want that?
But enough about me – time to get to what you came here for: the food!
This year, I was fortunate enough to get to try 20 things (instead of last years’ 17). There’s always over a hundred vendors, and while I feel like I get a pretty good mix of things, I’d love to eventually get to try half of them.
As always, these reviews will be written in the order that I tried the food. (And not in terms of what I liked best)
Okay, let’s get started!
These Wingz – Half N Half Wings with Mac N Cheese
First up, is These Wingz wings and mac n cheese. I got the special, 6 wings (half BBQ, half buffalo) with the mac n cheese. The wings were massive. Not just in size, but they were thick. As. Fuck. It’s hard to tell in the picture, but they were definitely the thickest thing I got at the festival. They were also the most expensive ($16).
The wings were good, they tasted kinda seitan-y, though I’m not sure if that’s what they were made out of. They had a good, chewy texture, but the breading on them (and their size) made them hard to bite through. And, trying to rip pieces off with the small plastic fork I got (no knives were available) didn’t work that well, either. I’m pretty sure I accidentally flung sauce in my hair from trying to rip a piece off.
The mac n cheese wasn’t that good. The noodles were over-cooked, and just tasted like the wing sauce. It didn’t taste like there was any cheese on them at all.
Parka Food Co. – Broccoli Burger Mac
I know, I know, a little ridiculous I got another mac n cheese after literally just buying one, but I was intrigued by the name: Broccoli Burger Mac.
This one was way better than the first. For starters, this one actually tasted cheesy, and it had battered broccoli pieces on top. Gave the mac n cheese a good crunchy aspect. The cheese sauce actually kinda tasted like pasta salad to me – it had that subtle vinegar after-taste that pasta salad gets. This was a great dish to try for $11. I’m still not entirely sure what an aioli is, but the pink one that was drizzled on top of this dish was good. The sign said it was just their Parka Aioli, so I’m not entirely sure what’s in it (or why it’s pink), but it was good.
The only thing I didn’t like about this dish, is that the top of it was dowsed in parsley. There was way too much sprinkled on top of the broccoli and mac n cheese. The entire top was almost completely green!
Peas and Thank-You – Chick’N Parm
A chick’n parm. I’ve never in my life had a chicken parm. I’ve seen them in movies/heard about them – it’s a chicken cutlet with tomato sauce and parm – but I was really hyped when I saw this on the menu at Peas and Thank-You. It was only $10, so I figured why not? And boy am I glad I did. This was probably the best thing I tried at the festival in terms of the actual ‘meal’ things. Although, it didn’t have actual parm on it. It had some kind of sauce (I’m assuming [hoping] it was cheese sauce) but I thought the ‘parm’ on the sandwich would’ve been… y’know, actual parm flakes. The sauce actually tasted closer to Veganaise then cheese, but maybe that’s just what parm tastes like?
The chick’n patty itself was great – though it was a little too hard to bite through. I think maybe it was fried too long? But once you got passed the initial bite, it had a great flavour and wasn’t as hard to chew and get down. And the bun? Oh, man! I think it was a ciabatta bun? I don’t know, but I loved the bun. They didn’t do anything special to it – I believe it was just toasted – but it added such a great depth to the sandwich. They do pop-ups at different events, and I really, really hope that they come back next year! (Or do another pop-up in Toronto)
Not Your Mother – Rocky Road Ice Cream
This was the favourite dessert I tried, hands down. Rocky Road ice cream? Do you guys know about Rocky Road ice-cream? It’s chocolate ice cream with brownie pieces and marshmallows. Marshmallows!
I cannot believe I’ve never tried Rocky Road ice cream before. It’s my new favourite ice cream flavour. Even though it was hot and I had to drink most of it, it was still my favourite dessert. I don’t know what it is, but there’s just something about chocolate and marshmallows that holds a very special place in my heart.
When will vegan Rocky Road ice cream be available for purchase in pints from a store?
Seriously, if you make vegan ice-cream, get on it. Please.
Globally Local – Hot Buffalo Chick’Un Burger
Ah, Globally Local. They’ve been my favourite thing the past two years, and I feel a little bad about giving that title away, but my reason for giving the title away is two-fold:
This burger is pretty much the same thing I tried last year, just with buffalo sauce coating the patty.
The chicken parm was way more exciting and tasted better.
