There was a time when if you wanted a nice big scoop of ice cream, you had a choice of chocolate, vanilla, strawberry or butterscotch. These four flavours have been the pillars of flavours when it comes to ice creams. If you want to eat an ice cream today, the choices are endless. Chocolate has a range of subcategories: dark, white, praline, with nuts, bitter and so on. Strawberry comes in a number of combinations: chocolate and strawberry, strawberry cheesecake, fresh strawberries and the list goes on. Today, ice-cream parlours are going all out to come up with innovative flavours and combinations to please their hungry clientele. While you have popular outlets such as Baskin Robbins and their 31 flavours, Natural’s for their wonderful fruit flavours, or the current favourite Häagen-Dazs with their enormous sundaes, there are other local players doing some very interesting things with ice cream. Here are our favourite picks.
K Rustom – It would be impossible to talk about ice creams in Mumbai and not mention the legendary K Rustom and their adorable ice cream sandwiches. They are just as popular as they were decades ago, and have a long list of different flavours. Their ice creams are a small bar or slab sandwiches between two wafer-thin biscuit sheets and relished by every single customer. Some unusual flavour choices would include watermelon, papaya, green mango and ginger lemon.
Bachelorr's Chilli Ice Cream – This place is famous for causing traffic jams, especially on the weekends, but no one will dispute that this fast food king is a genius with innovating new dishes. In season time, their strawberries and cream sell like hotcakes but, throughout the year, apart from their food, it is the juices and ice creams that are crowd-pleasers. From a list of regular flavours to some interesting fruit-based ice creams, Bachelorr’s has a list, but their most interesting flavour is their green chilli ice cream that really packs a punch. It is slightly deceiving as it is not as hot when you first bite into it but has a spicy aftertaste and, despite being an acquired taste, is a popular flavour on their menu.
Bawi Bride’s Lagan Nu Custard – While this is not an ice cream parlour, Parsi food caterer and chef Perzen Patel, popularly known as the Bawi Bride, makes it to the list for the most unusual ice cream flavour. Her Parsi dessert of Lagan nu Custard is such a hit that she has very smartly turned it into an ice cream as well, so the next time you want to really try something out of the box, get your hands on this ice cream!
The Parfait Co. – While they are not traditional ice creams, parfaits are equally delicious and The Parfait Co. in Mumbai make it their mission to try new and unusual flavours. Of course, these are limited editions, but should you want a particular flavour, they are happy to customise your order. In the past, they have done a delicious pumpkin spice maple and are currently working on a matcha flavour and a ginger rhubarb. If you cannot wait that long, try their salted caramel or passionfruit parfaits.
Papacream’s Mexicano – This new ice-cream parlour has many interesting innovations and flavour combinations. The one that stands out the most is their savoury ice cream called the Mexicano. It is a cheddar cheese, smoked bell peppers and jalapeño ice cream that is served with spiced nachos. In fact, the nachos served come in different flavours, such as beetroot, spicy jalapeño and even spinach. It is an unusual ice cream because it is completely savoury and feels like you are eating a creamy cheese ice cream with mild hints of spice.
Ice Cream Works – The owners of Cream Centre have opened their ice cream parlour all over the city with a range of innovative flavours. The chocolate and strawberry is a personal preference, as are their multiple flavoured casattas (ice cream cakes). It is also here that you get some typically Indian-flavoured ice creams, such as paan, gulab jamun and so on.
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Better known as the Tiny Taster, Roxanne is an internationally respected blogger and expert on the Mumbai food scene. She has hosted many events, including the Upper Crust Food & Wine Show and travels the world, sharing her knowledge and gaining more experience.
