What: Confetti Italian Ice & Custard
Where: 1175 Baker St, Costa Mesa, 92626
How Much: $2-10
Hours:
- Mon-Thu 12 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.
- Fri-Sun 12 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Rating: 3.5/5
Once upon a time, there was only one type of ice cream shop: the kind that only served ice cream with the option of one, two or three scoops, a banana split or a sundae. Eventually, good old-fashioned ice cream found competion with frozen yogurt establishments like Pinkberry, Golden Spoon and Yogurtland. Then LA-transplant, Sprinkles Ice Cream, rolled into Orange County, bringing another player to the ballgame of ice cream establishments.
Next up to the plate was Confetti Italian Ice & Custard, which opened in a small, Costa Mesa strip mall in December of last year. With a name that conjures images of colorful flecks of paper, shaved ice and thick, creamy custard, it makes it hard to pin down a solid expectation of what would be served.
Serving ice, custard and parfaits — which is the name for their flavored ice and custard combinations — making a choice proved to be daunting. The menu for parfaits alone listed over 45 options of that included Banana Split, Nutter Butter, Starburst, Tokyo Tea and Root Beer float.
Luckily, Confetti offers free samples of all of their parfait combinations, as well as the six custard flavors that they serve each day, or one of the 16 ice flavors that they have displayed in their cooler.
Factorials, anyone?
I sprung for the Caramel Apple parfait my first time around, feeling wooed by this new twist on some of my favorite desserts.
First, the thick, flavored caramel syrup was swirled around the inside of the cup. Next came the ice, so shredded and thin that the neon-green scoops they put into the cup looked just like ice cream.
Their ice, made with real fruit and flavored syrup, was a far cry from the chunky shaved ice that’s served at carnivals and fairs. The strawberry ice that my companion ordered had flecks of strawberry seeds inside and, lo and behold, tasted just like blended strawberries.
After the syrup and the ice came the custard, which was just vanilla-flavored, but coated in even more caramel syrup. Syrup, ice and custard — a fitting combination for a perfect summer dessert.
Their water-based and dairy-free ice managed to have the texture of ice cream, where getting a spoonful of ice wasn’t like scraping across the frozen tundra of Alaska. It was just like dipping into a pint of your favorite Ben & Jerry’s. The apple flavor helped create an uncanny valley-like resemblance to a crisp, Granny Smith apple.
However, there was too much custard on the dessert for my taste. It was creamy, smooth and kissed by vanilla, but the huge mound of custard made it less exciting to eat as everything began to melt into a beautiful yet very green mess.
Confetti is the perfect spot for a chilling summer dessert with their huge array of flavored ice, custard and syrups that somehow transform into an imitation of some of your favorite treats.