Moom Maam - Torrance

Deep down in the bowels of the mall, a Smorgaburg star sets up a brick-and-mortar. 

It's artisan Thai gelato in every flavor you can imagine and also many you can't. The Special is amazing for sharing. A waffle-cup cradles a scoop of sticky rice, and you can choose up to three scoops as you wish. Mango is a must, black sesame is nutty and rich, and this last white one is a creamy and very interesting tofu. 

The woman behind the counter is incredibly patient, insisting that you try every flavor so you're sure to choose the ones you like. The blue corn with goat milk caramel doesn't make the cut for me as it is so much blander than it sounds, and it's mostly milky with kinda a hint of corn. Uji matcha is good, though, as is the rich Belgian chocolate. and creamy Thai tea. 

Don't come here if you don't have time to wait. Service is incredibly friendly but hardly fast, and seating is limited to a couple of narrow benches. Still, the ice cream is absolutely worth it, pricey but quality, unique and easily the best in the mall.

Ugo - Culver City

It has been a sweltering summer, and even my redondo beach apartment has been a sauna...ocean breeze my ass!

But paying rent for a practically-oceanside Redondo Beach apartment is not without its consequences - I, for one, cannot afford to be constantly in and out of restaurants and coffeeshops to escape the heat. So where do I go to beat this sweat-sucking, face-melting heat?

Apparently Ugo is the place to go, the answer to my heat-of-the-moment prayers. Gourmet gelato is definitely my jam, and many delicious samples later, I "settled" for the Salted Caramel, some of which I traded for a sample of Pistacho. their gelato is rich and creamy and cold, and the shaded outdoor dining is enticing. Check in on yelp, and your gelato is free.

So don't bring me water with ice when the heat kicks it up another notch. I'll be going to ugo where they bring the gelato with the water.

Bonaventura Gelato Lounge – Marina del Rey

I just spent an hour at the gym. And I wasn’t about to let that well-spent hour go to waste. In fact, I planned to negate that hour completely…which is why I ended up at Bonaventura facing a large cup of gelato.

Why did I get a large cup, you ask? Why didn’t I get a small reasonable cup of gelato to enjoy instead of gorging, you ask? Because you can try four different flavors when you get a LARGE. So go large or go home. Give me that entire conglomerate of creamy Panna Cotta, cool Cannoli, indulgent Dulce de Leche, and Tiramisu so close it’s terrifying. Totally worth it. Totally worth every sinful spoonful, every belly-fat-fanning, pudge-packing bite. 6 dollars to negate a 25-dollar workout? Priceless.

Some things really are so cute you could eat them up. How about some Spaghetti Gelato? This one is made with nutella and topped with strawberry sauce. I almost ate this too, but I let my friend have it. I’m so nice. It’s not like he ordered and paid for it or something.

So if you’re like me, and you have the Bonaventura (“good fortune” in Italian) to stumble into Bonaventura, make sure you take a large-cup-of-gelato-long moment to indulge…like me. And for once in your life, be prepared to can have your cake…or spaghetti and eat it. You can always work out again tomorrow.