Ice Cream

My treat of choice has long been ice cream. I avoid having it at home as I have zero self restraint and it would be gone in a flash. However, when I'm out and about on a hot (or indeed rainy) day and in need of a pick me up I can't resist my vice.

For years the default option was a Magnum. Nibbling off the chocolate first and then eating the ice cream. I like the good quality chocolate and vanilla ice cream with real vanilla beans.

During the summer I read an article on Tomislav talking about McDonald's ice cream. Who'd have thought one of Sydney's best chefs would be such a fan?

All throughout the session, Tomislav has made countless references to the McDonalds soft serve. I hadn’t appreciated that it was the holy grail of ice cream texture, but it’s very clear that Tomislav is on a mission to re-create his own version of the soft serve.

Never having had one before I decided that I needed to give it a try. I'm going to stick my neck out and say that I liked it. The texture is good. Although there isn't any real vanilla, the flavour isn't too bad either. The cone which tastes like cardboard is dreadful. However, at 50 cents the value is unbelievable.

Having had a McDonald's ice cream, a visit to Hungry Jacks / Burger King was a must. The ice creams are almost identical, however, the cone is better (although that's not hard when you are being compared to cardboard). Also at 50 cents it is great value.

No blog post about Australian ice cream is complete without reference to gelati. It's not something that is particularly big in the UK where we like our custard based ice creams. I like gelati as it has lighter more refreshing feel. There are lots of different and innovative flavours on offer at Sydney's myriad of gelaterias. Above you can see a hazelnut gelati picked up in Bondi.

When I had my first soft serve cone of the summer I'd never have thought I'd find a new favourite. I feel the shame....