Last week my coworker and I were invited to an exclusive launch of Häagen-Dazs’ newest plant-based ice cream at Valerie. Initially, we had thought it was going to be a pool party where we just get served desserts because that’s what the invite said but it actually turned out to be a brunch! We were both pleasantly surprised as we hadn’t eaten before heading over to Valerie.
Of course we head straight to the bar to try the delicious signature raspberry cocktail they made for the event. We sat down at a table while waiting for brunch to start but we were able to grab a few hors d’oeuvres of avocado toast and shishito peppers.
Once everyone sat down, a representative of Häagen-Dazs came out to speak about their new plant-based ice cream and how excited they were for everyone to try it. Once the speech was done, food came flowing through the restaurant.
The brunch menu was packed with Asian-inspired canapes, which are the same as hors d’oeuvres for those who don’t know what that means, (don’t worry I had to look up what the term meant too). We filled up on sushi, Korean fried chicken, kale salad, mushroom flatbread and ended with miso caramel french toast.
After brunch Chef Jereon Van Helvoirt, the pastry chef at Valerie, came out to speak about the desserts he crafted for this event, including Dazs Chocolate Raspberry Bliss, a chocolate cake topped with the new vanilla raspberry truffle Häagen-Dazs plant-based ice cream. This dessert is actually available on the menu at Valerie for a limited time so if you love berries and chocolate you should definitely check it out.
Chef Jereon Van Helvoirt also coined an ice cream sandwich with two chocolate chip cookies and the chocolate peanut butter plant-based ice cream. It was then dipped in dark chocolate and branded with the Häagen-Dazs logo which was a cute little touch. My coworker is allergic to peanuts so she couldn’t try it but believe me, it was so indulgent I wish I could have another one. Unfortunately, this dessert was only made for the event but you could definitely recreate this at home!
Just when we thought we were done with dessert the last round came out but thankfully it was just a scoop of their final plant-based ice cream which was caramel fudge chip. I don’t think we could’ve handle any more food after this but the ice cream was a delicious way to end the meal.
There was a 360 camera so you know we had to just hop on and take a cute video! After filming and having our Barbie doll eat with us it was time to head home but we didn’t leave empty handed. We were both gifted a dessert bowl and a fancy spoon that had the Häagen-Dazs logo engraved on it. I’m definitely running to the store to get more ice cream since the bowl and spoon are the perfect vessel for it.
For someone who has dietary restrictions, this plant-based ice cream is a good alternative to regular ice cream. I didn’t feel as if I were missing anything and it tasted as delicious as regular ice cream. I would strongly recommend this to anyone whether they have dietary restrictions or not because the ice cream was that delicious. If I had to recommend one of the three flavours to get I would say the caramel fudge chip but you can make your own conclusion when you try them!