We all scream for ice-cream!
Summer is fast approaching and the temperature is rising. After taking a walk or jogging around Hanoi, ice-cream and granita can serve as a wonderful treat to battle against that summer heat.
One of the most renowned ice cream shops in Hanoi is Kem Trang Tien. It was the only ice-cream shop established in Hanoi during 1958. While lines are always piling out of the doors of 57 Trang Tien Street, the main store, Trang Tien ice-creams can be found in many smaller shops around Hanoi. People come from all around the city for their coconut ice-cream. It is known for its sweet, creamy-coconut flavour with pieces of the seed itself infused in the mixture. Another popular flavour is the young rice ice-cream – “kem com”. It is green in colour much like that of the young rice, has a sweet, organic taste and a sticky-chewy texture which is created with the main ingredient “com”. Although it is not one of the most “fancy” ice-cream shops found around Hanoi, it is definitely cheaper as it only costs 6,000 VND per item.
Trang Tien ice-cream – taken by Jemimah
However, if coconut and young rice Trang Tien ice-creams are not your cup of tea, or if you prefer to eat the cold treat in the luxury of an air-conditioned restaurant, Fanny’s is an excellent choice. The brand was set up in Vietnam in 1994, and has been known as a high quality ice cream shop in Hanoi since. There are various different flavours and shapes of ice-cream available including sherbet, ice cream cakes, pancakes, and different sundae combinations. Fanny’s is located on 48 Le Thai To on the Western side of Hoan Kiem, making it a perfect treat after a walk around the historic lake.
Nevertheless, homemade dessert will always be the most delightful treat to share with your friends and family. Granita is a perfect dessert for the over-heating summer months that can be made with little effort. It is a very simple sorbet-like dessert that involves scraping a frozen tray of boiled sugar, water, and flavouring agents. Fresh fruits like raspberry, lemon, orange, strawberry and orange blossoms are some of the best ingredients for flavouring. Experimentation with other flavours like chocolate, mint, tea or jasmine could always bring about unexpected but tasty results!
Otherwise, if you are at school and is suffering from a heatstroke, ice-cream from the canteen is always an option.
– Reported by Natalia Jaffee and My Tran