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It’s 2018 and quite a bit has changed. The food industry has exploded and the streets today are flanked with bakeries, restaurants, food and dessert franchises; each in cut-throat competition with the other. Dessert-outings are now more regular than before and each household is spoilt for choice in its own way. Owing to the increase in demand and lifestyle changes, established brands like Baskin Robbins and Naturals Ice Cream have come a long way. With a plethora of flavours served in fancy waffle cones, these ice cream franchises haven’t just created a mark in tier I cities, but have made it to many tier II cities as well.
Nostalgia, however, still reigns in the form of old-school ice cream parlours that carry with them a unique legacy of memories. These might be one-off stores established in post-independent India when the country was still discovering the joy of ice creams under the blazing sun or a landmark establishment that expanded into a chain of stores – the genesis of which lies in the love for cold desserts. They are not just a symbol of the city’s long-standing culture and heritage but also a means of bridging the generational gap within families. And of course, summer is always an excellent excuse to go screaming for some ice cream.
Which is exactly why we’ve put together some of the most iconic ice cream parlours from across the country that have long held between its walls sentimentality, stories of personal experiences and histories of a bygone era. And yet somehow, continues to house them with a side of flavourful scoops of deliciousness.
If you ever visit someone in Delhi, rest assured that you’ll be taken on multiple food outings and one of them will definitely be to Nirula’s. Known for its food and desserts, Nirula’s functions exclusively in NCR and is India’s oldest chain of restaurants – it has been around since 1934.
At a time when Delhi did not have much of an ice cream culture, Nirula’s opened up in the L block of Connaught Place. Pretty much a symbol of the city’s heritage, the store has had to go through a number of changes ever since. In 2006, the parlour was shifted to K block, breaking the hearts of many who grew up looking forward to weekend visits to the L block. The Hot Chocolate Fudge, too, had been taken off the menu for a brief period of time before it returned in all its glory. In 2007, Nirula’s opened a one-of-its-kind Ice cream museum for everyone interested in tracing the history of ice creams all the way back to Persia.
However, it’s not just ice creams that keeps Nirula’s going. The brand itself has been on the forefront of many culinary adventures. It gave Delhi its first Chinese restaurant, first Austro-Hungarian restaurant, and its first espresso.
The brainchild of Englishman James Meadow Charles, Lakeview Milk Bar has been around since much before independence and came under Indian ownership only in 1947 when Charles decided to move back to England and hand it over to 19-year-old Vrajlal Jamnadas. Remembered for its basic ice cream flavours––vanilla, chocolate, and raspberry––Lakeview today has diversified in many directions. From cakes to burgers, it now has a lot of options on its menu.
The store that is now located on MG road, once overlooked the Ulsoor lake, the memory of which is still preserved in its name. It’s one of the few old businesses in the city that have truly seen it grow and become a full-fledged metropolitan. This hasn’t come easy, of course. Lakeview has constantly made efforts to remain contemporary without compromising on its age-old recipes, but it’s the thrill of the competition, the willingness to improve, and the love of its customers that keep this iconic ice cream parlour alive.
III. K Rustom’s, Mumbai
K Rustom’s is the OG ice cream sandwich as far as Mumbai is considered. Located very close to Marine Drive, this one doesn’t share the ice-cream parlour aesthetic that’s going around these days. It’s simple, with a few plastic chairs lying around for customers––families and college students alike. It is known for its variety of flavours served, not in cones or paper cups, but in between two wafer biscuits. 1953 was the first time K Rustom’s began providing respite to all those tormented by the humidity of Mumbai, and it hasn’t quit till date.
A part of the city’s thriving Iranian food culture, K Rustom’s was not always an ice cream parlour. It was initially a department store selling all sorts of utility items.
A glass of thick mango shake with a scoop of creamy mango ice cream topped with sliced mangoes, Sujata Mastani is an integral part of Pune’s cultural experience. It’s a favourite of those who grew up in the city and doesn’t fail to impress those looking to satiate their curiosity about the delicacy. An ice cream store that opened half a decade ago, today Sujata Mastani seems to give off the brand vibe. But that is not what it is for it only has stores sprawled across Pune. With just five flavours introduced by the Kondhalkar household, it now serves over 33 flavours. Not many know this, but Sujata Mastani follows the French Pot ice cream making process–minus the eggs–for their ice creams. Thus making the recipe an authentic family treasure––one we can only try to guess!
Launched by S. Prabhakar Kamath in 1975, Ideal Ice Cream’s first outlet was situated in the heart of the city. In the same year, Kamath opened another store in the city, which had the capacity to seat 300 people and was probably the biggest ice cream parlour in India. He started from scratch by experimenting at home before introducing the first 14 flavours to Mangalore.
Ever since then, this mere ice cream shop has indeed come a long way. The ideal dessert on the menu is one called ‘Gadbad’ (It was kind of hard to resist the pun!)––a tall glass of three fresh ice cream flavours with alternating layers of fresh fruits, dry fruits, and jelly. Despite its popularity, this dessert was not a part of the menu until 1977. Today, Ideal has ice cream shops spread across not just Mangalore but also other parts of Karnataka, Kerala, and Goa. It serves more than just ice creams now, but Gadbad is still its most cherished innovation and is even available at generic ice cream parlours across coastal Karnataka.
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