Roshni Nair goes on an end-of-season quest for Mumbai’s best sitaphal or custard apple ice cream
Bad timing kicked off our hunt for Mumbai's best sitaphal ice cream. Four notable vendors — Churchgate's iconic K Rustom, Gokul in Santacruz West, Tender Fresh in Kalina and Sancha Ice Cream in 7 Bungalows — were out of the frozen dessert. "The season has ended maidum," chimed an attendant at K Rustom. Indeed, the heart-shaped fruit of the Annona squamosa tree is available between September-December. But surely we could get our hands on some ice cream as the season waned? And so, undeterred, we continued on our pilgrimage to find the best variant of a flavour Mumbai's very own Natural Ice Cream lords over... or does it?
Natural Ice Cream
This three-decade-old company is responsible for putting seasonal Indian flavours like jackfruit, watermelon, litchi and fig on the ice cream map. And the sitaphal is no different. Natural Ice Cream's variant hits the right notes. It's neither too milky nor too sweet, and its texture is ever so slightly grainy — which is how a sitaphal ice cream should be. Best of all, it's affordable without skimping on the fruit.
Natural's custard apple delicacy was our benchmark when we set out on our quest. But the bar is now set higher by another contender for the top spot. More on that later.
Price: Rs45 for a cup or cone, Rs255 for a 500ml tub
Available at 50+ locations across the city
Top 'N Town
This 45-year-old, Bhopal-based brand has 200 parlours across the country, and the one in Oshiwara, we were told, serves good custard apple ice cream. Although the flavour comes through, their variant was milkier and devoid of the fruit pieces one expects from a sitaphal ice cream. We also detected a hint of banana in the first few bites, owing maybe to one ice cream scoop being used to serve different flavours. But they got the texture right, so not all was lost.
Price: Rs60 for a cup
Address: 8, Mira Tower Society, Off Link Road, Opp. Mega Mall, Oshiwara, Andheri (W).
Tel: (022) 2633 2298
Kamath's Ice Cream
Natural, Gokul and Kamath's form the ice cream triumvirate of the extended Kamath family. The sitaphal ice cream at the Azad Nagar branch is cheaper and better than the one at Top 'N Town. There's more fruit in the mixture and so, a greater burst of flavour. But the texture's a cross between a kulfi and an ice cream — maybe because it was frozen for a considerably long time? We don't know.
Price: Rs45 for a cup, Rs220 for 500ml
Address: D9/D6 Mimoo Mimor Building, Veera Desai Road, Andheri (W).
Tel: (022)2673 4074
Apsara Ice Cream
The biggest disappointment of the lot. Not only was their variant milky (taking away from the rich flavour of the fruit), it also lacked the consistency of a well-made sitaphal ice cream and had a curious after-taste. Others seem to have had better luck here and maybe this was an off day, but Apsara doesn't feature highly on this list.
Price: Rs45 for a cup, Rs220 for a 500ml pack
Address: 7, Kakad Estate Building, Worli Sea Face Road, Opposite Poddar Hospital, Worli.
Tel: (022) 2496 8386
Taj Ice Cream
Bohri Mohalla in Bhendi Bazaar cocoons some of Mumbai's most underrated, yet delightful food haunts. And the legendary Taj Ice Cream, located opposite equally-vaunted Imdadiya Bakery, contributes to the area's legacy. Run by the Icecreamwallah family (that's what they call themselves), Taj's recipes have remained the same for over a century. The milk, boiled slowly for around six hours, is condensed and mixed in an ice and salt-lined cylindrical contraption, or sancha, with fresh fruit (no pulp, preservatives or additives) and sugar before being hand-churned.
This sounds like a lot (which it is), but the effort bears rich fruit — literally. Taj's sitaphal ice cream bursts at the seams with chunks of fruit. It's the most wholesome, creamiest variant we've had yet. Yes, even better than Natural Ice Cream.
Price: Rs60 for a bowl, Rs250 for a 500ml pack.
Address: 36/40, Sayed Abu Mohammad Road, Saifee Ambulance Lane, Bhendi Bazaar
Tel: (022) 2346 1257, 9820635292
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