Don’t get mad, Globally, I still love you guys and cannot wait until you open your location here next month! But, I do wish that you had added something else on the festival menu to try.
The fries were great, too. Thick cut and fried fries I think are my weakness. These ones, and A&W fries are the best fries I’ve ever had. (… So far.)
Main Vegan Deli – Lobstar Roll
Main Vegan Deli… what can I say? They were at the festival both previous years, and the first year I went I actually got to try a sample of their cashew cheese. I was hoping I’d get to do that again this year (or that I’d maybe actually get a ball/block to take home), but alas, they changed their menu.
This year, they had a ‘lobstar’ roll and a no-kobe sammy. Now, I’ve never really been that much of a fan of seafood. Before going vegan, I’d never eat it. It was gross to me. So, naturally, since going vegan, I haven’t tried any seafood faux products. Why would I if I didn’t like the real thing, right?
So, keeping that in mind, I didn’t really like this. It was mushrooms and their ‘seafood sauce’, so I figured it shouldn’t be too bad. I like mushrooms, after all – I don’t know what it was, it wasn’t exactly bad, but this was definitely not my favourite thing. I think it might’ve been the texture that the mushrooms were. They were slightly rubber-y, but also slightly slimy. Not chewy rubber-y, just… rubber-y.
I got my (non vegan) mom to eat it, (I couldn’t finish it!) and she said it ‘tasted like the kind of lobster you get from a can’. Take from that what you will.
I was actually really disappointed that I didn’t like this – I had loved their cashew cheese, and was hoping they might’ve been like Globally Local, in that I would just like everything.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely not writing them off. Next year, if they bring their cashew cheese, or have some other type of sandwich (that’s not seafood) I’ll try it.
Bring it on!
Meltwich – Poutine
I love poutine! This one was a little lack-luster though. The fries were pretty basic, seemed like they were just regular frozen french fries, and the cheese shreds didn’t melt! At all. I took the picture, mixed it up, and then nothing. They tasted good, but they didn’t melt. I don’t know what happened, but that definitely made the dish not as good as it could have been.
That said, the gravy more for made up for the lack of melted cheese. It was a nice, rich, brown gravy and oh man, if they were just selling jars of that, I definitely would’ve bought one.
All in all, this poutine wasn’t anything spectacular (it was called the Classic Poutine) but regular poutine is still good poutine in my book. It doesn’t need to have chick’n or bacon bits or anything fancy for it to be good.
Vegtago – Nacho Cheese
This was the first free sample I got at the festival. This cheese, while it’s great that it’s dairy-free, soy-free and nut-free, it tasted a little too sweet to me. If you gave this to me, and asked me to guess what it was, I would not guess ‘nacho cheese’. It tastes closer to pureed vegetable.
I’m not entirely sure if it’s made out of carrots, (the picture on the sign was a carrot), but it reminds me of my failed attempt at making cheese out of carrots and potatoes.
That’s not to say that it taste bad – I would definitely eat it in a different setting – but for something that’s supposed to be a nacho cheese, it misses the mark.
Magnum – Classic Bar
This was the second free sample I got at the festival, and I have to say I was not disappointed. When I went, the lady at the counter said they were ‘down to Classics’. I was just excited I was getting a full sized ice-cream bar for free!
At this point in the festival, I was starting to feel a bit sick, so I do regret to say that I didn’t finish the whole bar. It’s the only thing from the festival I didn’t finish that I wasn’t able to take home.
With that said, it was pretty good. I don’t quite know how to describe it, but the chocolate coating on the outside of the bar had an odd ‘heavy’ feel to it. As soon as I bit it, that’s what I felt. I don’t know if that’s the right word for it, but it’s happened with other chocolate before, and that’s the only way I know to describe it. After that initial heavy/weighty feel, it was pretty sticky, too. Like, dry-out-your-mouth sticky. Similar to when you eat a spoon of peanut butter and immediately feel like you need to drink some water.
I don’t know if that’s just something that happens depending on the cocoa content or whatever, but it’s definitely something I don’t like in my chocolate. It shouldn’t make you thirsty.
The ice-cream was good, too. It was just basic vanilla ice-cream. Nothing too fancy, as this was the Classic Bar, but it was still good.
I’d definitely buy this if I wanted an ice-cream bar, but don’t go in with too high expectations. It’s pretty basic, and don’t forget to drink water with it.
