Amiamo: In Love with Gelato
I must confess, I am one of those people who feels that the winter is the best time of the year for ice cream. As a result, to me it makes perfect sense for someone to be opening a gelateria in December. After all, how cold does it ever actually get in Karachi? As it turned out, the soft opening of this place coincided almost perfectly with a cool snap in the city of Trumpian climate change tweet proportions. Which worked perfectly for me.
Amiamo (Italian for 'we love') Gelato is situated on Lane 1, Bukhari Commercial. In the best tradition of Karachi directions, it is the same galli as Neeco's and Bina Khan, a couple of doors before Dialogue. I wanted to say it's 'tucked away', but it isn't really - the way DHA's commercial areas are structured, everything feels tucked away, this is actually one one of the larger lanes and not at all difficult to find.
It's a small space (think the original Zamzama outlet of Espresso) - most of the space is taken up by the gelato display cabinet and back end peripherals, leaving a small area for seating (maybe 6-8 seats are available at any time) - the seating arrangement makes me think that this is primarily a takeaway proposition, or a 'eat and go' kind of arrangement. In principle, this is consistent with gelateria in the west, where one takes their cup and continues down the road. I'm not sure if that execution translates well to Karachi, where there isn't anywhere really for people to saunter down to. There is a mezzanine level, but that seems to be a preparation area, rather than seating.
In addition to the ice cream, Amiamo's proposition also includes waffles, which we didn't try on the day; as a result, I will be speaking of their core proposition, the gelati.
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Sidebar: What is Gelato and Why Should I care?
The word 'gelato', in Italian, means 'frozen'. In effect, this means that all frozen desserts (ice cream, sorbet and granita, primarily) fall under this category. When I think of gelato, the image that comes to mind is a smoother, creamier version of ice cream. And, in effect, that is exactly what gelato is. The core recipe for the 'custard' is very similar to regular ice cream, but it normally has a lower cream content and is, classically speaking, hand churned slowly for longer (although now machines do most of that work). Having less cream (hence fat) it is also theoretically less unhealthy than ice cream.
The dessert originated in Florence, and there are thousands of gelaterie dotted around Italy
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| The selection |
Full marks for visual presentation. The gelati looked beautiful and fluffy, and the garnish was extremely evocative of an authentic European gelateria. Maryam, the co-owner, was there herself, and was very enthusiastic and helpful. Our visit was for the soft-launch, but the place was already full of customers, which is great to see, but did mean that there weren't any seats available at the time. We didn't really mind, to be honest, as the breeze was nice and cool and I'd had Michael Jackson blasting on the stereo on my way there, meaning all was right with the world.
For a small place, the acoustics are actually quite good. We were able to speak to the staff, and each other, reasonably easily. The staff was very courteous, and were quite happy to have us taste the various flavours before we decided on what to order. I, of course, took the opportunity to sample each of the flavours on offer (more flavours, and seasonal changes, are promised) - a short run-down follows.
Note: You will note that my descriptions of the flavours will alternate between the word 'gelato' and the word 'ice cream'. That is deliberate. Now, I am by no means a connoisseur, But for me 'gelato' invokes a very traditional image that is around purity of flavours, richness of texture and simple execution of complex concepts, whereas ice cream is less subtle, more about the addition of texture elements (as popularised by Ben and Jerry's) and appealing to a wider audience.
Chocolate: Extremely good. Dark, rich chocolate, rich smooth gelato. Definitely one of the stronger offerings.
Pomegranate (Sorbet): This was currently their only sorbet offering (more are promised) and it was very, very good. The texture was absolutely sumptuous and the flavour was also fantastic. There was hint of black salt in there which elevated the flavours even more. This would be a wonderful palate cleanser at the end of the meal.
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| Pomegranate Sorbet - Ice Cream for Grown Ups |
Mint Chocolate: Decent, but unremarkable. The flavour and texture were both fairly generic and didn't bring anything exceptional to the party. For me, the mint chocolate chip flavour is evocative of an after-dinner treat, with a cup of strong coffee. And this wasn't quite there.
