It was one of those disgusting summer days in London. Muggy and oppressive, the air was soggy and warm and made my clothes stick to my body. It felt like I had walked into someones bathroom just after they had taken a long, hot shower. So naturally, my first instinct when I left work was get some gelato in me. I had read about Gino Gelato in a recent review of London’s best ice cream stores in the Evening Standard, so my expectations were fairly high. I trudged down Piccadilly past the fat American tourists outside Fortnum & Masons, elbowed my way down Haymarket and pushed through more over-sized tourists in Trafalger Square. In a pedestrian street just before Charing Cross station I found Gino Gelato.
Store: I walked into the store with a slightly demented look in my eye from the heat, dehydration and general unpleasantness of London that day, hoping to be greeted by a cool, calm interior. Instead, the store was even hotter than outside and more like a Finnish sauna. I expected men in towels to appear and start beating each other with birch branches. AC obviously not working and decor also looked a bit tired. Cracked tiles, a bit dark and generally not very inviting.
On offer: A good selection of gelati and sorbetti (about 8 flavours of each) and espresso. You can also design your own gelato flavour combinations. Just give them 3 days notice and they will make almost any flavour you can imagine. Celery and parmesan gelato anyone?
What I had: Coffee gelato and peanut butter gelato. Both dissapointing. Coffee was lacking flavour and just tasted a bit sweet and as if someone had sprinkled a few cofffee granules over the container. Peanut butter was watery and thin although had a good nutty flavour.
Verdict: A shame really. Perhaps I was unlucky and chose the wrong flavours. They claim their staff were all trained by award-winning gelatieres, Palmiro Bruschi, and only the finest ingredients are used, so the gelato should be top notch. Sadly it isn’t, but I feel I should give them a second chance. Only once they’ve fixed their AC though.
3 Adelaide Street
London
WC2N 4HZ
020 7836 9390
http://www.ginogelato.com
We had just emerged from Ronnie Scotts late on a Sunday night. Old Compton street was like a gay fashion show as usual. Lots of men sitting along the side of the road while pretty boys minced up and down. I had walked past Amorino many times but never ventured inside. I suppose I disregarded it before, thinking it catered for all the drunk people stumbling around Soho late at night, serving them cardboard waffles and with cheap ice cream. Well, I was wrong about the waffles and ice cream.
Store: They’re going for that rustic Italian look with cosy tables and exposed brick walls. Lots of terracotta coloured things.
On offer: Gelato, milkshakes, waffles, hot chocolate and great people-watching of you’re into drag queens.
What I had: A scoop of pistachio and a scoop of L’Inimitabile gelato. L’Inimitabile is a rather unpronounceable word for their chocolate and hazelnut gelato. Basically Nutella flavoured gelato. Very delicious – thick, creamy texture and great intense hazelnut and chocolate flavour. Pistachio had good flavour but the texture was a little grainy. A shame really.
Verdict: The pistachio gelato was a bit disappointing, but I’m resigned to the fact that since the life-changing experience of eating pistachio gelato in San Gimignano, nothing will ever come close. But for seedy Soho on a Sunday night Amorino offers excellent gelato and a slightly more civilised place to refuel after dancing at G-A-Y all night.
41 Old Compton Street
London W1D 6HF
020 7494 3300
http://www.amorino.com/en
So after a very dismal experience at Cafe Ciao I headed down the Charing Cross Road and happened upon a little ice cream cart. After forcing down a bowl of rather bad gelato only ten minutes earlier I first walked past the cart thinking it would be greedy to have another ice cream. But it was so cute and inviting and the gluttonous voice in my head was so loud that I turned back and bought one.
Store: Not much of a store but a lovely pink and white cart. Just outside the National Dining Rooms on the corner of Trafalger Square it is perfectly located for passing trade.
On offer: A selection of four flavours that change daily. All made in house by the chef at the National Dining Rooms. On offer when I visited was: honeycomb ice cream, strawberry ice cream, vanilla ice cream and blood orange sorbet.
What I had: Just one small scoop of honeycomb ice cream. Any more really would have been piggish. It tasted home made and I’m not sure it had been churned properly as it melted very fast, but you could taste that they use good ingredients. Nice crunchy bits of home made honeycomb and a delicate milky flavour.
Verdict: A great summer time pop up in London. Don’t think I would make a special trip there for ice cream, but well worth a visit if you’re in the area.
