While everyone goes gaga over mainstream ice cream chains, I think that some of the best ice cream I have had in this city can be found at Taj Ice Cream, located inside the by lanes of the Bhendi Bazaar area at Bohri Mohallah, off Mohammed Ali Road. From outside, it doesn’t look like much, but this place is one of Mumbai’s most iconic ice cream parlours with a rich history of gastronomic glory, and will always have a cornerstone in the city’s food heritage.
Founded in 1887, Taj Ice Cream is a family-run business and is currently run by the sixth generation of the family. They specialise in authentic hand-made sancha ice cream and are renowned for their fresh fruit flavours. Back when they started off, there was no electricity and a pain-staking manual process had to be adopted to make their ice cream. Despite it being 130 years since their inception, their ice creams are still freshly made every morning and hand-churned in a wooden barrel or sancha. No added colours or preservatives or artificial sweeteners are used.
Other ice cream parlours and brands today sparingly use fruits or dry fruits, often using dehydrated products. What I personally like the most about Taj Ice Cream is the fact they use fresh fruits and dry fruits more than generously, along with real milk, which gives the ice cream a rich sinfully delicious taste. Further, the hand-churned ice cream has a sensual texture such that it’s firm on the spoon yet smooth and creamy and melts in your mouth. My personal fresh fruit favourites here are their Fresh Sitaphal Ice Cream, Fresh Mango Ice Cream, Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream and Guava Ice Cream. For those who are not a big fan of fruity ice cream flavours, their Roasted Almonds — Chocolate Chip Ice Cream is worth a try.
— The writer is a food blogger (The Hungry Mumbaikar)
