Nitrogenie’s creamy treats convey the allure of magic

I DON’T know what it is about schools that drives interest in science out of students. Most people have a natural curiosity about the way things work and the interesting things that can happen when chemicals react. And what is cooking but basic chemistry brought into the home, and the magic that happens when ordinary ingredients mix with heat and cold?

Some of the world’s top restaurants have taken the concept further with molecular gastronomy, a term coined by a physicist and chemist back in 1988 to describe the science of blending their disciplines to transform the tastes and textures of food.

But it wasn’t until the mid-2000s when pioneering chefs like Ferran Adria, Grant Achatz and Wylie Dufresne, in the kitchens of El Bulli, Alinea and WD-50, respectively, began bringing molecular gastronomy into their dining rooms, to both the delight and consternation of guests. It sparked debate between those who considered food art and those who argued for pure sustenance.

Well, why shouldn’t it be both?

More recently it has come out of the kitchen and into the ice cream parlor to entertain and demonstrate what fresh ice cream can be.

Australian-based Nitrogenie is the first company to bring the concept to Hawaii. The first store is now open in the new Ewa Wing expansion at Ala Moana Center, next to Longs Drugs. The company describes its product as “Ice cream from magic,” but of course we know that magic is the liquid nitrogen that freezes the fresh egg and cream anglaise and other ingredients at minus 321 degrees in about two minutes, too fast for large ice crystals to form.

The result is a richer, creamier ice cream with a velvety texture. The downside, it also melts more quickly, as sticky hands will attest.

“There’s nothing in it to stop it from melting, so people have to know that,” said co-founder Todd Farr, who was in town for the opening. It’s a positive thing in that the ice cream contains no chemical stabilizers to prevent melting, which works for those who don’t appreciate chemical additives in their food.

BUT I would not be writing about this place if it were about the science alone. Beyond the chemical reaction there is the flavor of the ice cream, which pays homage to old-fashioned desserts, like a lemon meringue pie made with real lemons instead of flavors concocted in a lab.

I ordinarily dislike stuff piled onto ice cream — candies, sugar sprinkles, cookie or cake crumbs — because I prefer to taste the unadulterated product. So as I watched them pile such items on, I said to myself, “Oh no.”

But unlike outlets that allow people to pile up add-ons indiscriminately, a higher concept is at work here. Those crumbs and torched “meringue” exist to re-create the experience of actually biting into a lemon meringue pie.

Popcorn is tossed into the Salty Caramelly ice cream to create the best salted caramel ice cream you’ve tasted. Mango of Summer is like a creamy custard that’s not overly sweet, and an added plus is the absence of mango-seed hairs getting between your teeth.

The menu will be seasonally driven, with ingredients sourced from local farms, and it will change every Monday. Flavors on the menu through Monday: Granny’s Apple Pie, Honey Cheesecake, Caramel Fudge Sundae, Nutella Ella Ella, and Triple Choc Brownie, at $4.59 for a regular cup, $5.79 large, $5.59 waffle cone and $3.39 kid’s cone. Nitroshakes are $5.79.

And true to Hawaii fashion, people are lining up for the ice cream in unprecedented numbers. Farr said he’d never seen anything like it. He was expecting to sell 500 helpings a day and instead doubled that number.

“I’m just here to make sure the customer gets consistency, because the staff here has never seen this, and people have been enthusiastic about seeing the process, seeing how it’s made,” Farr said. “They’ve been very patient.”

The company, with stores in the U.K. and Thailand, is growing quickly. By the end of 2016, Nitrogenie will be in Indonesia, Germany, France, Japan and Korea. And already, more stores are planned for Hawaii.

Nadine Kam’s restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously and paid for by the Star-Advertiser. Reach her at nkam@staradvertiser.com.

BITE SIZE

Meat eaters can find joy at Grand Carving Station

While all of the action at Ala Moana Center seems to have moved to the newly open Ewa Wing expansion, let’s not discount the allure of the Makai Market Food Court, where one of the new additions is The Grand Carving Station.

If you’ve always believed the best part of any buffet is the carving station, well, now they’ve got one set up permanently to satisfy your inner caveman or Paleo diet.

Meat lovers will be drawn to the sight of prime rib, rack of lamb, roasted Angus sirloin, baked ham, lamb, roast turkey, roast pork and baked corned beef brisket, all sitting on the cutting boards.

Prices are $10.95 for a plate with 6 ounces of prime rib or rack of lamb, or $14.95 for 12 ounces of the same. For all other meat the cost is $8.95 for 6 ounces of one choice of meat, $12.95 for 12 ounces and up to two choices, or $14.95 for 16 ounces and up to two choices.

Side options for your plate include mashed potatoes, sweet potato, tossed salad and couscous.

Sandwiches are $8.95, with a choice of leg of lamb, baked ham, roast Angus, corned beef or a special of the day. — Nadine Kam

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