Museum of Ice Cream
Few foods give us as much instantaneous joy as ice-cream. Whether it come as soft soft-serve, scooped from a tub, smushed into a cone or unwrapped fresh from the convenience store, ice-cream is right up there as one of our all-time faves. Imagine our pure unadulterated delight when we heard that there was such a thing as ice-cream museums. The Museum of Ice Cream is a touring dessert experience that allows people to witness their wildest dreams become reality. Visitors that are lucky enough to score a ticket (tickets flew out the door not long after going on sale) can immerse themselves in a pool of sprinkles, breathe deeply in the scratch and sniff room, check out some creative ice-cream themed art installations that include a hanging banana jungle, giant gummy bears and larger-than-life popsicles. What good would an ice-cream museum be without the chance to taste test? Patrons can sample flavours and decadent treats from local creameries.

 Food-delivery robots
We are truly #blessed when it comes to convenience, but there is always room for improvement. What if your takeaway order was delivered to your doorstep by an adorable six-wheeled robot, instead of a bloke on a bike? It’s pretty nifty, right? Starship Technologies is trialling such an idea right now in the United States, pairing up with restaurant delivery service DoorDash to courier short-distance orders from local eateries via a device that looks like Wall-E paired with a roomba. These robots can roll around town largely unsupervised (though they are continuously monitored), are secure and are programmed to move seamlessly through foot traffic. Don’t panic – such robots are not going to replace delivery staff – long distances and hard-to-navigate routes will still be handled by humans – until drone delivery becomes the new standard, that is.
Image: Starship Technologies

Joymode
If you love to entertain, you might need to read the next few sentences sitting down. The idea of hosting an outdoor cinema is great, but buying a projector isn’t cheap. A house party with a fog machine, giant games and virtual reality goggles would be all kinds of sweet – but where are you going to get the cash for such purchases? Joymode is an LA-based business that is allowing people to do more while owning less. Patrons can sign up and browse through experiences or objects that they can hire for a party or a trial run, delivered to your door and picked up once you are done. Joymode has everything from karaoke machines and giant jenga sets to virtual reality gear, camping accessories, pasta makers, table tennis sets, pressure washers and even leaf blowers. It’s like the Netflix of, like, things. No word on if Joymode will be coming to Australia any time soon, but boy we sure wish it would.
Image: Joymode

The OzHarvest Market
One of Australia’s best food rescue organisations has stepped up its game in a major way, opening up the country’s first ever rescued food supermarket. The OzHarvest Market, which can be found in Sydney, seeks to save food that would typically end up in landfill. This market is stocked with produce that has been donated that is perfectly edible and operates on a ‘take what you need, give if you can’ mantra. The OzHarvest Market has been started in conjunction with The Addision Project and TOGA.
Image: OzHarvest

Ramen tacos
Look, we wholeheartedly agree that culinary fusion backfires sometimes. The pairing of two disparate food types can be detrimental to both cuisines, so we approach any fusion dish with caution. That being said, look at these gosh darn delicious-looking ramen tacos! Ichiba Ramen by Shinokubo in New York City is the spot responsible for these beasts, which have been blowing up on social media since hitting the local food scene. These ramen tacos are made from fresh nori lined with ramen noodles, giving a tasty crunch for the outer shell. Two stuffings are available to patrons – a Tonkatsu style with pork belly, kimchi slaw, mozzarella, grilled corn and Kewpie mayo, as well as a Poke style with yellowfin tuna, avocado, wasabi mayo and roe. This is the kind of fusion we can really get behind. Take note to all budding Heston Blumenthals ­­– this is how it’s done.
Image: Ichiba Ramen by Shinokubo