Dear Mr. Gold,

Once, many years ago, I stumbled upon an ice cream parlor in New York’s Chinatown and on a whim ordered lychee ice cream. It was fantastic, but to this day, I’ve never stumbled across it again. Are there ice cream parlors in L.A. that make it?

—Adam, Santa Monica

Dear Adam,

The place you visited in New York was probably the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory down on Bayard Street, and the ice cream there does happen to be pretty great. My particular weakness is the almond cookie ice cream, which is so stiff with shortening that I often refer to it as lard chip, accurately or not. Their ginger ice cream is pretty good too. But as a lychee fan, you’re in luck: The lychee ice cream at the venerable Fosselman’s, which some people consider to be the best ice cream parlor in town, is even better than the version in Manhattan, smooth and sweet and creamy and funky in just the right way. Fosselman’s may be best known for its inky Dutch chocolate ice cream and delicious seasonal flavors like black raspberry, fresh peach and black walnut, but there are many Asian-themed ice creams too, made with the Filipino purple yam called ube, fresh mango and green tea. Only in Los Angeles is it possible to get a triple scoop of English toffee, macapuno and chocolate-chip cookie dough.1824 W. Main St., Alhambra, (626) 282-6533.

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