Ice Cream Season: Gelupo and Chin Chin Laboratorists

(Llandudno Beach, Cape Town. Not London)

It is a God given fact that the Sun and London do not go together. Hardly a summer passes by where we don't hear at least one complaint of how rubbish it all was. Imagine my chagrin as I sat on a sunny South African beach, revelling in the fact that this year I didn't need to cope with London's highly changeable weather, only to find out that my home had been bathed in sunlight for days on end. However, as much as I was enjoying my trip, the thought of a sunny London just made going home a lot easier.

(A very respectable pistachio ice cream from Oddono's)

Nothing complements the sunny weather better than an ice cold ice cream to cool you down. Ice cream has been proven to contain medicinal qualities (this may be made up) and can be prescribed as a cure for heat stroke or melancholy (this is a fact). As the sun appears to have crept up on London, so have a handful of ice cream parlours. With Scoop initially leading the way with their branch in Covent Garden and now one in Soho, we have seen various other ice cream parlours or "gelateria" (for the softer and creamier Italian versions) pop up.

One that has received a flurry of good reviews has been Gelupo on Archer Street. Little sister to Bocca di Lupo (a "regional Italian restaurant") across the road, the premises are dedicated to "gelati, sorbets and granita" with a shop selling a smattering of Italian comestibles. With the waitress thrusting tasters upon me (it would have been rude to decline), I had a taste of the pistachio (nutty and sweet) and the slightly less standard Bonet (essentially a combination of rum, amaretti, coffee, chocolate).

Soon enough, a choice had to be made so I opted for another firm favourite flavour in hazelnut and something a bit different with the ricotta, coffee and honey flavour. The hazelnut was all I could hope for. I am a big fan of nut based ice creams, and this had all the nutty characteristics you would expect, alongside the sweet creaminess that only a good gelato can deliver. The ricotta, coffee and honey was a stunning combination of flavours, with the coffee and honey being two quite unexpected but entirely complementary bedfellows.

My compatriots opted for a variety of the sorbets and granitas, and although they commented that their offerings may have been erring on the sweet side, I was incredibly satisfied with their creamier offerings. At £3 for a medium cup, it's not totally extortionate and the perfect remedy for a hot stroll around Soho.

A few days later, it was time for another (totally different) adventure, this time in the badlands of Camden. After strolling past the hordes of tourists perusing shops offering piercing, tattoos and leather goods (an interesting assortment of London souvenirs, I’m sure you will agree), we approached the iconic Camden Lock. Here you will find the Chin Chin Laboratorists, apparently Londons first liquid nitrogen ice cream parlour.

My ultra scientific explanation is that liquid nitrogen is seriously cold. Mixing it together with cream whilst it is being whisked around makes ice cream in mere minutes, with the liquid nitrogen turning into gas and evaporating off. Trust me, go and listen to the explanation given by Ahrash, one half of the duo behind this venture, it will make a tonne more sense. As he studiously prepares the ice cream, he chats to you and answers any questions that you may have. This just added to the charm of the place.

The choice isn't vast but with two standard flavours (vanilla and choc I think) and one guest flavour every day (with other flavours in development) it should get your whistle well and truly whetted. And besides, once the show with the liquid nitrogen is over, you get to chat with Nyisha, co-owner and partner, who will jazz up your ice cream with whatever you desire from the toppings that are available. I opted for salted caramel sauce and some nibbed hazelnuts.

I can't say that the ice cream taste any different than what I would expect from a premium ice cream, but it was still an excellent rendition of vanilla ice cream and the toppings were a wonderful addition. At £4, this is a bit more expensive than other ice cream parlours, but then again, do you get theatre and education there? As well was chatting to the two lovely people behind the counter? I thought not.

There are tonnes more ice cream places in London and I will endeavour to check a few out before the summer is out and we are back in our thick warm winter coats (so probably some time in September). If you have any personal favourites, please let me know!

Gelupo - 7 Archer Street, London W1D 7AU

Chin Chin Laboratorists - 49-50 Camden Lock Place

I set out for Dim Sum and ended up with Burger, Haché in Camden

Its Saturday and I am hungry, after all, all I have eaten in the last 24 hours is a banana, a satsuma and a packet of sour cream and onion crisps. Destination is Goldfish, a chinese restaurant in Hampstead which promises an unlimited Dim Sum buffet. Too good to be true?

Arriving at Goldfish, its still quite early and the place is empty. I found it slightly disheartening that Ping Pong next door was already filling up. The waitress gives me the menu but as I am dining alone, I'm not allowed to have the buffet. Err, ok then, I will order off the menu. She passes me the dim sum menu, only for another waitress to come over and snatch it off me, telling me that they don't serve a la carte dim sum at the weekend. Alright, I've had enough, I'm outta here.

