Sheer chance is how I'd describe the way I stumbled on to Pabrai's Besant Nagar outlet, I've always wanted to give their Thiruvanmiyur branch a visit but somehow it had eluded me. I was treating a friend that evening at the Cozee-Pupil complex at Bessie when I caught sight of Pabrai's and almost whooped in surprise; the interesting part is that they had inaugurated this outlet only the previous day, so I was sure to expect super-fresh dessert; and I also took the honor/initiative of suggesting Zomato to add this place, which explains why mine is the first review (you can thank me later, or better yet, buy me a scoop if you please...).
"So what's the deal with this place?", you might ask; that probably means that you don't have any Bong, er... pardon me for the political incorrectness, Bengali friends. I've learned that there's a magical name that can seize any Bengali person's attention, and that you can actually get them to cater to your every whim by merely hinting a reward of an item which possesses said magical name. In terms of desire, Bongs covet it the same way Gollum longs for the One Ring; and in terms of weakness, it is their Kryptonite; to me it's synonymous with Pabrai's and I even recall me saying those apparently ensorcelled words - Nalen Gur.
The folks at Pabrai's were more than happy to offer samples of whatever they had on offer, but I was undaunted, 'Nalen Gur foremost' was what I had resolved, although my friend was hell-bent on sampling every single flavor that caught his fancy. To the surprise of the guys managing the place, I requested them to give me a cup of Nalen Gur outright, none of this tasting business; so when two smallish scoops of Nalen Gur ice cream were placed in a commensurately small cup and properly bathed in Date Palm jaggery syrup, I knew this was going to be good.
The NALEN GUR isn't a decadently saccharine flavor, it doesn't take you by surprise nor does it assault you with an overwhelming sweetness which gets the better of you. You'll never get sick of this flavor, it's subtle, it grows on you and every spoonful gives you a clearer and clearer inkling of why the Bongs love it so damn much; the Nalen Gur then is an enigma, you'll need more than one sitting at Pabrai's to understand the sapor of this legend.
Whilst deciding what to try next, I managed to scoop a couple of spoonfuls from the PAAN ice cream my friend had ordered, and to call that flavor the craziest ice cream I had ever tasted is an understatement. The way they managed to recreate the exact flavor will quite simply blow your mind! It's immaterial whether you like Paan or not, do try to at least get a sample and revel in the unmitigated sorcery.
Although I wanted to stick to the Indian, specifically Bengali flavors, I was suggested that I sample their BUBBLEGUM ice cream; unfortunately it was less bubble gummy and more antacidic. No kidding, it tasted exactly like Gelusil, a flavor which I absolutely despise.
Having undecidedly hovered around the counter for too long, the guys running the store took the liberty of handing me a sample of their ROSE SANDESH without even consulting me whether I wanted to try it or not; actions like these generally dictate that I'm gonna be treated to another signature dish and the Rose Sandesh too was a classic in its own right! The pleasingly pink, fragrantly sweet, subtly delicious flavor of the Rose Sandesh was like consuming rose-milk on a rabidly sweltering dog day afternoon! It's another flavor I'd rate very highly, only bested by the lovely Nalen Gur.
Coming to the store itself, Pabrai's Fresh and Naturelle Ice Creams (whew, quite a mouthful) is decidedly tiny, all there is the ice cream and billing counter, a granite slab, as wide as your mobile's length, running the across the length of the store, should you decide to eat your ice cream inside with two picket fence chairs on the outside. Also everything is served in disposable paper cups which, along with the size of their operation, is a cue for you to pay up quickly and haul yourself over to the beach. If there is one, solitary grouse I have with Pabrai's it has to be the pricing - three small cups of ice creams, with each cup holding two diminutive scoops, set us back Rs.280 (inclusive of taxes). But hey, the really good things in life don't come cheap, do they?
P.S: If you Bongs (or any of you Non-Bongs for that matter) wanna have a whole tub of Nalen Gur for yourself, which you can stealthily preserve in your freezer to satiate future cravings, Pabrai's also does takeaways. Yes, they also give you the Jaggery syrup.
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