The food court at Meadowbrook Mall has a new addition. And if the line that was in place Tuesday during an unannounced soft opening was any indication of future success, then things should be good.

 

Shoppers in Bridgeport and beyond will now be able to take advantage of Rock N Roll Rolled Ice Cream and Fried Oreos. Along with the soft opening Tuesday, a grand opening was held Thursday.

 

“We had heard about this ice cream,” said Joey Vincent of Monongalia County. “This is the first we’ve tried it and I like it more than my daughter. This isn’t your typical ice cream.”

 

Indeed, it isn’t. Its origins go to Thailand in Southeast Asia and it’s often called Thais Rolled Ice Cream, which is how Joe Bell described it. Bell is the corporate communications director for the Cafaro Company that owns the Meadowbrook Mall.

 

“I know it as Thai rolled ice cream and it’s done by pouring the ingredients onto a very cold surface,” said Bell. “It freezes and becomes rolled ice cream right before your eyes. It’s not that old of a concept, but it’s becoming very popular.”

 

The local owner is Ahmed Menshawy, who said he is based out of New Jersey. It is Menshawy’s first rolled ice cream venture, but not his first venture in Bridgeport.

 

“I had a t-shirt shop here in Bridgeport in 2015, but that was seasonal. I wanted something more permanent in Bridgeport and this is that business,” said Menshawy of the business located next to T&L Hot Dogs.

 

There are three menus to choose from. The first menu allows you to create your own “Thai Roll” by choosing a chocolate or vanilla base, then mix in a plethora of your choice of fruits, nuts, sweets and candy followed by toppings.

 

If you don’t want to decide, there are also “Rock N Roll Signatures.” These have choices made for you among the 12 varieties including The Funky Monkey, Stairway to Chocolatey Heaven and Start Me Up Cereal among others.

 

For those not craving ice cream, but still wanting something sweet. There are a variety of fried items including Oreos, Twinkies, Snickers, cheesecake, Twix and Reese’s

 

“We have something for everyone on the three menus,” said Menshawy.

 

The addition of the business helps fill a void from the departure of Miskycha in late April. And it adds to a food court that has a few open spots.

 

“We’re always happy to see a new addition. Food court vendors can come and go, and some are very good at what they do and very popular. Sometimes, even with a good product it may not mesh with the public and local tastes, so you’ll see some change more frequently in food courts than other places,” said Bell. “This could be a hit because I don’t think there’s been a Thai-rolled ice cream in Bridgeport. It’s trendy, but where it’s been around it’s been around for years.”

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows a worker starting the process to roll the ice cream, while the next two photos show the finished product. The bottom picture is a serving of deep fried Twix.