London is bracing for a second heatwave with temperatures set to exceed 30°C in the coming days. For those seeking relief, ice cream offers a delicious way to cool down. One foodie, Rachel, embarked on an ice cream crawl across the capital, sampling three of London's top-rated shops in a single day.
Gelupo in Soho: A Disappointing Start
Rachel began her journey at Gelupo in Soho, a spot that had been on her list for a while. She ordered two scoops of milk chocolate and burnt caramel for £6.50. However, she was disappointed with the chocolate, noting its light color indicated a lack of richness. "If you prefer a more subtle flavour, then this might be for you, but for me I wanted something a bit more chocolatey," she said. The burnt caramel, however, was a hit, described as "the topping of a crème brûlée, crossed with honeycomb, aka heaven."
Bilmonte: The Standout Sicilian Gelato
Next, Rachel visited Bilmonte, specializing in Sicilian gelato, where two scoops cost £6.20. She was blown away by the dark chocolate sea salt gelato, calling it the "richest chocolate gelato of her life." The flavor was intense yet balanced by sea salt, making it "ridiculously moreish." She also tried the pistachio, which had a creamy, stretchy texture and a beautiful pistachio flavor, served with a mini cone of melted chocolate on top.
Big Kid Ice Cream: Pricey but Unique Flavors
Rachel's final stop was Big Kid Ice Cream, where two scoops cost £9, the highest price she had ever paid. She sampled Marmite on toast but settled on brown sugar vanilla and Ube blueberry muffin. The latter was her favorite flavor of the day, with a strong blueberry muffin taste. "The only thing I'd mark this place down for was the price," she admitted.
Bilmonte Crowned the Winner
Despite Big Kid having her single favorite flavor, Rachel concluded that Bilmonte was the best overall. "All in all – these were three very delicious ice creams and while Big Kid did have my favourite single flavour of the day, if I could only go back to one shop, it has to be Bilmonte, the quality for the price is just hard to beat," she said in her TikTok video.
