Rebirth of the Cool
Indian ice cream cools off S.F.
by M.C. Anderson

Summer is typically the season for over-the-top ice cream consumption -- even if San Francisco has its share of cool days and foggy blasts of chilly air. And for those who hanker for a different take on tradition, Bombay Ice Creamery in San Francisco is a great place to cool off.

An offshoot of the 24-year-old Indian grocery emporium New Bombay Bazar, this two-year-old ice creamery showcases flavors that reflect that tastes of the Indian subcontinent -- saffron-pistachio, cardamom and mango, to name a few.

Owners Suresh and Bharti Parmar, who came to San Francisco from the Indian state of Gujarat in the mid-1970s, opened this shop in part, because they sensed a growing demand for the ice creams of India. Their friends kept coming back from India homesick for the flavors of home, according to Ramat Ali, who works at Bombay Bazar.

Although it may come as a surprise to many Americans, Western-style ice cream is a wildly popular dessert in India, says Kishore Kripalani, the president of Gaylord India, one of the Bay Area’s best-known Indian restaurants.

“Western-style ice cream is very big all over India, especially in the cities,” he said. “There has been massive growth in the number of ice cream companies there in the last 15 years. Big international conglomerates have gotten involved in the making and selling of ice cream.”

Indians have always liked ice cream. In fact, there is kulfi, the traditional-style ice cream that originated from Northern India. Since it is frozen but not churned, it has a grainy texture that is a cross between ice cream and sherbet.

But before the early 1950s, consumption of Western or traditional ice cream was not as widespread as it is now because of problems with distribution and refrigeration, according to Kripalani. But technological advances have paved the way for wide consumption.

Variety is the spice of Indian ice cream. “There are incredible flavors,” Kripalani says. “There are all kinds of exotic fruits ... mango, guava, custard apples ... plus all traditional Western flavors.”

Bombay Ice Creamery’s selection has enough variety to pique any palate. The “exotic” ice cream flavors, handmade by Bharti Parmar, include saffron-pistachio, cardamom, chicku (a tropical fruit), rose, ginger, chai (an Indian tea), green tea, fig, cashew, raisin, lychee and mango. Suresh Parmar says the most popular flavors are chicku, green tea and chai.

It may be a good idea to glance at a menu first to decipher which flavors are what, because many of the ice cream labels on the display case go by their Indian names -- kesar pista, for example, is saffron-pistachio, badam is almond, anjeer is raisin, and chicku is just chicku, a fruit that in its raw state resembles a potato. The menu, however, has both Indian and English names, and the listing on the wall is in English, for the most part.

The chicku has a faintly sweet, slightly mango-coconut taste. The chai is a cool, creamy, refreshing version of its namesake, the spicy tea drink. The saffron-pistachio is suffused with strong accents og saffron. The rose, a delicate pink color, is sweet and floridly aromatic. The deep-green tea is intense; the ginger is delicate, with an earthy undertone. The saffron-rose, though pleasant, has a faint medicinal aftertaste.

Bombay Ice Creamery also has kulfi ($2.50), which is covered with a thin, milk-based pudding, rose syrup and rice noodles, and served in a small bowl.

In addition to the “exotic” flavors, there are “regular” ice cream flavors like chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. Single scoops are $1.65; double scoops are $2.95; pints are $3.50; and quarts are $5.50. Also available are milk shakes ($2.95), juices ($2.45-$2.95) and “Bombay Specials”, which are lassis (yogurt-based drinks, $1.95-$2.45) and falooda, a vanilla ice cream drink with rose syrup, milk, Indian noodles and basil seed ($3.50).

But all is not sweet here, though. Snacks are also sold, including poori and samosa ($1.95-$3).

Bombay Ice Cream is at 552 Valencia St. (between 16th and 17th), San Francisco. Closed Monday. For more information, call 415-431-1103.