Vegan Pistachio Tofu Gelato by Tofu G Gelato

I had tried other soybased gelatos and ice creams, so I didn't think Tofu G would be anything too unusual. But after trying their pistachio flavour, I thought that this particular combination of pistachio and soy was noteworthy enough to feature. I have yet to try Tofu G's other flavours, so my comparison is to other premium cow milk pistachio gelatos from more gourmet brands such as Venchi or Da Paolo Gastronomia.
Vegan Pistachio Tofu Gelato by Tofu G Gelato
Tofu G is a trending Korean soy-based vegan gelato chain that opened its first few branches in Singapore over the past few years. I visited the one at Ngee Ann City, which is their second branch.

The gelato was not really green, unlike other Italian cow milk pistachio gelatos, but more like across between the yellowish hue on the outer part of pistachio nuts and the yellowish cream of soymilk.

The first thing that struck me was the amazing texture. It was perfectly silky smooth and creamy, with not a hint of ice crystal, powder, gooeyness (like those caused by carrageenan gum), bubble or any solid. It was like the perfect melty praline or cocoa butter in texture, and slightly creamier than normal gelatos. 

The taste was also perfect, and what I thought was most interesting. Unlike cow milk gelatos, the pistachio flavour on this soy gelato was a lot closer to the pure roasted pistachio butter experience. This is mainly because the soymilk itself is nutty and somehow beany, a complete subset of actual pistachio taste, unlike cow milk gelatos where the milk adds extra milky notes to the taste that dilutes the nuttiness and beany aspects of the pistachio. As a result, the tofu notes don't distract from, but rather supercharge the nuttiness of the pistachio, making it a super intensely pure pistachio experience. It was like pure liquid buttery pistachio sliding down my throat. 

The pistachio flavour itself was extremely fragrant, rich, toasty and malty, with a good dose of salt to complement the sugar. It was like eating perfectly roasted and lightly salted top grade pistachios that are naturally sweet, except it was in creamy liquid form. 

In terms of the sweetness level, I would say it was not low in sugar, and would have come across as too sweet without the added salt. But the overall balance with the salt was perfect, so it did not come across as overly sweet or too cloying. 

I'm not sure the other flavours would work as perfectly as this pistachio and soy combination, but the experience was good enough for me to want to try at least another nutty flavour such as sesame.

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