The only sensible thing to do in order to cool off in the summers is go on an ice cream trail to spot, taste and declare your favourite flavours. I do just that and am introduced to a world of ice creams, slushes, creamsicles and thick shakes.
I begin with Paleta House, a tiny popsicle store off Waltair Main Road and from the dozens of colourful popsicles, pick a bright red one. It is a watermelon kiwi one and biting into it feels like sinking my teeth into a freshly sliced watermelon. If you don’t like watermelon then pick other seasonal specials such as strawberry, muskmelon or grape popsicles. “There has been a steady rise in demand for fruit-based ice cream, as people find they are more nutritious” says N Nishikanth, owner of Bombay Kulfi store. He should know as he explains of all the 20 odd flavours they sell at the store, the natural kulfis are the most popular.
“Mango and sitaphal are the most preferred flavours of summer at our store. Normally we ship in one consignment of kulfis every week. However, with the onset of summer, we have been getting consignments every two days,” he adds.
Being a mango lover, my obvious pick is the Alphonso mango kulfi slice . Saving myself some embarrassment of clumsily eating from a stick, I choose the nicely cut kulfi slices I can tackle with a fork. The real taste of the fruit and a creamy, milky flavour make it an instant favourite. Their guava kulfi is served with sprinkled chilli powder much like the way we eat the fruit. The other hits are kulfis with black jamun, musk melon, tender coconut, chickoo and black grapes. At the newly opened-outlet of Gatox Natural Ice creams on Beach Road, jackfruit and chikoo icecreams rule. Made with milk, sugar and real fruit, the taste of the jackfruit and the chikoo sing out. Their mango ice cream is on offer throughout the year. Made with the fruit pulp it is an eternal favourite. Some others like Creamstone serve their icecreams with fresh fruit toppings. I once again pick the Alphonso, but quickly realise it is really not Alphonso mangoes that have been used here. Besides the ice cream is way too sweet for my liking. According to the outlet the mango nevertheless is a favourite with visitors as is the musk melon.
