Does the new Godiva x Baskin-Robbins Japan ice cream collaboration live up to the hype?

A partnership as surprising as the new limited-edition ice cream.

Baskin-Robbins and Godiva are two brands that usually sit far apart on the sweets spectrum, with the former serving up affordable ice creams and cakes, and the latter catering to customers with deeper wallets, where a single bite-sized chocolate can set you back at least 500 yen (US$3.49).

However, the vastly different customer bases is actually a good reason for the two to collaborate, and that’s what’s happening right now in Japan, with a new “forbidden collaboration” giving birth to a new ice cream that’s said to be so good it’s on track to be a sell-out hit.

According to Baskin-Robbins, which goes by the name “31” in Japan, the new collaboration has been in the works for a while, with repeated testing and improvements leading to the creation of a new Chocolat Hazelnut ice cream under the supervision of Godiva’s executive chef chocolatier Yannick Chevolleau.

Dubbed “31 Chocolaterie“, the new series of tie-up menu items includes a cup, cone, tub, and an ice cream cake, all featuring the new Chocolat Hazelnut ice cream.

Available from 4 September, our reporter P.K. Sanjun stopped by on release day to try the Premium Chocolat Sundae, which gets you two scoops of the new ice cream, along with whipped cream and a variety of Godiva chocolate treats — a crunchy chocolate cookie, bitter chocolate pieces with a high-cacao content, fried cacao nibs rich in cacao aromas, a chocolate piece decorated with the collaboration logo, and a premium chocolate sauce.

▼ A lot of Godiva goodies, all for 980 yen.

As he was most curious to try the new ice cream, P.K. dipped into this first, stopping briefly to admire the swirls in the rich combination of chocolate ice cream and hazelnut ice cream.

Upon tasting it, P.K. could immediately sense the high quality of the chocolate, which displayed a bitter cacao flavour you don’t usually get at Baskin-Robbins. The hazelnut ice cream was equally luxurious, adding sweetness to balance out the bitterness of the chocolate.

▼ The crunchy texture of the chocolates on top added an exquisite accent to the ice cream.

This pairing of chocolate and hazelnut is as impressive as the pairing of the companies behind it, and P.K. reckons it’s so good it’ll sell out in a short period of time, as there are only limited stocks available.

So if you’re a fan of chocolate or ice cream, or both put together, be sure to head on over to Baskin-Robbins before this collaboration sells out. And if you’re wondering what else is worth trying on the menu, you might want to try these suggestions for under 1,000 yen.

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