Last December, Torontonians were treated to a lot of snow but a little less ice than they would have liked when Wong’s Ice Cream permanently shuttered its cozy Gerrard Street parlour. But like winter, those long dark Wong-less months are finally over. Now, thanks to the Basil Box restaurant chain, the ice cream fave is poised to return from the dead.
Wong’s Ice Cream first opened in the summer of 2017 and instantly set itself apart from the city’s more conventional ice cream pack. Distinguishing traits included a deliciously untrendy East Chinatown location and deliciously unusual Asian-inspired flavours such as wasabi, chocolate yuzu and black sesame salted duck egg.
However, by late 2021, founder and flavour concocter Ed Wong, grappling with multiple Covid closures and a soon-to-be-expiring lease, decided to close shop. As hoarders ran to stock up on the last pints of Hong Kong milk tea, Vietnamese coffee and ube, Wong posted a fond farewell on social media: “It’s been a blast, but it’s time to move on.”
Following a long blast of winter, fast forward to spring where rebirth is not just about buds popping and blossoms blooming, but about the unexpected resurrection of Wong’s Ice Cream. Turns out that Ed Wong did indeed decide to move on, but not by abandoning the ice cream cause. Instead, he’s teaming up with Basil Box, the Asian grab-and-go chain whose healthy made-to-order boxes are inspired by Thai and Vietnamese street food.
Basil Box founder Peter Chiu was one of the many Wong fans that was crestfallen by the news of Wong’s retirement. In fact, he went one further by posting an Instagram lament in which he suggested that the two collaborate together.
After Wong took Chiu up on his suggestion, they started tossing around ideas. The upshot of their brainstorming -- that Basil Box serve Wong’s Ice Cream at its locations -- was a no-brainer for two brands that traffic in innovative takes on Asian ingredients and flavours.
Fans of Basil Box and Wong’s Ice Cream can rejoice; the ice cream is slated to hit the restaurants’ freezers in July. Perfect timing for a city that will undoubtedly be in dire need of a cool oolong watermelon or lemongrass lime sorbet.
