Yes please, ice cream!

The weather is starting to pick up (finally) and that means you need to get outside! Whenever the sun is shining even a little bit I instantly crave ice cream. In case you missed it in the lowdown or want some more detail, here are three local spots that are perfect for any sweet tooth.

First is Melt Bakery and they have ice cream cookie sandwiches. They are located literally right around the corner on Orchard St and also have a cart that pops up round the city. You can get an amazing treat for around $4 and they also do mini ones for cheaper. There are some staple flavours like the Lovelet (red velvet cookie with cream cheese ice cream), the Morticia (chocolate cookie with chocolate rum ice cream) and the Cinnamax (snickerdoodle cookie with cinnamon ice cream). It's worth checking out as they also have rotating/seasonal flavours that are normally pretty wild and delicious. The best part about Melt? They have loyalty cards where if you buy ten sandwiches you get the next one free (which is super easy to do).

My second recommendation is at the top of Ludlow St opposite Katz and it's called il laboratorio del gelato. As you might have guessed they are a gelato place and they specialise in unique flavours. They have some classics like chocolate, mango, strawberry etc. but also unusual ones like beetroot, basil, pear and sweet potato. The most famous is their olive oil (which is actually amazing). When you walk in you kind of feel like you're in an asylum as everything is so white and pristine but I guess that's the whole 'laboratory' feeling they have going. The prices vary depending on how many scoops/toppings but it's all pretty reasonable and a perfect midnight snack.

Lastly (and this one is about a ten minute walk away) is Big Gay Ice Cream and it probably wins for the best name. They initially started out as a truck but now have a permanent location in the east village on 7th St. Unlike the previous two these are gourmet, giant ice creams that in cartoons the character normally drops on the pavement. The most famous is the Salty Pimp (yes they all have kooky names) which is vanilla ice cream, dulce de leche and salt - then it's dipped in chocolate which hardens and makes a crunchy outer coating. The location itself is decorated with rainbows, unicorns and sometimes the occasional drag queen pops by.

Get out there and smell the roses! Or at least eat some ice cream!