Blueberry Cheesecake: Not one of my favourites. The texture didn't work for me, and the flavour, too, was a bit flat. Cheesecake flavours are, in my mind, the preserve of ice cream parlours and not gelaterie. So this felt a bit out of place to me, at first taste. Didn't have the 'purity', for lack of a better word, of a gelato.
Hazelnut: This flavour is a staple of the classic gelaterie portfolio, and I was quite keen to see how it would translate in a Pakistani execution. It was actually not too bad at all. The texture was beautiful, and the flavour profile was subtle, which isn't easy to achieve with artificial hazelnut flavouring (since fresh hazelnuts are so difficult to source in Pakistan). Another strong contender.
Cookie Monster: This was a bit of an odd one. It was actually cookies and cream, with the addition of a rather alarmingly bright blue, targeted at the kiddies. Once again, cookies and cream is not a flavour I personally associate with gelato, and the gratuitous addition of food colour was not only unashamedly gimmicky but also a bit distracting. That said, it was a perfectly acceptable cookies and cream ice cream, once you got past the visual shock.
By now I was coming to the realisation that Amiamo isn't a pure, hard-core gelateria, but a bit of a hybrid - an interpretation of a gelateria for local tastes, if you will, blurring the lines between gelato and ice cream. One for the populists rather than the purisits.
Tiramisu: Another 'classic' gelato flavour. The texture was absolutely spot on, great smoothness and 'feel' in the mouth. Unfortunately, a bit of a heavy-handed approach with the amaretto essence meant that the finish to the bite had that decidedly bitter amaretto flavour to it, and not in a good way. A bit of tweaking on the formulation could really elevate this.
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| Bounty Gelato - Tropic Thunder; kind of |
Have you ever had that "Bounty" ice cream bar that is available at select supermarkets? This is like a slightly posh version of that. That is, it's nice. Not 'blow your socks off and transport you to a tropical paradise' nice, but nice nonetheless.
Vanilla: A staple flavour, and one that is not easy to get right. This time, the texture is right, the flavour is good (not overly artificial), but those tell-date vanilla seeds were missing. Decent.
Salted Caramel: This flavour is fast becoming to dessert what Dynamite Prawns are to Pan Asian menus. Everyone has a variant, and there is a huge challenge in terms of how to differentiate one from the other. My personal favourite incarnation is the one from a french restaurant (not that one, the other one) and while this isn't quite there, it is still quite competent. Salted Caramel is a very 'grown up' flavour, and required a certain level of complexity in the flavour profile. This, while a perfectly acceptable gelato, doesn't quite have that little bit of savouriness at the end which would really take this to a different tier of sophistication.
Strawberry: This is another staple flavour that's difficult to get right, especially in the gelato space (as you can't just channel Movenpick and stick big chunks of fruit in there). Amiamo gets it largely right once again, especially the texture which is completely on point. The flavour is also quite good. I think my five-year-old would like this one...
Snickers: Another one of my favourite chocolate bars, and other very well executed ice cream. Doesn't have that smooth, whipped, gelato flavour due to the generous dose of (what I assume is) chopped up Snickers bars, but the insertion of that textural element is critical to deliver on the flavour. Also, most importantly, is not overwhelmed by the caramel flavour, with the peanut (and the associated saltiness) coming through very well. Winner.
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| Snickers Gelato: Surprisingly good |
Overall, Amiamo Gelato cannot be classified as a pure gelateria - rather, it is an adaptation of the gelateria concept to give it a broader appeal. Using the gelato preparation techniques but them incorporating some populist flavour choices is quite clever, if you think about it, in terms of ensuring the widest possible reach for their brand. And it's not like the addition of textures is something alien to the gelato concept.
With some minor exceptions, the flavours are well executed and the staff is also courteous and well trained. The lack of seating, especially as the product range increases, may prove to be a constraint. The initial flavour offering is quite good, so looking forward to see how their flavour offering evolves, and how they can bring in seasonal elements into the mix (which, for me, is the key element of the gelato experience).
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