Banana Tree has introduced new innovation to its dessert offering in the form of soy sauce ice cream.
The limited-edition product, launching across the Banana Tree estate this week, is inspired by a food tour in Thailand. Rahul Shah, executive chef at the Southeast Asian casual dining chain, discovered the unexpected flavour combination in the backstreets of Bangkok.
In the UK, Banana Tree has partnered with artisan ice cream maker Yee Kwan to launch a smooth vanilla ice cream infused with soy sauce and rippled with an umami swirl, served with an optional drizzle of soy sauce on top to taste.
The flavour is described as “somewhere between” salted caramel and toasted nuts, with hints of molasses and roasted coffee and an added depth from the soy sauce.
The result is billed as a sweet, savoury, and creamy product with an umami hit: “It’s a little odd, and it works,” Banana Tree said. The brand added that the new ice cream is no gimmick, rather a celebration of Southeast Asia’s bold flavours as well as a reflection of its commitment to innovation.
It sees an established dining group in the Asian cuisine segment dip its toes into a surprising flavour combination, previously limited to small-batch ice cream makers or high-end concepts. The Ice Cream Project, a summer concept store from luxury accessories label Anya Hindmarch, returns to Mayfair for its fourth year, offering ice cream flavours such as Sriracha and Heinz baked beans in addition to soy sauce.
While Banana Tree seems to be the first mainstream brand to introduce soy sauce ice cream, umami notes in desserts is nothing new. Chocolate chili ice cream has been fairly commonplace for a while, but recent years have placed a new spotlight on common East Asian ingredients such as miso, sesame, and matcha, both of which have now made their way into dessert menus at independents and chain restaurants alike.
One of the best known is Mamasons, a Filipino dessert parlour from the Maginhawa Group, lauded for popularising ube ice cream.
Further afield, Mediterranean staples have also unexpectedly landed in desserts, resulting in products like olive oil or basil ice cream, sometimes topped with flaky sea salt for an savoury punch.
Banana Tree’s latest launch joins a series of umami flavour launches from ice cream makers across the UK. London ice cream parlour and wine bar The Dreamery offers a ricotta ice cream as well as an olive oil sorbet, while Hackney gelato maker & Chill has launched a Guinness- and Marmite-flavoured gelato.
Chin Chin in Camden and Soho is known for its glazed potato peel soft serve, while Caliendo in Kentish Town serves ricotta balsamic ice cream, plus other unique options like a Marmite and toasted sourdough flavour.
Next in line is mushrooms, with the umami essence of porcini and shiitake increasingly popping up in ice cream offerings.
Banana Tree’s soy sauce offer is limited edition for now, but a successful run may well lead to more unexpected dessert innovation across the brand and mainstream casual dining.
