The story of an investment banker giving it all up to start an ice cream shop may sound like a cliché, but the awesome thing is that when smart people do smart things, the results are good for all of us. Yann Rey is exactly that guy and Unframed Ice Cream is his creation.

The Story of Unframed Ice Cream

Artisanal is a word that is thrown around a great deal these days but the beauty of that is that it means that we have a lot of passionate people doing things that they love. And when you put passion, a genuine interest and love into what you do, the results show.

Unframed Ice Cream is just that. The shop itself, located on lower Kloof Street, is minimalist and sparse – a blank slate, if you will, that lets the most important thing, the ice cream, really shine.

Don’t go there expecting wildly complicated ice creams with toppings and sauces as far as the eye can see, it’s simply not that kind of place. What you will find though is quality crafted ice cream that comes in innovative and unusual flavours that are ultimately just really delicious.

What does it take to make great Ice Cream?

Chatting to Yann is fun. He’s passionate, he’s excited and most of all, he really just wants to share what he’s creating. As someone who comes from a banking background, he thrives on details and information and so approached his ice cream journey in the exact same way – learning everything that he could and really getting to know his product.

He talks animatedly about the four non-negotiables of ice cream making – great recipes, great ingredients, great machinery and respect for temperature.

All of these things, along with a healthy dose of that aforementioned passion and innovation, naturally net a great result.

So, why did Yann go into ice cream making? It’s pretty simple really – he loves ice cream.

And while this might seem obvious, it’s not always the case. A lot of people open businesses without a real love or excitement for what they’re doing and it’s the quickest way to fail. While living in New York, an ice cream shop opened below his apartment. After sampling the goods and chatting to the owner an idea sparked and the first inkling of Unframed came to be.

So what makes Unframed Ice Cream Special?

Firstly it’s quality; this is creamy, luscious ice cream that has to be tasted to be appreciated. Secondly, it’s choice; Unframed not only caters for dairy lovers, but for vegans too. Their vegan range is utterly yum, in fact, we bet you’d find it hard to tell them apart. The coconut milk used in the vegan range gives it a superlative silky texture so perfect that you may find yourself ordering it, vegan or not.

Thirdly it’s simplicity; don’t get us wrong, there is nothing simple about making something so delicious, but we love the fact that these ice creams are all about flavour with minimal bells and whistles. The focus is not on loads of toppings, additions and sauces, it doesn’t need that; those that are on offer are curated and add to the overall experience.

Did you know? in 2019 Unframed was named “#1 Ice Cream Parlour in the World” – by Big7Travel 

Tell me what’s your flavour?

So we’ve talked a lot about flavour, what exactly are your choices? Let us entice you with thoughts of, Caramelised Banana, Dirty Sea Salt Caramel and Black Sesame. Or, perhaps you’re after a vegan treat? Look out for Peanut Butter, Chocolate, Raspberry or Tumeric Latte.

It would be seriously hard to pick a favourite, (trust me, I know because I tried every single one), but the Unframed nougat ice cream, which I tried straight out of the churner, is pretty darn spectacular. It’s Yann’s personal favourite and I can see why.

Burnt White Chocolate and Just Pistachio run close seconds, followed up by Speculoos (I have a particular affinity for these spicy Dutch shortbread biscuits) but you can see where this is going right? It’s almost impossible to choose.

Top it all off

If you’re a topping kind of guy or gal, you’ll have the choice to boost your daily nutrient intake with the likes of raw organic superfoods such as white mulberries and mesquite cacao mylk. Or you can opt for something indulgent like praline swirl, toasted coconut chips or cardamom dark chocolate. A scoop is R32, 2 scoops is R54 and 3 (now we’re talking) R65. But what we really love is the ice cream flight, where you get to try 5 flavours for R75. It’s the perfect place for Libras and other indecisive folk (read: me), to indulge their inability to make a decision.

Originally the Unframed space was going to showcase art alongside its ice cream offering but, once everything was put together, Yann opted to keep the space clean and minimalist instead. This really suits the pared-back concept down to a tee and at the end of the day, Unframed is ice cream art all on its own.

Unframed Branches

Kloof

Buy Scoops and 1L tubs at 45C Kloof Street. Open daily: 11h00-23h00 | 063 601 0287

V&A Waterfront

Buy Scoops at V&A Food Market at the V&A Waterfront. Open Monday-Thursday: 10h00-20h00. Friday-Sunday: 10h00-21h00 | 065 878 3917

Flagship Store in Woodstock

Buy Scoops and 1L tubs at the new Flagship store in Woodstock, 187 Sir Lowry Road.

Open Monday-Saturday: 11h00 – 18h00 | 063 601 0287

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Want to make your own ice cream? Check out our favourite frozen dessert and ice cream recipes.