Papabubble – Cherry Candy
First, I’d like to point out: these are hard candies. They only had a few squishy ones (that I didn’t try) on display, and this wasn’t it. I thought that it was a squishy candy, so I tossed it in my mouth and got a rude awakening when I chomped down on it.
That’s my bad, I will admit. Other than that surprise, the candy was pretty good! It had a very good cherry flavour, and while it did stick to my teeth a bit, what candy doesn’t?
I also tried one called ‘lychee’ which is a type of tropical fruit. That one was good too, it did taste fruity, but I definitely liked the cherry one better.
I had actually been debating about buying a whole pack of their candy, but since they’re in Toronto, I decided I could always do a more in-depth analysis of their offerings later.
I don’t think they beat out Squish candy, since Squishs’ candy is well, squishy, but they are definitely a close second.
Julie’s Joyful Kitchen- Chocolate Caramel Almond Bar
This is my second year reviewing Julie’, and I have to say, I’m a little disappointed. Last year, I got their chocolate cookie, which was good – pretty hard to mess up a cookie – this year, they were offering other types of cookies, or, this chocolate almond bar. I thought I’d be a bit adventurous and go for the bar. I’ve seen similar bars before but have always stayed away from trying them.
I should’ve done that this time, too.
For starters, I couldn’t even pick the thing up. The bottom layer crumbled into a million pieces the second I tried to. So I had to eat it with one finger swiping through the middle ‘caramel’ part. And to be honest, the caramel wasn’t very good. It just kinda tasted like almond butter, there wasn’t very much ‘caramel’ flavour in it. The chocolate on the top was good – it is chocolate, after all – but it was the same kind of dry-out-your-mouth as the Magnum bar.
This definitely didn’t make my favourites list, not by a long shot. If they come back again next year, I’d definitely want to try something else, but if that doesn’t go well, I’m afraid I’m gonna have to write them off. Which sucks, because they ladies running the booth were very sweet.
But yeah, I’m thinking that maybe Julie’s just isn’t for me.
Sweet Nutritionista – Beet Brownie
For a dessert that’s made out of beets this was pretty good. I absolutely hate beets, so believe me when I tell say you could not taste the beets in this brownie at all. You could’ve told me it wasn’t made out of beets and I’d believe you.
This was a wee bit dense though. Maybe if they had cut them a bit thinner it would’ve been more enjoyable. It was a biiit too much to bite off and chew at one time.
I would definitely love to try something else they have to offer at the next festival, or if I’m ever in Oakville, I’d definitely stop by.
Yves – Sweet Potato Meatball
I’m not gonna lie, this tastes very sweet potato-y. I unfortunately don’t like sweet potatoes, so I didn’t like it. It had a hint of a weird spice I don’t like, that reminded me a bit of cumin. (Although I’m not 100% on if cumin is actually in them)
If you like falafel, you’ll definitely like these.
They had nuggets available as a free sample to try as well, but I unfortunately was 5 seconds too late, as the lady in front of me had snagged the last nugget.
Fortunately though, they were also giving out coupons, and I was lucky enough to get one of those, instead.
Glory Hole Doughnuts – Cookies N Crème Doughnut
Glory Hole was back with a way better doughnut than last years’!
Maybe it’s because it wasn’t as hot, so it didn’t immediately melt into a goopy mess all over my hand, but I definitely enjoyed this one better than the peanut butter and chocolate I got last year.
While it still had the classic ‘this is a doughnut!’ sweetness, it was also very light. The icing I think was just regular vanilla, and the cookie bits were pretty similar in taste to Oreo cookies (no matter what the sign said).
The only thing I didn’t like is when I bit down, the entire doughnut flattened and didn’t bounce back. It was like I let all the air out of the tire.
That happened to the one I got last year as well, so I’m not sure if it’s just a doughnut thing, or if I’m somehow not biting them correctly but yeah. If they could find a way to make them not do that, that would be great.
And since these guys are in Toronto as well, I’m looking forward to trying more of their offerings.
BZZSFREE – Apple Honey
Honey is definitely one of the things I miss the most since going vegan. I used to absolutely love it – not only for it’s taste, but also because it’s a great natural alternative to conventional medicine – so as soon as I saw this vegan honey company listed, I knew I just had to try it!
I was a little unsure of which flavour to get, as the sign said they had apple, pineapple and PMP (guava and something else I don’t remember). I just wanted to taste something that was closest to the real deal.
