Debuting
just in time to help ease the scorching October heat with a range of delectable
soft serve ice cream treats is this cutesy store-in-store creamery that ticks
most of our boxes
By Raul Dias
Given our predilection—bordering on obsession—for all
things ice cream-y and that too in one of our favourite iterations of the
treat—soft serve, we couldn’t wait to give this new store-in-store creamery a
whirl…or should we say swirl? Offering a range of both innovative signature
swirl sundaes and the usual build-your-own kind of soft serves, Xoco 57, the
candy pink and white hued kiosk nestled in the heart of the Pedder Road branch
of the Foodhall grocery store chain is an interesting place to find oneself on
a sweltering October afternoon. Sharing its space with a chocolate counter to
its right and a mithai one to its
left, we weren’t surprised to see it enjoy the most action of the three sections
with hordes of teenagers and little kids with parents in tow making a beeline
for it.
Feeling particularly indulgent that afternoon, we ordered up a range of their sundaes that we could see being assembled in front of us, built up from an assortment of toppings, sauces and sprinkles. With a levered machine dispensing only vanilla, chocolate and vanilla-chocolate combination softy bases, we did wish that there were a few more base options available. A tart berry or zesty citrus flavoured one would have hit a nice home run. But alas, we made do with the various concoctions featuring the good old vanilla-chocolate duo.
The peanut punch (Rs 195) with its creamy chocolate soft serve base is a confection that is sure to win the heart of a peanut fan with its generous sprinkling of slightly salted, crushed peanuts that are covered in a drizzle of warm chocolate sauce. Adding some further peanut heft is a mighty splodge of peanut butter that seals the deal perfectly.
Topped with French crêpe crisps and the same chocolate sauce, the French crisp (Rs 195) won us over with its vanilla soft serve that had actual flecks of vanilla bean peeking through the ice cream. Blending the words “adulting” and ice cream expertly was the strongly flavoured Xoco 57 signature soft serve (Rs 225) with its spicy pink peppercorn and dark chocolate bark toppings melded with a vanilla-chocolate base.
For our final signature swirl, we tucked into one that reflected the latest international trend of ‘birthday cake’ flavoured confections. Simply called birthday cake (Rs 250) it turned out to be the unanimous favourite among the three of us ice cream f(r)iends! Fudgy chocolate brownie morsels, a spoonful of Nutella and a shower of rainbow-hued sprinkles sitting atop a vanilla-chocolate base made this one a more-ish treat we’ll be back for.
Attempting to satiate our desire for something tart and fruity was the vanilla soft serve cone (Rs 95) (we had the option of upgrading to a waffle cone for Rs 125) topped with a raspberry coulis (Rs 25 extra). Though not bad at all, it sadly tasted like any old, ordinary grocery store bought raspberry syrup and not like an expected coulis that was actually made with the berry.
While we’d sure love to see a few more base flavours and fruit-based toppings added as part of their offerings, Xoco 57 seems to get it right for the most part.
Feeling particularly indulgent that afternoon, we ordered up a range of their sundaes that we could see being assembled in front of us, built up from an assortment of toppings, sauces and sprinkles. With a levered machine dispensing only vanilla, chocolate and vanilla-chocolate combination softy bases, we did wish that there were a few more base options available. A tart berry or zesty citrus flavoured one would have hit a nice home run. But alas, we made do with the various concoctions featuring the good old vanilla-chocolate duo.
The peanut punch (Rs 195) with its creamy chocolate soft serve base is a confection that is sure to win the heart of a peanut fan with its generous sprinkling of slightly salted, crushed peanuts that are covered in a drizzle of warm chocolate sauce. Adding some further peanut heft is a mighty splodge of peanut butter that seals the deal perfectly.
Topped with French crêpe crisps and the same chocolate sauce, the French crisp (Rs 195) won us over with its vanilla soft serve that had actual flecks of vanilla bean peeking through the ice cream. Blending the words “adulting” and ice cream expertly was the strongly flavoured Xoco 57 signature soft serve (Rs 225) with its spicy pink peppercorn and dark chocolate bark toppings melded with a vanilla-chocolate base.
For our final signature swirl, we tucked into one that reflected the latest international trend of ‘birthday cake’ flavoured confections. Simply called birthday cake (Rs 250) it turned out to be the unanimous favourite among the three of us ice cream f(r)iends! Fudgy chocolate brownie morsels, a spoonful of Nutella and a shower of rainbow-hued sprinkles sitting atop a vanilla-chocolate base made this one a more-ish treat we’ll be back for.
Attempting to satiate our desire for something tart and fruity was the vanilla soft serve cone (Rs 95) (we had the option of upgrading to a waffle cone for Rs 125) topped with a raspberry coulis (Rs 25 extra). Though not bad at all, it sadly tasted like any old, ordinary grocery store bought raspberry syrup and not like an expected coulis that was actually made with the berry.
While we’d sure love to see a few more base flavours and fruit-based toppings added as part of their offerings, Xoco 57 seems to get it right for the most part.
TIME:
9am to 11pm
AT: Xoco 57 by Foodhall, Kanchanjunga 72, Pedder Road.
CALL: 023871442
AT: Xoco 57 by Foodhall, Kanchanjunga 72, Pedder Road.
CALL: 023871442
(An edited version of this review appeared in the 30th October 2019 issue of the Mid-Day newspaper, India on page 20 https://www.mid-day.com/articles/ice-dream/22000205)
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