Summer is here earlier than anticipated, and the sweltering heat is making its presence felt with each passing day. However, it also means that we can savour summer delights like a glass of freshly made lemonade, eating a slice of farm-fresh watermelon, or enjoying a scoop of ice cream.
Ciclo Café, which has gained a name for itself as one of the top places in town to enjoy exquisite coffees and sandwiches, amongst others, has introduced a new range of artisanal ice creams and has joined the list of places to head to to enjoy a fresh scoop of frozen goodness.
Open to the public now, the ice cream section of the café serves up 12 different flavours, all made in-house by Sanjana Ramesh, a skilled ice cream artisan trained in Italy. We were told that the ice creams do not contain preservatives or artificial flavours and instead are made using only natural ingredients. They are served in either cones or bowls, based on the customer's preference.
If there is something that ice creams do, they bring out the child in people. Our first scoop was a ‘Horlicks’ flavour, which was like tasting spoonfuls of the sweet, malted, and hot drink of childhood. We are sure that similar flavours like Milo and Nutella would evoke the same feelings.
The ice cream named Ciclo's Signature Coffee was delicious as well. People who've had coffee at the outlet will appreciate just how original it tastes, only that it is served in a frozen format. Clearly, the team’s tryst with the use of natural ingredients is paying off.
Aman Thadani, head of Operations and Sales at the café, who accompanied us through the tasting, wanted us to try more. So, he got us Masala Chai, Cookie Dough, and Iranian Pistachio. Tea lovers will find the strong flavours of Masala Chai a lot to their liking, while the Cookie Dough is clearly richer in texture than the other flavours.
But they do not hold a candle to the Iranian Pistachio, an ice cream Sanjana has created with the raw, flavour of pistachios, and eating it was a simply sinful experience. It had the best flavour and the right amount of texture, and it was hard for us to not go for a second scoop.
At present, the ice creams are available only at the Kotturpuram outlet, said Ashish Thadani, founder and director of Ciclo Café. He added that in about 30-45 days' time, the other outlets in Anna Nagar and ECR (besides another outlet to be opened in Puducherry soon) will feature ice creams.
He also informed us that the ice creams currently on offer will be improved. Having lived in Delhi, Ashish wants his team to try and make ice creams with an Indian touch like jalebi, rabdi, and other sweets. In addition, there are a range of breads (14 varieties) and croissants (seven varieties) that are made in-house for sale at the café, along with the ice cream.
While still a work in progress, like a lack of choice in toppings, ice creams like Cookie Dough do come with chocolate chips, and the Iranian Pistachio with crushed pistachios on top. Their ice creams were quite good, and since the hot weather is not going away anytime soon, we might find some excuses to head to the café once again!
INR 350 for two people. 8-12 am. Ice creams are currently available only at the Kotturpuram outlet.
