Mumbai’s burgeoning restaurants and tiny eateries have kept us all trying new fares and cuisines – from gourmet food to street food and that too from other countries – we are experiencing it all right here in Mumbai. Our repertoire of desserts too has expanded to include everything from the Far East to the Far West and Africa and the Middle East.
But we have probably not experimented much with ice creams. Perhaps the idea of consuming a milky concoction of a completely unusual flavour directly, without any sauces to mask it, scares us out, and we all tend to settle for the regular chocolatey and fruity fare. But Mumbai now has a growing number of restaurants offering unusual ice cream flavours. Check them out and head out for a delicious dessert night.
Basil and Pine Nut Ice Cream With Extra Virgin Olive Oil at The Sassy Spoon
There is something distinctly savoury about the sound of a pesto – basil, pine nuts, garlic and olive oil. The Sassy Spoon, located in Bandra and Nariman Point, serves these components as an ice cream, without the garlic of course and the results are surprisingly yum. While you are here, do try their Basil and Pine Nut Ice Cream With Extra Virgin Olive Oil! (I kid you not!). This herbacious combination of extra virgin olive oil and ice cream, chocolate and basil and the earthy taste of the pine nuts will leave you wanting more every time it meets your tongue.
Blue Cheese And Honey Ice Cream at The Caramel Carousel
Blue cheese may be far too pungent for many people to consume directly, but gourmet patisseries today are increasingly experimenting with its inclusion in desserts, for unique creations that are far more palatable, actually delish. Out of that, was born this Blue Cheese and Honey Ice Cream served at the Caramel Carousel in Bandra. The sweetness of the honey mellows the saltiness of the blue cheese, yet the distinct flavour lingers long after.
Beer Popsicles at The White Owl
Beer lovers must pay homage to their favourite brew by partaking this delicious boozy popsicle served with butter cookie crumbs. Those who don’t love beer so much will still lap up this dessert because of its faint chocolatey aftertaste.
Masala Chai Popsicles at Bombay Canteen
This unique fusion dessert has all the spicy zing of the tapriwala ka chai, combined with a sticky sweet caramel sauce and butter biscuit crumble. Chai lovers have probably marked their territories already at this high-end restaurant in Parel.
Cherry Whiskey Ice Cream at Drunken Cream
This handmade ice cream business started by husband-wife duo, Alok and Shilpa churns out this wonderful boozy ice cream incorporated with stewed cherries and whiskey. The result is something deliciously akin to Bailey’s meeting up with a Maraschino. If you are around Mahim, then head to this place and try it out.
Popcorn Ice Cream by Bina’s Homemade Icecream
Small quantities of ice cream handchurned out of a smaller kitchen in South Bombay by Bina Doshi for her friends soon began a roaring trade, partly due to the unusual flavours she began experimenting with. Do order in her Popcorn ice cream for that buttery, movie-theatre experience in a frozen form.
Milk Chocolate and Bacon by Caramel Carousel
Like Joey says in a F.R.I.E.N.D.S’ episode, chocolate – good, cream- gooood, bacon- goooooood. It makes sense that if you like all three ingredients separately, they must make a kick-ass combination together. At first glance, the idea of bacon in a dessert may seem a little off, but don’t judge the ice cream by its name. This hugely popular ice cream flavour concocted by Caramel Carousel has this lovely blend of rich chocolate with the roasted, meaty flavour of bacon crisps. What’s more, their half-litre tubs come with a small packet of bacon crisps, to be used as sprinkles. Really.
Mochi Icecream by Kofuku
Representational Image via Tumblr
This Japanese ice cream looks unlike any other ice cream you’ve ever seen. In fact it looks more like a cross between a giant peda and the street-side kulfi pieces sold in Mumbai. The mochi ice cream, a Japanese specialty is a heady combination of sticky pounded rice with a green tea ice cream filling that could very well substitute for your post-meal cup of green tea at this Japanese restaurant.
Spicy Guava by Bina’s Homemade Icecream
Bina deserves a mention again for the high-end gourmet dessert version of that popular street side snack – Masala Peru – one semi-ripe guava quartered into eight and sprinkled with a spicy mix or just chilli powder. To Bina’s credit, this spicy guava flavoured ice cream even looks like that, with a sprinkling of chilli powder on top.
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