I have been meaning to write about ice cream for quite a while and then an e-mail from a website user jogged my memory (so did Saturday night, but more about that later!). There’s something about good ice cream that brings back happy memories. One of the first things I remember about my summer school holidays in Beira in Mozambique are the orange sherbet cones that came wrapped in pale blue paper. I’m sure I had one every day!

But back to Saturday night. You know the feeling when a dish is set before you and you just know it’s going to be great? That’s what happened on Saturday night at the Bombay Brasserie at The Taj Hotel in Cape Town. I took one look at it and knew exactly how it would taste – perfect! Between courses a palate cleanser was served – a perfect ball of mango sorbet presented in an elegant martini glass. The colour was a perfect intense orange and the explosion of flavour, with a surprising touch of saltiness, was heavenly. It’s hard to believe that such a small taste of something can stimulate all the senses.

Remember the famous San Marco restaurant in Sea Point? On Sunday afternoons the queue snaked around the block – it was quite an institution, definitely the place to be after a lazy day on the beach. Today, pastry chef Vanessa Quellec at The Roundhouse restaurant in Camps Bay is responsible for the most dreamy vanilla ice cream, which is even better when it’s spooned into an apricot and almond soufflé and melts into a glorious sticky mass!

In January this year I discovered the best ice cream shop – Ice Palazzo in Plett. Each time we visited, which was every day, there was a brand new flavour waiting for us to try. Our favourite was the Funky Orange and Coconut – summer in a cone. I’d kill for a scoop right now.

Keep cool!

Abigail

Ice Palazzo 044 533 5453