SomiSomi

After trying SomiSomi’s brilliant signature menu item – ice cream served inside a Japanese taiyaki shell – you may wonder, as we did, why there isn’t more innovation on the cone side of ice cream cones. It’s possible to go to SomiSomi and order either plain ice cream or regular taiyaki (with fillings including cheese, Oreos, or red beans), but we learned early not to do that. Visit SomiSomi solely for the ice cream and taiyaki combination, known in Korean as Ah Boong.

Admittedly, there’s more to this particular invention: It works because the soft, fish-shaped, waffle-flavored taiyaki shell is filled with both soft serve ice cream and an inner lining of filling, such as Nutella, which helps the textures and flavors melt seamlessly together with every bite. It works because the Ah Boong’s filling could also be custard, red bean, matcha custard, or black sesame, guaranteeing anyone some sort of extra gooey flavor beyond ice cream. It works because SomiSomi lets you choose to dust the top with matcha, coconut flakes, cereal or cookie crumbs, or sprinkles, then offers to add a mini macaron, strawberry, or other second topping for crunch.

It all works so well together. Except for one thing: the ice cream flavors.

Every SomiSomi location’s soft serve flavors are limited – to a fault. No matter which of five Orange County locations you visit, you’ll only find six distinct flavors – currently cookies ‘n cream, matcha, milk, ube, salted caramel, and sweet corn at some locations, with black sesame or chocolate subbing in at others – plus three swirled mixes, such as “cookies ‘n cream & sweet corn.”