Motown Desserts

Motown Desserts is a cute little ice-cream shop right off of Whitechapel High Street. My flatmate Emily and I went there one evening because we had an ice-cream craving and we didn’t want to get some from a supermarket. So I suggested we go to Motown. 

Sadly on the outside it doesn’t look particularly good because it’s covered in scaffolding. But the inside is quite quirky. The bar is covered in old vinyls, there are comfortable brown armchairs in the seating area and a huge light up sign showing the way to the seating downstairs. 

The ice-cream itself was really inviting. So I chose to get a combination of creamy, chocolatey flavours, and a separate mango sorbet. I tried their cookies and cream, honeycomb and a hazel-nutty flavour that I can’t remember the name of. My favourite was the hazelnut flavour because it had soft hazelnuts laced throughout the ice-cream. Their flavours are very thick and vanilla-y so I don’t recommend going crazy like we did by getting so many flavours. The mango sorbet was a perfect refresher after all that cream, its really worth trying. 

Here’s their website: http://www.motowndesserts.com/

Shake Shack

On a very cold evening my friends and I decided to treat ourselves to a little Shake Shack. I'd been wanting to go since they announced their opening in the UK (back in June). So we all went to Covent Garden to have a taste of the most talked about American food. Being handed the menus in the queue the anticipation was killing me, and I couldn't focus on what I wanted to order. I must have changed my mind between a hamburger and a hotdog about 15 times. One thing I was sure of, I wanted to taste one of their "concretes". 

Concretes are what Shake Shack calls ice-cream, and trust me, you want to get one. I think I went a little overboard on what I ordered, I got a hotdog, a double (large) concrete, cheesy fries and a true old school lemonade. Actually all of us got cheesy fries but thankfully the others got to try the burgers for me. The food was really yummy and I honestly didn't expect to be able to eat a hotdog so gracefully without getting half the sauce on me. 

Sadly, the biggest section of their seating area is outdoors and at this time of year its very hard to sit and enjoy a full meal outside. By the time I got to my concrete I was frozen. Trembling I ate spoonfuls of the stuff until I couldn't bare with the cold any longer. I hope that in the future they invest in some outdoor heaters because the coldest months are still to come. 

Overall I was happy with the service and the food, everyone was really nice, and I love tiny things like having your name put on your order so they don't just yell a number at you. I'm looking forward to enjoy some of that ice-cream in the warmer months, I'll have to go back for a milkshake sooner than that though. 

Here's the website for the Covent Garden "store" (the first in the UK):  http://www.shakeshack.com/location/london-covent-garden/

Amorino

I have been to Amorino, the ice-cream shop in Chelsea and Soho. I chose different flavours both times but I really enjoyed their ice-cream. Its creamy but not too creamy and the natural flavours of the ice-cream really stand out. A small cup costs 3,50 pounds but its really worth it because you do get a lot of ice-cream and they let you have a taste of a few flavours before you buy it so you know you're choosing something you like.

The first time I chose Licorice flavour and I loved it. The second time I chose Passion-fruit and "Agrumi" which is a combination of all the citrus fruits. Passion-fruit was a little sour for me but I loved Agrumi, I think it has become my favourite flavour this year. I think what I like the most about Amorino is that they have many people behind the counter so you don't have to wait long to be served. And their ice-cream is just so good. 

Also, their logo is one of those cute fat angels shown in Italian Renaissance art. The name Amorino comes from the little angels that acted like Cupid. Here's their website: http://www.amorino.com/en/

Benets

Benets is at the end of Brick Lane. Its a beige building with tables always outside. The signs on their windows say "ice-cream" and "pancakes" so of course I walked in. My friend Emily and I had just spent the whole afternoon on Brick Lane and we were so happy to finally sit down and relax.

This place has incredible ice-cream. I was contemplating getting crepes with extra ice-cream but I thought that was a little over the top. So instead, I asked to try a few of the ice-cream flavours. I ended up deciding on a mandarin sorbet. And let me tell you, it was amazing. The cups are 2.5 pounds but its worth it because you get to find out which flavour you want before, and they fill them up quite a lot. 

Other than the amazing ice-cream the location is pretty cool too. They have a few bikes hung to the ceiling and other small quirky details but it also reminds me of a stereotypical french bistro with wooden floors and tables and the colours brown and beige being reflected throughout the interior. Next time I go there I am getting crepes! 

The Diner

The Diner is a really cute American style restaurant, you can also go there to play pool, or just drink. You don't really have to go there at meal times because they serve a set menu at all times of day which is really good for me because I'm always hungry. They have a few different branches but most recently I went to the one in Angel. 

I have had their milkshakes, and they're really good, but recently I tried their Root Beer Float. That is a drink with Root Beer, but with two scoops of vanilla ice-cream as well, because the ice-cream interacts with the fizzy drink really well creating a sort of milkshake consistency. Their french toast is incredible, but sadly not as good as the one at The Breakfast Club. However it's also yummy because they drench it in maple syrup here. I love their burgers. 

With my Float I got a cheese burger and it was amazing. All the layers fit together perfectly and I had a bunch of mouth watering bites. I tend to have a big problem with burgers, the yummier they are the more I get of them all over my face and hands. I had a really good time there, and my friends spoke in Swedish with the waitress which gave me a more homey feel. Also, the five of us fit pretty comfortably in the booth we were given, and the table wasn't too wide so we didn't have to scream across it to let our friends hear us. Overall, it was a good and quick meal, I think next time I just want to go there for a drink and let the ambiance of the place soak in. Here's their website: http://www.goodlifediner.com/

Zaza

Walking down Portobello Road you stop at all the market stalls but somehow I never stop at the restaurants around it. This time I was finally able to look around a bit more, and I decided to stop at a place called "Zaza". This place has Italian ice-cream, or as I like to call it "real ice-cream".

I chose the smallest size cup, for 2,50 pounds, and the flavour licorice. I know, I know, its a weird flavour, but since this one summer I tried it in Sicily I can't get enough. It was amazing, it had a very subtle taste with a pang at the end. The store also had Italian candy and other Italian desserts.

The ice-cream flavours they had were all really cool for example there was; amarena, zuppa inglese, cassata, and many others. It was great because they had the English descriptive name on the top of the label and then the actual Italian name underneath. The people serving were all Italian except for one person that seemed like he was new at the job because he was still learning how to use the touch screen on the till.

The place has a few small tables in the back and around, there's also a stack of pillows that you can grab to make your seat more comfortable. Being such a small shop gives it more personality, and it reminded me a lot of an ice-cream place in Milan. I really want to try some of their other flavours when I go back to Portobello. Here's their site: http://www.zazagelato.eu/index.html