Hokkaido-Style Soft Serve Opens on 45th Street

They say “hunger is the best sauce.” After an enjoyable 40 minutes in queue waiting for Hokkaido-style soft serve at Indigo Cow, this is proven to be true. Like the old days of waiting for concert tickets, a new album to drop or a limited release craft beer, being in line for ice cream was almost as great as the final product.

Ready for a treat, folks came from all around the greater Seattle area. Standing in a line that wrapped around the building, we shared stories of what getting ice cream felt like as a kid, of trips to Japan, of the way it felt eating mochi for the first time and the prospect of sharing this with families here in Seattle.

My husband, who granted me with two ice cream enthusiast children and a Japanese last name, tells me that waiting in line is a bit of a Japanese pastime in its own right. For folks who have spent time in Japan, another familiarity is the milk flavor of Japanese soft serve ice cream — something you just can’t find in the U.S.  Judging from the line constantly around the block, it is a welcome treat here in Wallingford.

As several Seattle news outlets have covered, Indigo Cow is the latest addition from Keisuke Kobayashi, chef owner of Yoroshiku. Hailing from Hokkaido, Kobayashi came to Seattle in 2006 as a student. The modern Izakaya’s website tells us that “His heart led him back to his hometown of Sapporo with a dream to one day return to the Emerald City and bring back valuable tenets of Japanese culture. While back home, Keisuke learned his most valuable lesson through food service: “prepare with your heart. Serve with your soul”.  KING 5 reported that importing the milk from Hokkaido was a 2 year process, filing paperwork to satisfy FDA regulations, but Kobayashi and his customers are glad he did!

Indigo Cow is a walk-up window connected to Yoroshiku, located at 1911 N. 45th Street. Soft serve is available Wednesday through Sunday from 3-9 p.m. For now, come prepared for a line — and hope you are as lucky as I was, finding a day filled with sunshine and a crowd eager to make new (if temporary) friends in the name of a tasty cone or cup of Hokkaido-style soft serve. Indigo Cow offers one traditional milk flavor with a series of toppings including Theo Chocolate,  fruit syrup and other seasonal specials. I got sprinkles for the kids and can personally vouch for the silky goodness of the milk-flavored soft serve drizzled with rich and sweet brown butter syrup.

Lactose-intolerant beware: With Molly Moon’s, Seattle Pops and the Fainting Goat Gelato just blocks away, it seems this corner of Wallingford is becoming a bit of a destination for those seeking a cool and creamy treat!