Owner of Aep Thai restaurant is adding a rolled ice cream shop in midtown KC

Just a few months after opening a contemporary Thai restaurant in midtown Kansas City, owner Jakob Polaco plans to add a rolled ice cream shop next door.

Mr. Boy is scheduled to open this fall in a 400-square-foot space at 1815 W. 39th St., Suite B. It is named after Polaco’s bulldog, Donut, who comes running when Polaco calls out “Mr. Boy.” A cartoon drawing of Donut is part of the logo.

Polaco has traveled extensively in Southeast Asia, researching cuisine for his Aep restaurant. He’s sampled a variety of rolled ice cream at street snack stalls, enjoying the “performance art” it takes to create the ice cream.

The process takes just a couple of minutes. Typically the ice cream mixture is poured onto metal pans or plates, quickly hardening at subzero temperatures. Ingredients are added, and then the ice cream is rolled up and placed in cups and topped off with more ingredients such as candy or fruit.

Polaco’s shop will feature about a dozen artisanal flavors including rose hips and buttermilk, Vietnamese coffee and durian (a tree fruit), as well as about 20 add-ins and toppings to select from. Polaco also may serve adult selections using spirits from local distilleries.

“You get all the different textures when it is rolled, and people like to see exactly what is going in to what they are eating,” he said.

Polaco opened Aep in December at 1815 W. 39th St., Suite A.

This story was originally published July 10, 2017 at 1:19 PM with the headline "Owner of Aep Thai restaurant is adding a rolled ice cream shop in midtown KC."