Awan

Coconut milk carries the whole programme

Balinese vanilla bean is the scoop that explains Awan fastest: a coconut-milk base doing the work dairy usually does, without the iciness or the artificial edge that gives plant-based ice cream its reputation. Zen Ong opened the West Hollywood window in September 2021 around that base and named it awan, Indonesian for cloud, after the texture he was chasing. Everything is fully vegan and gluten free, with no dairy, eggs or animal products in the ice cream.

The Indonesian and Balinese identity is concrete rather than decorative. Harry’s Berries Gaviota strawberry uses a named California fruit source; Oro Blanco grapefruit from Santa Paula arrives as a sharper sorbet. A fall flavour such as Candied Pumpkin and Pink Guava shows the method plainly, taking a familiar seasonal spice and pushing it through a Southeast Asian point of view. The list rotates with what is ripe, closer to a pastry case than a fixed ice-cream board.

A walk-up window, not a parlour

Awan is an alley-side window built for the scoop and little else. Guests step up, read the rotation, order from staff and leave eating. There is no table service, no seating programme and no dessert room shaping the visit, which keeps attention exactly where Ong wants it.

Scoops are the in-person draw; pints carry the flavours people want beyond a single visit. The narrow format also reflects the origin story, since Ong used this first site to test and refine the coconut-milk formula before opening in Venice and on Larchmont. In a neighbourhood built on dining and nightlife, it works as a late-day and evening stop rather than a destination in itself.

Start with Balinese vanilla, then go sharper

Balinese vanilla bean is the right first order because it adds nothing to hide behind. The coconut base shows its texture, the vanilla anchors the brand in the Indonesian tradition that inspired it, and the whole method reads in one spoon.

Then move into fruit. Harry’s Berries Gaviota strawberry is the richer option, built on a named berry rather than a generic strawberry profile. Oro Blanco grapefruit sorbet runs cleaner and sharper, with citrus structure instead of cream. Together they show how the same produce moves across ice cream and sorbet. Seasonal pints add a third lens: Candied Pumpkin and Pink Guava puts pumpkin spice in conversation with tropical fruit, which is where Ong’s years as a pastry chef at E.P. & L.P. show through.