Kolkata-based Pabrai Fresh and Naturelle Ice Cream offers an array of irresistible ice-creams – think Lemongrass and South Indian Coffee. Reportedly even Sachin Tendulkar, Priyanka Gandhi and former Indian President Pranab Mukherjee are fond of it!
Our curiosity piqued, we visit the store in the Drive ’n’ Dine drive-in on a hot Friday afternoon. This is the brand’s second outlet in the city, first located in Madhapur. We’re ushered in by the store manager, Srikanth K, who also gives us a brief about the brand. “It was started in Kolkata in 2008, and now has branches across the country including Delhi, Chennai and Bengaluru,” he says. The kiosk has huge pictures of their best-selling flavours, which make your task of choosing an ice cream simpler, considering the menu is quite elaborate. We glance through the display of flavours at the counter. Although the brand boasts of 65 flavours in total, the store can accommodate only about 20 of them in one go, depending on the season. “We want customers to enjoy the natural flavour of our ice creams. So, no toppings,” informs Srikanth.
A visit to Pabrai is incomplete without trying their signature Nolen Gur – a flavour made of date palm jaggery – something the brand claims to be inventors of. This one is slightly thicker and the gur flavour doesn’t overpower. As expected, Nolen Gur is a must-try. Ever had a scoop of a cheese-based ice cream? Apart from the other unique flavours, Pabrai offers this too. Even in its appearance, the Mascarpone Cheese and Candied Fruit stands out – one of the only ice creams that is a mix of two ingredients (cheese and candy fruits). The salty flavour of the Italian Cream Cheese is subtle, and we enjoy chewing small bites of the fruits. We later take a spoonful of the Natural Vanilla ice cream and we spot the tiny brown granules – a proof that the ice cream is made of 100 per cent vanilla bean. As if on cue, Srikanth quickly hands us a test tube containing a vanilla bean. “We give this is to every customer who orders the vanilla flavour,” he adds. The other unique flavours you could try are Rose, Green Tea, Chandan, Orange and Basil.
Price for two: Rs.300.
Pics: Sathya Keerthi.