What’s in a name you say? A whole lot, if you ask Sandesh Reddy. His new ice cream spot — Batter — which opened shop last week on St Mary’s Road (formerly Ox and Tomato) was intended to be a “full-on dessert café” with pastries, ice cream, the works, he tells us. Halfway through a year’s worth of flavour development, the man behind the ever popular Sandy’s Chocolate Laboratory decided to cull down their elaborate menu plans to only ice cream. There was just one problem — the space was called ‘Batter’ which makes one think of cake, not ice cream!
Dough-re-mi
At the time, Sandesh recalls, “We had come too far down the road to change it.” This was the case even design-wise — with the cross of the two ‘t’s in Batter whooshing across as a whisk — as you will see in the signage on the wall.
But necessity being the mother of invention is right. Turning their out-of-place name into a you-can’t-get-this-anywhere-but-here situation — Sandesh decided to make half-baked cake batter the base of every sundae on order. You get to pick from a list of four choices — Rainbow Cake, Fudgy Chocolate Cake, Triple Chocolate Brownie and the one we can’t wait to go back for, Chocochip Cookie Dough!
Next up, you pick your ice cream. And Sandesh, the mastermind behind the palate of all his culinary ventures — from Gogo Ramen back in the day to his latest Sichuan cuisine venture, Yummcha tells us, “We didn’t want to just stick to traditional flavours.” From the reputation he’s built for drool-worthy desserts over the years, we’re not surprised by the impressive range of originals — from Rose Milk and Pepper to Sandesh’s personal favourite, White Chocolate Maltova Crumble. Throw in a splash of innovation and a pinch of nostalgia and you’ve got a scoop that makes you feel more than just happy to be eating ice cream.
Care for some Cement?
Consider ‘Cement,’ which looks every bit like its name and piques our curiosity from the get-go. Made with Sweet Cream Vanilla and activated charcoal, this one is delicious enough to make you want to build a house with it — all on your own. There’s a Roasted Pistachio — with no nuts for once. There’s even a signature flavour crafted out of half-baked brownie batter. And we don’t mean just a few stray brownie bits sprinkled on top, but rather layered all the way through in batter form before it is frozen!
Also, look out for twists on current flavour trends. Instead of coffee — there is a Nutellatte (a blend of coffee and homemade Nutella) which is delicate to taste, neither overpowers the other. For salted caramel fans, sample a lovely Salted Caramel Butterscotch, packing in sweetness and crunch.
Waffle lot of good
Novel flavours aside, also expect classics like the Sweet Cream Vanilla, Strawberry and Belgium chocolate on the menu. “We have 10 anchor flavours, and five new ones which will change from month to month depending on what’s in season,” says Sandesh, who adds, another focus of his was on eveloping healthier ice cream. “We have 30 per cent less sugar, less fat and less air in our ice cream,” he says. The measure of air is determined by the rate at which you spin the ice cream, in case you’re wondering. Or in taste terms, “Less air makes for creamier ice cream,” explains the chef.
Don’t miss the palette on the interiors either — muted pastels of mint and pink with copper accents from the lighting fixtures. Oddly enough, there isn’t a bowl in sight. Edible waffle cones and wooden spoons make for an eco-friendly alternative — so sweet endings aren’t sullied by waste the Earth can’t digest.
Prices: Rs 75 for a single scoop with an additional Rs 50 for the batter.
sonali@newindianexpress.com | @brightasunshine