Aqua S, a soft serve ice cream shop from Sydney, Australia, opened recently in Victory Park, but it isn’t just another ice cream shop.
You can get terrifically tasty ice cream that’s served on a cloud of handspun cotton candy called “fairy floss.” And if that isn’t fancy enough, swirls of flavors like lychee rose and lemon cheesecake can be topped with Pop Rocks or the freshly popped caramel popcorn you smell upon entering. Additional toppings include sprinkles, naturally, as well as a toasted-to-order marshmallow that’s fixed upon a chocolate-coated wafer stick.
As franchise owner Minh Nguyen puts it: “Everything is pretty extra here.”
Nguyen discovered Aqua S while vacationing in Houston, where there are currently two locations. She went with a friend and her three children since, obviously, children are going to enjoy a place like this. After she returned to Dallas to go back to work at her job as a pharmacist, Nguyen’s daughter asked to visit Aqua S again. So as a good mom, Nguyen got on the phone and “started making some calls,” as she says, and that is how the company’s fifth U.S. location came to be in Dallas.
An international franchise with locations in Cambodia, Singapore and China, the Aqua S mission is “to transform soft serve into a work of art which both tastes exquisite and looks heavenly.”
The aqua-colored sea salt is the signature flavor and the only one that is permanently on the menu. According to the company website, the idea for the flavor came from Okinawa, Japan, and it aims to master “the art of contrast ― sweet and creamy with a hint of saltiness.”
Maybe you don’t often eat aquamarine ice cream, and maybe you’ve never ordered a flavor called “salt,” but trust us here when we say there’s a good reason for naming it the signature flavor.
Aside from sea salt, Aqua S rotates flavors on the first and 15th of each month from their 100-plus flavor archive, which includes an array of options like sweet corn, elderflower, cranberry-cherry, mojito and horchata. There are multiple tea flavors, as well: oolong milk tea, café sua da, matcha, Thai tea and others. The constantly changing flavors is a genius method to keep fans returning for more.
At her Victory Park location, Nguyen aims to have between three and five flavors available any given day, with at least one vegan and dairy-free option. From July 1-14, the menu will be Earl Grey milk tea, cupcake, pineapple, raspberry, and the superb sea salt.
The most unique flavor is assuredly durian — made from real durian, the revered fruit of southeast Asia that is known to hae a strong odor. It is commonly banned from hotels in Japan and Thailand, and at Aqua S you will likewise need to enjoy it at a table outside should you purchase it in a mini-tub, per store policy. In spite of the smell, those who enjoy the taste of durian describe it as a rich, banana-flavored custard with hints of almond.
Delivery and carry-out sales of single-serve mini-tubs was how Nguyen chose to open in mid-April, after being prevented from opening in March. She created a buy-five, get-one-free special with free deliveries to addresses within 5 miles of the shop, as long as a $30 minimum is met. For delivery outside that radius, the minimum order is $50.
With 18 flavors to choose from, the 4-ounce mini-tubs ($2.95) are perfect for taste-testing without consuming an entire pint, something that’s too easily done when any tub of ice cream is opened in these days.
Now that the store is open for customers wearing masks, however, a quick visit inside is a welcome getaway for kids and people who like to Instagram. Selfie-ready photo props like angel wings and neon lights that say “I got served in Dallas!” are ready for action. Antique telephones are at the entrance where you can explain to millennials and zoomers what it means to “hang up” the phone.
Nguyen says she was attracted to the franchise for the way she noticed how it brings generations together — because who doesn’t get a little excited about ice cream, especially when it’s wrapped in fairy floss.
Aqua S is located at 2375 Victory Park Lane, Suite 140. 214-272-9968. To order mini-tub delivery, text 682-433-9928. aquas.us.com.
