At Sky Ice, A Thai Take on Ice Cream

Forget chocolate, vanilla and even rocky road.

Sky Ice, a sweet new ice cream spot on Fifth Avenue and St. Marks Place, has fused ice cream with the flavors of Thailand cookery to create an arsenal of exoctic ice cream flavors like black sesame seaweed and young coconut.

Co-owners (and best friends) Sutheera Denprapa and Kanlaya Chujit had already been selling pints of their homemade ice creams and sorbets to Thai restaurants in Queens. When one of Denprapa’s friends came to her raving about the Thai tea and mango flavors, the duo knew it was time to open up shop.

Denprapa and Chujit take care to select only the best the ingredients from Asian markets in Brooklyn and Queens. Last weekend, the shop officially opened its doors, bring the Slope a funky take on frozen desserts.

The black sesame seaweed is a unique mix of flavors, but it's best left to less ambitious tongues. Denprapa, originally from Bangkok, said that the Thai-tea flavored ice cream is her favorite scoop. Everything is made on the premises.

Sky Ice also boasts several vegan options, including a vegetable flavor made with broccoli, avocado and yam. It's a must for parents looking to get their kids to eat vegetables.

“It’s not too, too veggie,” said Denprapa, whose two-year-old daughter is a fan of the flavor. “It tastes creamy and also sweet.”

The Winter Roll is a brilliant dessert spin on sushi.  Rather than seaweed and sticky white rice, Denprapa and Chujit roll rice paper and sweet coconut sticky rice that wraps around fresh lychee, strawberry and kiwi, with a side of black sesame seaweed ice cream on the side.

And if it's not something sweet you're looking for, there's all the savory Thai staples as well. Chujit’s husband Nick, who came here from Chiang Mai, Thailand 13 years ago, whips up bites such as curry puffs, chicken satay, noodle soups, and salads. 

Of course, don't forget to order a scoop or two of ice cream for dessert.