Filo Dessert Co.

Mastic gum is the secret ingredient that gives Middle Eastern ice cream (“booza”) its distinctively doughy texture, enabling a scoop to hold its shape until a spoon “stretches” a bite-sized piece off to eat. At Filo Dessert Co. in Old Towne Orange, mastic hides inside many of the Syrian ice creams – not the fruit ones – and for the first time locally, stars in its own flavor, Mistika Mastic, a lightly herbal and disarmingly slick ice cream served by the scoop or pint. While not as potent as Filo’s other flavors, it’s a must-try for those who have marveled at the stretchiness of Persian ice creams at Saffron & Rose and Mashti Malone’s, or Le Mirage Pastry’s Syrian booza, which is also Filo’s specialty.

While Filo offers a dozen homemade booza flavors ($6 per scoop, $9 for two scoops) ranging from Antep Pistachio and Beiruti Vanilla and Cairo Cacao, we weren’t blown away by most of the ones we tried: Saffron & Rose’s pistachio is stronger, and Filo’s Baklava Crunch was far more cream than baklava, with no crunch. Lotus Biscoff was an exception, using so much of the internationally beloved cookie that its scoops pop with flavor and texture – another local standout, and even more appealing than the Mistika Mastic.

Beyond booza ice creams, Filo offers two other menu sections: brews and sweets. Guests can choose from three types of tea (Karak cardamom-spiced milk tea, Filo mint or sage black tea, or loose bagged tea), several coffees, or “fusion” drinks including an affogato with ice cream, a Dubai Latte with pistachio and chocolate, and a creamy cinnamon Sahlaab. We tried two Dubai Lattes, one with almond milk, one without, and though they were elaborately decorated – taking a while to prepare – their flavors weren’t as interesting as their looks.

Sweets include baklava in walnut ($6) and pistachio ($7) versions, each generously including four triangles equivalent to two full-sized pieces for their prices, and quickly served. Three knafeh variants combine phyllo dough with either cheese or clotted cream ($12 each), while four fusion sweets ($13 each) combine either knafeh, baklava, coconut cake, or rice pudding with a scoop of ice cream.