Ecstasy on Ice

Daniel Ackler tasted paradise for the first time on a trip to Italy. Now, he's brought a little bite of heaven to Hong Kong, his home for 13 years. The Canadian-born trader studied the art of making authentic gelato under an Italian master before opening his first gelateria, XTC On Ice, a year ago in Hong Kong's trendy SoHo district. Since then, Ackler's gelati have gained a reputation as the best Italian ices in Asia. His mandarin-hued outlet on Cochrane Street, tel: (852) 2541 0500, is thronged even on chilly afternoons with bankers on break, schoolkids off for the day and gym rats looking for a postworkout pick-me-up.

Ackler uses only natural ingredients to make his creamy but relatively low-fat desserts. Chillers in his factory on Bridges Street are piled high with pure fruit purees, Madagascar vanilla beans, Valrhona cocoa, Italian pistachios, spices, even flowers. And these exotic ingredients from faraway places are thrown into suggestive creations such as "raspberry nipple," "chocolate ecstasy" and "volcanic pistachio." His most unusual flavor? The zingy lemon-pepper, which has a delightful kick. So popular is Ackler's ice cream that it's on the menu at many top Hong Kong eateries, and several independent markets sell it by the kilo. "When I first started, I figured I would eat it myself if no one else wanted any," says Ackler, who looks more like a surfer than a Mister Softee. But considering the popularity of his artisan ices, Ackler won't need to lick the bowl clean himself for a long time to come.