Copyright thehindu
Chennai has three seasons: summer, summer with rain, and less summer. Which makes ice cream less of a craving and more of a civic necessity. But lately, it is not just the weather dictating what is in the bowl, but curiosity. Somewhere in the city, the scoop has become a vehicle for travel, crossing borders one flavour at a time. At Ciclo Café, that idea has taken shape as Scoops Around the World, a five-flavour experiment that treats ice cream like a storyteller. “We wanted people to step out of their comfort zones,” says Sanjana Ramesh, head, Recipe Innovation and Food Quality, Ciclo Café, who designed the flavour pairings. “Ice cream is already one of our strongest offerings, but this felt like a chance to show what it could really do.” The five sundaes take their cues from different parts of the world. The Great British Banoff brings together banana ice cream, biscuit crumbs and dulce de leche, served with fresh banana slices and shaved chocolate. Orange is the New Black pairs toasted black sesame ice cream with bright orange marmalade, black sesame soil, dehydrated orange and a sesame brittle. Matcha Mia combines a mascarpone tiramisu ice cream base with matcha-soaked sponge fingers and strawberry coulis. Arabian Treasure draws from West Asia with toasted ghee and pistachio ice cream, rose water and a topping of mahalabia cream and a kunafa nest. The lineup ends with Chennai Express, a Madras filter coffee ice cream served with extra decoction, sponge, buttery toffee and toasted hazelnuts. “At Ciclo we do a few special menus throughout the year whenever there is a gap to keep things a little bit interesting,” says Sanjana. The festival, she explains, was also a way to introduce playful flavour experiments while giving the service team something to discuss with guests. “It’s not just about trying new combinations,” she adds, “we can also customise any flavour someone wants, even for a private party.” For the city’s heat and humidity, these sundaes do more than cool. They offer a brief, delicious detour. “It’s just to get it out there that we take our ice cream seriously, and to give people a reason to try something new,” says Sanjana. A reminder that in Chennai’s unending summer, curiosity can be as refreshing as ice cream itself. The Scoops Around the World menu is available at Ciclo Café’s Kotturpuram branch starting ₹245 until October 31.