The National Dining Rooms
Sainsbury Wing
The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square
WC2N 5DN
020 7747 2525
http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/visiting/eat-and-drink
An Italian friend recommended Cafe Ciao so I had fairly high expectations. After bulldozing my way though Leicester Square and down the Charing Cross road I spotted the giant plastic ice cream which marks the spot that it occupies. It looks like many of the tacky “Italian” cafes found around Leicesters Square which, incomprehensibly, are always full and smell of grease and sweat. Sadly, Cafe Ciao isn’t much different.
Store: Thankfully it did not smell of grease and sweat. It had a few interesting pieces of art and ornaments dotted around: a couple of those huge glass jars filled with an selection of pickles and vegetable neatly arranged in swirly patterns inside the jar, lots of posters of brightly coloured food which they probably didn’t even sell, or arrived frozen in boxes, and a few old photos of a grinning man (the owner?) with other grinning men (z list celebrities?). The radio was on too loudly and I had to listen to the traffic report while I ate my gelato.
On offer: Gelato, sundaes, sandwiches and baguettes, milkshakes and coffee.
What I had: A scoop of bacio and a scoop of pistachio gelato. The bacio had good texture but lacked any real flavour. Any flavour present was very minimal and artificial. I struggled to finish the pistachio as it was so awful. Watery and more like a sorbet than gelato. Tasted strangely lemony and hardly like pistachio at all. The handful of pistachios sprinkled on top weren’t much of a consolation.
Verdict: Very disappointing. Apparently it used to be much better but the last time time my Italian friend who recommended it went there was 10 years ago. Being located on Charing Cross road can be the only reason why people go there now – its frequented by those annoying hungry tourists who clog up the streets around Leicester square and probably leave London thinking that Angus Steak Houses serve the best steak in London.
Cafe Ciao
17 Charing Cross Rd
London
WC2 0QW
Bar: Very well worn, but one of the most comfortable bars to sit at in London. Try to squeeze in the corner seats at the end of the bar. Very loud mariachi music or Gypsy Kings greatest hits comes as standard.
On offer: Predictable mexican/tex-mex fare: nachos, quesadillas, enchiladas, tacos etc. in the restaurant and guacamole with corn chips and jalapeno poppers at the bar. Cocktails, beer and of course, tequila.
What I had: More like what haven’t I had.
Verdict: Something of an institution. It’s been there since 1982 and still manages to keep a bit of that Mexican cantina atmosphere about it. Can get pretty rowdy on Thursday/Friday nights though and expect at least one annoyingly drunk tourist to lurch into you at some point. Still a great bar and the staff seem to know their stuff when it comes to tequila. Don’t go for the food, but do go for the very extensive selection of tequila and mezcal. You might even meet legendary Ron Cooper at the bar and spend the night being plied with his own brand mezcal until “your legs are taken away.”
5 Langley Street
Covent Garden, London WC2H 9JA
020 7379 7728
www.cafepacifico-laperla.com
Store: Looks a bit like a very small disco club from the 70′s. Purple walls, glitter balls and loud music. Squashed between Gaucho (who they are owned by) and Veeraswamy. A few dark booths inside and a few table outside for people watching.
On offer: Ice cream, sorbet, some Argentinian cakes and pastries, milkshakes and excellent coffee.
What I had: A scoop of Dulce de leche and a scoop of their ‘Flavour of the day’ : Zabayon. Dulce de leche was delicious – rich and almost chewy in texture. Zabayon was and egg and brandy flavoured ice cream – sounds horrible I know but suprisingly delicious too. Reminded me a little of tiramisu without the savoiardi.
Verdict: A little taste of the famous Buenos Aires heladerias. Dulce de leche ice cream and Malbec and berry sorbet are their signatures. They are open until 11pm every night except Friday and Saturday nights when they stay open until 2am. Could be an interesting alternative to the kebab shop for hungry clubbers and drinkers in the area.
27-29 Swallow St
London W1B 4DW
020 7287 9506
www.freggo.co.uk
Gelato in the wolf’s mouth.
Store: Light and bright. Opposite Bocca di Lupo, who they are owned by.
On offer: Gelato made on the premises. Small section at the back of the store with books, wine,
What I had: A scoop of chocolate and a scoop of pistachio gelato.
Verdict:
7 Archer Street
London W1D 7AU
020 7287 5555
www.gelupo.com
