I have an on again, off again relationship with ice-creams thanks to my sensitive throat. Never a great fan of simplistic, puritan ice-creams, I am more enthused by ice-cream in combination with crunchier, chunkier, warmer elements like waffles, chocolate cake and cookies. This is why Papacream works for me. They don’t just serve ice-cream. They serve complete dishes using ice-cream as the protagonist. The exception to this rule is of course the Belgian chocolate ice-cream which I recommend you have as is, in a cup or waffle cone just for its pure perfection.
I was there on a Friday evening to review their new menu and ended up sampling four different items. Don’t judge me – I was with a friend. And to be honest, the portions at Papacream aren’t too large which you might expect given the high prices. They are just right for two and in some cases, for only one person. The menu is divided into various sections. The cheaper ice-creams are meant for one person only. The more sizeable dishes can be shared. Among these, we tried the exotic sounding cookie sushi roll. I’m always taken in by titles like that. My friend on the other hand gets progressively more suspicious as the name gets more complicated. In this case, he was proven partly right. The rolls – essentially biscotti ice-cream discs wrapped in cookie dough and drizzled with chocolate shavings and a really divine warm chocolate sauce – were good but not great. Neither the ice-cream nor the dough left a lasting impression but on the whole, the dish is worth at least a try.
The wait in between dishes was considerably long, leaving us decidedly restless. But the blueberry milkshake didn’t take long to arrive and was in fact the showstopper of our entire visit. A beautiful milkshake of just the right consistency and sweetness, topped with a cream tart, blueberries, whipped cream and crumbled Oreo cookies – it was a dream come true. I only wish the glass had been taller. This is one milkshake you really don’t want to share. We also wanted to try the popcorn milkshake but they didn’t have the ingredients available. Given our stellar experience with the blueberry milkshake, I suggest you try all three options on the menu if possible.
From the new ‘Papa Waffle Sundae’ menu, we opted for the Belgian (but of course) chocolate sundae. The dish looked very promising when it came to our table and in fact has the potential to be a real stunner. But a few tweaks from the Chef are required. So what you have essentially is a large, thick waffle and a little scoop of Belgian chocolate ice-cream in the middle, topped with whipped cream, chocolate and caramel sauce and chocolate chips. Each component on its own tastes divine. But together, the waffle overpowers the ice-cream which in reality should have hogged the limelight. If you do order this, ask for the dish to be delivered on a tray or plate instead of a glass and emphasize that you’d like a larger scoop of the ice-cream and less of the waffle.
We didn’t really plan on having anything else but the Bournvita ice-cream sounded interesting and the encouragement of the friendly waiter pushed us over the edge. Besides, it was a small portion. The ice-cream was exactly what had been promised – “your favourite chocolate malt drink frozen to perfection’. And if you’re a Bournvita devotee, you will love this. I recommend it for children as well. But if you tend towards bitter chocolate, this one is avoidable. The Chef had attempted to innovate by serving an upturned Bournvita-dusted waffle cone wedged into the ice-cream but it was impossible to have the ice-cream like that. We ended up biting into the cone after every spoonful of ice-cream. Ask for it to be served the traditional way.
As compared to other ice-cream outlets, Papacream has premium pricing. But I’d say the outlet delivers on serving high quality, innovative, gourmet concoctions using a variety of ingredients other than just ice-cream. I also like the upstairs seating though it can get a bit cold at times. Make sure you switch on the lights if it seems dim and enjoy the fairy lights on the ceiling and their reflections on the pristine white tables. The place is very popular with collegians of the area who are wont to chatting loudly and playing the latest pop songs on their smartphones. If you’ve been lunching or dining in the area (Churchgate) you won’t regret hopping over to Papacream for a sweet ending to your meal.
Opening hours: 11 AM to 12:30 AM
Address: 18, Cambatta Building, J.T. Road, Churchgate, Mumbai
Phone: 022 65177272
whoah! I want to taste that one ‘chocolate sundae’