A full week of temperatures in the 90s means Houstonians are looking for ways to cool off. Thankfully, chef Chris Leung is here to help.
The acclaimed pastry chef and his business partner Christopher Balat are ready to debut the latest outpost of Cloud 10 Creamery. Located on the border of Montrose and Upper Kirby at 3502 S. Shepherd Dr., the new Cloud 10 will open its doors for the first time at 6 pm on Wednesday, May 22. From there, it will operate normally and celebrate its grand opening on June 14.
Intended as a replacement for Cloud 10's original location in Rice Village that closed in December, the shop builds on the success of Cloud 10's location in the Heights Mercantile shopping development. Diners will find the same mix of Leung's elevated take on classic ice cream flavors with a few wild cards that exist nowhere else in Houston. The chef tells CultureMap he'll be serving between 16 and 18 varieties of ice cream alongside 4 sorbets and the usual sundaes, ice cream pops, and his signature banana split.
In addition to his familiar flavors, Leung recently introduced a line of ice cream cakes. Currently, three varieties are available: vanilla bean with almond cake, dark chocolate with bananas, and baked Alaska with Neapolitan ice cream. Priced at $60, they're designed to feed a small crowd that's looking for something a little more sophisticated than a scoop of ice cream in a cone (not that there's anything wrong with that).
The new cakes are possible because of Cloud 10's investment in a dedicated kitchen — or in Balat's words a "factory" — that allows Leung to produce enough ice cream to supply the shop's three scoop shops. Ultimately, the increased capacity will also allow ice cream to be shipped nationwide, meaning Houstonians can begin sending out of town friends and family Cloud 10 signatures like cafe sua da and toasted rice.
As Leung told CultureMap in December, the lineup may expand, but his goals remain the same. “We’re making a product we love, that we can 100-percent stand behind,” the chef said. “The guests love the product. We serve ice cream. It makes people happy.”
Dark chocolate with banana cake.
