Scoop it out

If you're not a frequent at Linking Road, Bandra, chances are you might see a new store making its presence felt despite the little space it gets. This time around, when we took a stroll down that zone, we were acquainted to one such spot. Right next to Kenilworth Mall, one is bound to notice a little glass lab-esque store, with a board outside that reads -301°F.Walk in, and you'll find mini chairs placed right opposite a counter that displays everything from a large apparatus (the ones you struggled with during chem class, unless you were the science nerd), Cold Stone counters and mini bowls with delicious ingredients ranging from choco chips to rainbow sprinkles. You'll also find a once-in-a-while rush of liquid nitrogen (while they prepare the ice cream), which makes the space look cloudy in an instant. No rocket science then, we've walked right into a space that got us screaming 'ice cream'.Launched in the third week of May this year, -301°F is Mumbai's only ice cream parlour, which uses liquid nitrogen to freeze its product. Why, you may ask? Ever taken a scoop of your favourite treat only to find ice crystals in it? An instantly-made ice cream prevents this, only to churn out the smoothest ice cream you will ever taste. Founded by Deepak M Nihalani, Dinesh M Nihalani and Jagjyot H Singh, -301°F is the first of its kind when it comes to using the liquid nitrogen technology for ice cream freezing. With nominal prices (Rs. 80 for single scoops and Rs. 90 for Creamlettes), this is just the place to visit with friends and family. The range of flavours are Choco Chips, Dolce Latte to French Vanilla, American Peanut Butter, Strawberry-Basil and Cinnamon-Toast; you'll be spoilt for choice. We tried the Pan-flavoured scoop, a delight for the desi in us. A must-have, we've heard, is the Oreo and Fresh Mango flavour. A regular at -301°F, Vipasha Nigam says, “It's unlike any other ice cream I've had. There is no icy crunch; instead you taste the frozen cream as is. I've tried a couple of different flavours. I love their Mango and Chocolate Sundae. Watching them make it is an added bonus.”A staff of seven, who love their job, have divided their work from making Cold Stoned Creamlettes to churning out ice creams, among others. If you're lucky, you'll even hear the staff creating music with the Cold Stone. All in all, a happy space where you can let out the inner child in you. We interviewed co-partner Jagjyot H Singh, asking him about the use of this technology and the concept behind the store. Excerpts...dna: What is the unique factor of -301°F?Jagjyot: Unlike conventional ice cream parlours, we don’t store even an ounce of ice cream at -301°F. We make everything live, in front of your eyes. It is both fresh and pure. Again, we use liquid nitrogen to produce nitro ice creams served as scoops, and advanced Cold Stone Technology to produce Creamlettes (ice cream rolls).

dna: What was the concept behind the store?Jagjyot: The concept struck us during a visit abroad where we saw how brilliantly a simple industrial cooling agent—liquid nitrogen—was being used to freeze ice creams. Besides, the quality and texture of the final product was striking. We felt it was high time someone brought this technology to serve the Indian masses a new high-quality product.

dna: How safe is the use of liquid nitrogen for freezing ice cream?

Jagjyot: Liquid nitrogen that we use to freeze our ice cream is not a part of the composition of the final product. It merely acts as a cooling agent. As soon as it enters the bowl, it cools the mixture inside and then sublimes away into a cloud of nitro smoke.

dna: What is the advantage of nitro ice cream over regular frozen ice creams?Jagjyot: When ice creams at regular parlours are stored in a deep freezer for over six to eight hours, water molecules in the product form ice crystals over time. But freezing ice cream using liquid nitrogen within a few seconds is such a rapid process that water molecules in the product barely get any time to crystallise. The result—the creamiest, smoothest and tastiest ice creams you’ve ever tasted! And, we guarantee that bit.Further, our staff is well-trained to handle all the equipment at our parlours, to prevent any safety hazard. Oxygen level detectors, system shut down drills, etc., are put in place to keep everybody absolutely safe while inside our store. After all, without these, no government agency would grant us the necessary licenses to carry out operations.

Get your treat here:

-301°F, Kenilworth Shopping Mall, near KFC, Linking Road, Bandra (W) -301°F , Bhoomi Enclave, Mahavir Nagar, Kandivali (W)