What ensues next is what I can only call " a bit of an adventure". A few buses and a bit of walking around later (god bless maps on iphone), I end up in Camden heading for Haché.



Haché has a fearsome reputation on the London burger scene. I had never been and its about time I tried their chopped as opposed to minced beef burgers. The inside is quite dark and the dining room is much smaller than I thought it would be and its no surprise that it was pretty full by 1pm.



To drink, I ordered a Fruits of the Forest smoothie, a bit steep at £3.65 but very refreshing, with subtle honey undertones and a slight sourness from the yoghurt.



My chosen burger was the "Classique Anglais" with extra bacon and a side of french fries. Not sure whats that english about my burger, but the mushrooms and onions arrived piled high. The burger in front of me really is a thing of beauty. Deconstructing it bit by bit, the burger is pink in the middle but feels a little overdone. However, the taste is fantastic. Well seasoned, deeply beefy and full of flavour. The bun, often a bum note on many burgers, is soft and untoasted but is strong enough to hold the mountain of filling. Bacon was definitely overkill. Unneccesary and made the whole burger a bit salty. I took it out, but not wanting to waste it, I used a bit of the bun and formed a mini bacon sarnie. The french fries were a bit rubbish, to be honest. They were overdone and far too salty. Disappointing.

Was this the best burger I have ever had? No, not by a long way but it was very good and I would definitely put it into the "value for money" bracket. There is so much that is right about this place, but on the other hand, there is plenty which is quite wrong. It still has quite a way to go to meet the standards set by the New York burger joints (my favourite being JG Melon).

Is it the best burger in London? Personally, I wouldn't agree with that either. I much prefer Byron's brighter restaurants, simple approach and because it has an Oreo milkshake with a toasted and melted marshmallow milkshake in the works. I really can't wait!

Haché Camden, 24 Inverness Street, Camden, NW1 7HJ

The Quest for decent dumplings, Yum Cha

Once upon a time, in the realm of twitter, numerous knights from across the land lauded over their respective kingdoms, regaling tales of long lost comestible treasures, of villages where the food was made of ambrosia and their villagers owners of the heralded silver tongues.



The fair knight Tehbus surveyed his Kingdom. From within his castle housed in glass, he was envious. Far and wide, tales of wonderful coffee, perfect sandwiches and meals fit for emperors permeated his castle. And all he had was his faithful supplier, M&S, and on special occasions, feasts of chicken provided by Sir Nando's. Then one day, rumours spread amongst the kingdoms that a horde of dumplings so divine could be found at the far reaches of the twitterverse. The location, Castle Yum Cha in the Kingdom of Camden.

Knights were recruited from all over the twitterverse but the path to the divine dim sum was fraught with danger. Some were accosted en route by the evil kettle tribe, laying waste with barrages of boiling water, whilst others were waylaid as they had to tend to their villagers. The plague was particularly virulent at the moment (rumours had it that the swine folk were responsible) and many other would-be adventurers were unable to make the journey . Only three brave souls made it to the Kingdom of Camden and prepared to assault Castle Yum Cha. Madam Catty of Oz and Supercharz joined the Tehbus and the battle to conquer Yum Cha commenced.



Wave after wave of Dim Sum arrived. First to take on the brave souls were squid of chilli and garlic and the Wu Kok. Fearsome as they were, these were swiftly despatched. The smooth yam encasing a succulent combination of pork and vegetables whilst the squid were crispy but yielding, containing plenty of flavour from the garlic and chilli.



As we entered deeper into the meal, we were faced with our first tower of steamed goodness. Char Siu Pau were sweet, savoury and soft all at the same time, whilst lotus leaf rice moist, if unassuming.




Next, a trio of dumplings. These were fierce competitors, but soon defeated. They were no contest for the appetites of the fateful three. Finally, they were faced with the most dreaded of enemies, choy sum. Tehbus shuddered. Only 6 months ago, he had been conquered by this green vegetable but 6 months was a long time. Since then, hours of training had got him to a stage where conquering this enemy would be easy, enjoyable even. The savouriness of the sauce and the hit of the garlic were strong, too strong some might say, but the Tehbus revelled in it and polished it off, never to be seen again

The battle was won, Yum Cha had been defeated.



To celebrate, stomachs almost full, the fateful three decided to indulge in desserts of coconut, mango and banana. Yum Cha had indeed lived up to its fearsome reputation. Although we learned that the full army is not available in the evenings, a 50% offer softened the blow.

At the start of this journey, although the aim had been to explore new lands and defeat an old enemy, the journey was more about discovery and a bond was made between the three fateful adventurers. As the dust settled, these three sat round the fire and chatted deep into the night. The first adventure of many, the journey had only just begun.

Yum Cha, 28 Chalk Farm Road, Chalk Farm, NW1 8AG