After speaking to the lady (who is beyond nice!) for a bit, she told me that the apple flavour is the closest to the real thing, so I decided to try that one. And boy am I glad I did!
It tasted so close to what I remember honey tasting like, I was blown away! It didn’t taste like apples at all! It was just as sweet, and even had the same sticky consistency!
I regret not buying a whole jar, but the lady said they were available to purchase online, and that they deliver to Toronto, so I’m definitely going to get my hands on some!
If you didn’t get a chance to check them out, or was a bit hesitant because of the flavours listed, you definitely need to try their apple flavour! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
I’m so glad they decided to come to the festival this year, and hope they come back!
Crazy D’s – Prebiotic Rockin’ Rolla Cherry Cola
This was my least favourite thing from the entire festival. It tasted absolutely nothing like cherries. The ingredients say that there was actual cherry juice in it, but I couldn’t taste it at all.
This drink was spicy. It tasted like when you run out of bouillon cubes, so you try to make your own. So you get some water and throw ten different spices in it and then try it. That’s what it tasted like.
This drink was an absolute no-go in my book. Which sucks because I was really looking forward to trying a cherry flavoured drink.
Their sign said it was supposed to have a bunch of health benefits and promote good digestion and stuff – I hate that they proved the old saying true. (Everything that’s good for you tastes bad)
I couldn’t even finish it, I had to dump it out when I got home. I felt bad for wasting it, but I couldn’t drink it. It was that bad. And tasted nothing like cherries!
Their other options were Ginga Kick and a citrus something. I went with cherry because I thought it’d be their best tasting one. Boy was I wrong!
If you like spicy drinks, you may like this, but if you want something that tastes like cherries? This isn’t it.
Tropic Love – Maple Luv Mini Pancakes
Pancakes, whether big or small, there’s just something enjoyable about them.
These were light and fluffy, and so cute! They came ten per order, and were perfect with the right amount of maple syrup drizzled on top.
They weren’t really special, except that they were tiny. But I mean, a pancake is a pancake. I would’ve been really surprised if I didn’t like them.
WVRST – Soft Pretzel
I have a soft spot for soft pretzels. I only tried them this year, actually. My first ever was from Through Being Cool (which unfortunately no longer exists!) and I instantly loved them!
They’re a bit salty to eat on their own (you’re apparently supposed to dip them in mustard? No thanks!), but have an amazing doughy consistency. It’s like eating just the thick crust from a pizza. I love soft, doughy breads, and these pretzels are no exception.
These guys also make sausages, (and are also in Toronto!) but I would recommend going there for the pretzels alone.
I’ll probably get around to trying their sausages, but the pretzels are an absolute must.
GTS – Watermelon Kombucha
This was better tasting than the cherry cola, but still not my thing. I’ve tried kombucha before, and I didn’t really like it. I think it’s the carbonation I don’t like. Same reason I don’t enjoy pop – the carbonation isn’t a good time for me.
The flavour was good, though I don’t know I would call it watermelon. It had that fresh, fruity taste like a watermelon does, but it didn’t exactly scream ‘watermelon’ flavour.
I would definitely get it over an actual pop, like Coke. But my first go-to would still probably be just water.
Sausage Party – The Big Mock
This not-dog was pretty good. They said it was a ‘hand crafted vegan sausage’, so I’m not entirely sure if it’s seitan, or something else, but it tasted similar to the flax dog I had gotten the first year. Very wheat-y. It was good, except I forgot to tell them no mustard, and they put a bunch of onions on it.
Why is that a thing people do? Smother the dog in a million cubes of onions? Onions are not that good of a topping, I’m sorry. I’d rather it of just been straight lettuce with the sesame seeds and cheese.
I was a little disappointed that weren’t nearly as many dessert vendors as there were last year. I would’ve liked to get a cupcake or some other desserts.
On the vendors list on the Vegandale website, Kelly’s Bakeshop was listed, but the site map I got that had the list of the vendors, they weren’t anywhere. I don’t know if they were going to come, and had to fall out, or what, but I was disappointed that I didn’t get to try their Salted Caramel Pretzel cupcake again.
Also, I thought I saw Bald Baker, but he wasn’t a vendor. He was pushing a stroller around, but looked a lot like him. I didn’t have the courage to go up to him and ask, so if you’re reading this: sorry for starring!
