Every-so-often, New York City sparks a food craze: last year it was Cronuts – and this year it seems to be an innovative type of ice cream that has fans queuing for hours to get their hands on.

It only opened in July, but 10Below in Manhattan's hip Chinatown already has a cult following – fuelled by Instagram posts featuring its quirky, cold creations. 

Popular flavours (there are currently a total of eight on offer) include I Love You A Latte, cold-brew coffee with chocolate chips, Monkey Business, crème anglaise, Nutella and banana, and an Oreo-packed Cookie Monster.

It's ice cream – but with a twist inspired by Thai ice cream rolls. 

 

Doin' what the trendy kids do apparently #icecream #summer #45minslater

A photo posted by Food.com (@fooddotcom) on  

 

 

 

 

The finished product. Every bite was a flavor carnival for the mouth! #yummylicious #thaiicecreamrolls #nycmoment

A photo posted by Lisa Bentley Ghigliazza (@lghig) on

The frozen concoction is created by pouring liquid homemade ice cream onto a cold plate which has been chilled to minus 10C (hence the name).

The expert 10Below staff then mix in toppings, flatten it out like a crepe, and then scrape it into ice-cold rolls with a putty-knife-like tool.

They sell for €6.25 a pop and the New York Post has already called it the summer's "most Instagrammable dessert". 

Taking about four minutes to create, the creators call you over to their cold plate before they begin so you can get a front-row view — understandably leading to countless social media-friendly posts.

Originally founded by Richard Tam, 23, before long his 28-year-old brother, Wilson, and their friend, David Chen, 22, were on board too. 

Richard first saw the technique in a Facebook video of a friend’s trip to Thailand, and he jumped at the chance to leave behind accountancy to turn his ice cream-making hobby into a career.

It seems the resulting sweet treats pass the taste-test too: one 23-year-old who tried out 10Below told the New York Post that her Monkey Business was like "having Beyoncé serenade you in ice cream form".

“Every single bite was the perfect blend of Nutella and frozen banana,” she added.

Any chance of 10Below coming to Ireland, so?? In the meantime, you can follow the guys on Instagram here.