Cold Rock Ice Creamery

I probably haven’t had Cold Rock in years and years, and had likely forgotten the concept or any delightful memoirs I might’ve had … But that was amazing!
I ordered a large mango sorbet with raspberries, mango chunks, and passionfruit pulp mixed in. The serving amount was nicely generous towering over the top of the cup … More than enough for me. I usually do hoover down sweet and delicious foods, and this was just amazing hehe. So amazing that I actually did find it a tad bit too sweet for me. Perhaps I should have 2 flavours instead. I ended up sharing with 3 girls I was with, so none did go to waste, and they loved every bit they got.
I would certainly come here again when I’m out and about on the Parade looking for something sweet and desserty. And definitely recommend to my sweet toothed friends!

This used to be one of my favorite icecream places, but with the rise of all the dessert bars in Adelaide recently, there are a number of reasons why Cold Rock doesnt stack up quite the way it used to.
i love the idea, but more and more these days am finding that Cold Rock is too expensive.
For those of you who have never been to cold rock, the name comes from the fact that they mix icecream, with berries, fruit, chocolate and lollies on a cold rock. It is a slab of marble that is kept cold, you then choose the size you want, the icecream you want (or icecreams) and then you choose as many «mix ins» as you want.
Like I said, the idea is great, but with icecream being quite expensive to begin with, and then the mix ins being 90c each, and toppings 50c each as a dessert option, this gets pretty pricey pretty fast :(
Cold Rock is still worth the visit — but it will no longer be a regular haunt of mine.

Although I’m more of a salty-​food lover (put a bowl of hot chips in front me and they’ll be gone in five seconds), I also love love love ice cream. Lollies, chocolate? Not so much. But mix them in with ice cream and I’ll love them a tad more.
So with my love of ice cream and good feelings towards lollies and chocolate, you’d think Cold Rock would be a satisfying experience. Sadly, not so much. When I was a kid, this place was heaven. Now, it’s a sickly sweet sugary overload.
I actually enjoy vanilla ice cream with snickers. But you know what? I could just make that at home for a loootttttt cheaper.
It’s great that this place exists though, for parents with young children it provides an easy fix when your kid is throwing a public tantrum.

Rave, rave, rave. It’s all people did when I first moved to Adelaide three years ago.
It was talked up so much that I was obviously eer pressured into heading on in to the Parade store and gave it a shot.
It was then I was greeted by my arch-​nemesis/​Achilles heel… Cookie dough…
As you probably know, they have a huge variety of ‘mix-​ins’ for their ice cream.
Cookie dough being one of them, and in turn, my staple one.
The Norwood store is smaller than others I have been to. There are no indoor tables, there is a bench however. Outdoor seating is available as well, great for summer. The Parade’s atmosphere on a summer night suits Cold Rock perfectly.
The staff in this store are friendly and such, however they are often hiding out the back and you have to get their attention. Not a problem at all. I can imagine myself in their shoes. I wouldn’t want to hang infront of a freezer waiting to serve ice cream, I’d much rather hang out the back watching BBC’s Frozen World or Pixar’s Ice Age.

When these places started popping up in Melbourne, people raved about them. Some people still rave about them. Personally, I think they’re a bit crap, and I’m still not sure what drove me to walk in and order some stupid mix up of lollies and shitty ice cream.
And let’s face it, the ice cream is hardly the best available. It’s one step below the home brand option, and one step above the frozen section at a sperm bank. Or so I’m assuming.
They get one star for being open on a hot day, and one star purely because I want to encourage them to do better.

Here’s the idea: take ice cream, add lollies and/​or chocolates.
The results? It should be DOUBLE THE AWESOME but strangely, it isn’t. While most of us, as kids (or as adults… I won’t judge) have imagined making a monster dessert by combining the powers of Oreo cookies and chocolate ice cream, the reality doesn’t quite live up to our imagination.
Sure, the novelty factor alone makes it worthwhile for kids, but for me the ice cream itself doesn’t quite stack up. It tastes like fake sugar, it’s not very creamy or yummy. I feel like I could get the same thing (and probably cheaper) by heading to the supermarket and buying vanilla ice cream and packet of gummi bears.

I remember when this store opened, and it was a big deal. The line ups went out the door and along the street, and we all lined up wide eyed, gazing at this incredibly display of people bashing ice cream on a cold rock, exactly to our specifications. And the accompaniments! Koala’s, peppermint Freddo’s, Snakes, Maltesers… it was all there and ripe for the taking! But as an adult this ice cream store leaves me cold.
The ice cream flavours they have are average really, and taste like supermarket brand, come on lets be honest. And they just don’t add enough of whatever chocolate or lolly you choose to really alter the flavour of the ice cream in any way. Of course the novelty for kids is still huge, and I always take kids there so they can gleefully select their combination. But more often than not they’ll also chuck their cup before it’s finished. Sooner or later we all want quality over novelty.

Cold Rock on the parade is one of the only ones left near the city. There used to be one on Rundle Street but it recently shut down. There are a lot of good ice cream and gelati joints around Adelaide, but nothing like Cold Rock. Ok the ice cream itself is average at best, but when you put several of the hundred additions in it, it tastes like heaven.
I am obsessed with the cookie dough. It always seems slightly naughty eating all the cookie dough at home, but you feel perfectly normal shoveling it down at cold rock. Some of the other tasty treats you can mash into your ice cream are, Oreos, gummy bears, Maltesers, berries and hundreds more. The lovely staff then put your chosen ice cream and additions on a large slab of cold metal and mash it together before your eyes.
If you are having a birthday I would also recommend their cakes. It is basically the same idea, flavours and whatever additions you want, just in a big size that looks like a cake. They are quite pricey, but oh so delicious.