I almost run the car into the pavement when I spot La Cream — because I am concentrating on the building to the left and not on the road. The ice cream salon is small, the signage doesn’t really stand out, and it looks like one of those bakery chains that have been suddenly popping up all over the city. But I couldn’t have been more wrong.
La Cream boasts a variety of exotic ice cream that is naturally-made and vegetarian. The three-month-old venture by R. Maniraju and T.R. Ammaihraj, La Cream’s menu includes flavours such as Australian Melon, Kabul Pomegranate, Rose Almond, Brazilian Banana, and Biscotinno. They have faloodas and shakes as well.
Dark and richWe’re hungry and looking forward to feasting on ice cream. The Belgian Chocolate is an immediate draw, its rich dark colour inviting. We also ask for a scoop of Malaga, raisin-flavoured. The chocolate ice cream is rich, dark and has that lovely grainy and chewy texture that comes with natural, eggless ice creams. The chocolate chunks that appear in between are delightful.
Maniraju imports his ingredients from Italy and says that no artificial flavouring goes into any of the ice creams. “We make the ice cream from fruit extracts, so they are free from any chemical or flavouring agents,” he says. Maniraju owns a dairy farm in Trichy, from where the milk and other dairy ingredients are sourced. “We have been making softy ice creams for five years now, and decided we would start an ice cream place by ourselves. Our first outlet is in Chennai.”
Malaga turns out of to be our flavour of the day. The intense flavour of the raisins goes very well with the texture of the ice cream. There is even a hint of alcohol, perhaps alluding to the rum-and-raisin flavour. Biscotinno is peppered with actual bits of biscuit and has that doughy flavour. It leaves you a bit confused; because it seems as if you ate a biscuit that melted like ice cream. Dolcelatte is reminiscent of the old caramel toffees that defined childhood, the ones that came wrapped in blue or red paper. Wild Berry is light, and cheerful, the flavours of fresh berries pop in your mouth.
We’re almost full by now. But the Dry Fruit Falooda is on its way. La Cream offers 12 flavours right now, and is looking at adding a few more. “We are bringing in Pista, Orange and Chocolate, Ferrero Rocher and some other flavours,” says Maniraju, adding that the Belgian Chocolate and Biscottino are the fast movers.
Layer after layer...The falooda appears in a tall glass, packed with layer after layer of delicious flavour. The French Vanilla ice cream on top is silky and not in-your-face. It is seasoned with nuts. Beneath this is a layer of vermicelli and falooda seeds, topped with almond sauce. Needless to say, at the end of this meal, we had to be rolled out of the shop and into the car.
La Cream is located at Third Cross Street, Corporation Shopping Complex, R.A. Puram. Any two scoops are available for Rs. 90. The faloodas are priced at Rs. 120 and the shakes range between Rs. 90 and Rs. 110.