I’m so happy I got to go again, and I’m hoping I get to try even more foods next year!
Alright, since we’re getting into the warmer weather now (thank God), I thought what better food to review then an ice-cream sandwich? Might as well help you out with your summer treat shopping before it gets too hot to think.
This was actually one of the first vegan ice-creams I tried. I remember back before I went vegan and my brother brought these home, excited he found an ice-cream that me and my family could eat, without us being there to help! He was pretty proud of himself, and it wasn’t too long before he started buying the boxes in two’s – and those would maybe last a week. Sometimes, I went to have one, only to discover that there was only one left – and no one else in my family had gotten to them!
Perhaps the best part of that story? My brother isn’t even vegan – and he devoured them like that for a few summers!
One thing that’s cool about the Tofutti company, is that they make all kinds of different tofu-based products, which makes their cream cheeses, ice-cream and others perfect for people who can’t/won’t eat dairy.
Specifically speaking about these vanilla sandwiches, they come 8 to a box, each individually wrapped in paper and are pretty small. I like that they ran with the small-ness of them and decided to call them Cuties, but practically speaking, if it’s 40C and you need a good cool down snack, you’d need to eat two.
The chocolate cookie is nice and soft, which I like. I’d take soft cookies over hard any day – but one sort of con about their softness, is that sometimes when you unwrap the sandwich, bits of the cookie sticks to the wrapper. It’s no problem to lick the extra off when you’re at home, but if you were to bring these to a summer BBQ or get together, it’d be sad to see it go to waste.
The ice-cream itself is actually pretty surprising when you remember that it’s made out of tofu. It doesn’t taste like you’re eating tofu, it just tastes like ice-cream. (I was equally amazed when my friend Blair made chocolate ice-cream out of sweet potato!) It’s not overly vanilla-y and is pretty ‘plain’ as far as ice-cream flavours though – you won’t find any crazy chunks or chips in this. It’s simple, yet satisfying.
There’s not really too much else to say about it – I’d love to rave about how amazing it is, but that would be lying. It’s great if you want a simple ice-cream treat that you don’t need to scoop into a bowl – and I’m betting it would pack nicely in a lunch bag – but I can’t give it a glowing review.
It’s good for what it is, but I’ve had other ice-cream flavours that I like better, simply because they aren’t as simple. I still definitely eat them, but I would say these are like giving nooch a glowing review. It’s good for what it is, and it’s great to have on hand, but you can’t exactly praise it. It just kind of… is.
I would dare even say they’re a summer staple. Great to have, but doesn’t pack as much punch as say, a pint of Ben and Jerry’s. I recommend you try them, since you won’t be disappointed, but you won’t exactly be jumping for joy, either.
Alright, now that it’s summer, I figured it’s time to start getting into some summer-y products. First up, this amazing ice-cream.
This is one of those products I love a lot and it’s hard to tell if I love it just because it’s amazing, or because (of my allergies) I had to go years without it. (Or eating sh*tty versions) This ice-cream though is like heaven in your mouth, I swear. If you haven’t tried it yet, what are you even doing with your life?
If you’ve ever seen my Instagram page, you know how much I love this stuff. I buy it more then I probably should. It’s amazing.
It’s got peanut butter, and cookie bits in it. What’s not to love? It’s also versatile. While I often just eat it straight out of the tub with a spoon, it’s also great for banana splits, in a cone, this thing:
And pretty much anything else you’d need/want ice-cream for.
The only downside to this ice-cream is that it’s so rich you can’t eat the whole tub. (… Well, you can but you won’t feel so hot after) It’s the perfect example of how too much of a good thing can go bad. You’ll love every second of it, until about an hour after you’ve polished off the tub, then, well, you might regret it a little. (But you’ll probably do it again anyway).
There’s not too much else to say about this ice-cream, it’s smooth and crunchy, and hits the spot after a long day in the heat. Or, after any day, really. Also, if you’re still not convinced, just look at it:
How could you look at that and think, ‘nah’.
I’d also like to take a moment to thank the Ice Cream Gods that Ben and Jerry’s decided to make some vegan ice-cream. I’m one very happy consumer knowing this product exists.
It’s hands down the best ice-cream I’ve ever had. So, y’know… go try it for yourself.
Those small circle-things are the ‘crunchy bites’
