Melting joy

Photo: LS Archive

Photo: LS Archive

As the second-hand of the large round clock, mounted on top of the whiteboard with gibberish written on it, moves painstakingly slowly and the teacher drones on and on sounding like a bee buzzing far away, the sight of the ice-cream van standing on the other side of the gate sets the wheels of the salivary gland into motion.

As soon as the final bell of the day rings, you pick your bag up and rush out to the grounds towards the now-open gates waving a Tk 10 note vigorously as you approach the ice-cream man and ask for a lolly.

Just as you put the deliciously citrus flavoured ice-on-a-stick into your mouth it seems like a burst of energy flowing through your weary body starting at the very tip of your tongue, and as it starts running down in beads, you impatiently slurp away as fast as you can, as if you are drowning and that melting piece of ice is your only saviour.

Photo: LS Archive

Most of us have had this experience at least once in our lives, the pull that we have felt towards taking a lick of the chill of an ice-cream as a relief from the relentless heat. Not only limited to that, ice-cream has always been a dessert that makes us happy, and gives us comfort. Want more of mouth-watering ice-creams and ice-cream based desserts? Here are the places to drop by at.

Movenpick
This place has been around for over a decade now and has been serving mouth-watering ice-cream ever since. What is now Swiss Chocolate ice-cream, their main chocolate ice-cream with chocolate shavings, used to be Chocolate Chip ice-cream, with chunky pieces of chocolate, a decade ago. Needless to say that their second take on the evergreen chocolate ice-cream is as good as their first one with a chocolate melody playing in your mouth from the first bite.

Photo: LS Archive

Their Mint Chocolate is also a wonderful mix with the mint being a very refreshing flavour, “I love dropping by at Movenpick after finishing class to catch up with my friends and I go there specifically for their Mint Chocolate ice-cream” says Shazia. “Their frappes are also really good. When I am in the mood for one I usually grab the Panna Cotta one” adds Naeema. If you desire something with a hint of sour ask for a raspberry frappe or just try the ice-cream.

For an ice-cream based dessert try out their Belgian Waffles with a scoop of your favourite flavour. This comes with a tiny jar of maple syrup which you can pour out over the feather-soft waffle to your hearts desire.

Photo: LS Archive

Club Gelato
What makes Club Gelato a favourite among many is their variety of eccentric flavours that they serve in cones or very cute brightly coloured plastic cups. A look at the ice-cream window shows ice-creams in almost every colour imaginable tucked into buckets with the top made into a swirly pattern that just spoils you for choice.

While Zarin says “The Ferrero Rocher flavour is their best chocolate flavoured ice-cream” Maleeha opines about another chocolate flavoured one, “The American Mud is by far the best chocolate ice-cream I have tasted”. They carry some rare flavours like Yoghurt and Fruit of the Forest which you may try out if you like to experiment.

Cream and Fudge
A newer chain than the last two, Cream and Fudge took the city by storm when it brought to the city a novel way of serving ice-cream. They introduced the choose-your-own unique ice-cream and watch it put together in front of you trend. With a countless mixture of chocolates, candies and other dessert that you can put into it Cream and Fudge ice-cream gets as good as the choices you make. If you want a bare minimum good ice-cream try their cheese cake flavour coupled with maltesers; the cream cheese flavour along with the crispy maltesers is quite a delight to many like Snehal who always orders the same when at C&F. Another specialty here are the chocolate topped and cup shaped waffle cones that you can have your ice-cream in.

Ciao Bella
Igloo was one of the first ice-cream parlours that I visited as a child years almost 18 years ago. The place used to serve packed ice-creams from the brand as well as their various plain flavours in cones or cups. However, as time went by the parlour closed down as new brands took over. Last year Igloo, being one of the most renowned local ice-cream companies, came back into the game with their Ciao Bella ice-cream parlours which they positioned as a premium yet affordable brand.

Ciao Bella offers a variety of ice-cream flavours, ice-cream sundaes and frappes which are tasty as well as affordable. “My house is on the road just behind the Dhanmondi branch. I am a huge ice-cream fan, so, whenever I crave some of it I take a walk to Ciao Bella. My order is always the same there the Mango ice-cream in a cone. It feels to me like I am tasting actual mangoes with some milk and sugar ahead of season!”

If you have been too busy with work or studies recently give yourself a treat and visit one of these places because there is nothing more rewarding than licking every last bit of ice-cream without letting a drop fall on the floor!

Photo: LS Archive