A sweet surprise in Zografou

                           


                                 A few days ago a friend and I wanted some icecream. That is to say I wanted ice cream. And not just any ice cream, but yoghurt with nuts & berries, my all-time favourite. So off we head to Δωδώνη (do-DO-nee), the well-known chain of ice cream parlours (there happened to be one near us, in Zografou). Unfortunately, they were all out of yoghurt flavour, and anyone who knows me also knows that "compromise" is not a word in my vocabulary. So I dragged my protesting (and already having ordered) friend next door, to a little (and I mean tiny) Italian Gelateria, in an ongoing search for yoghurt ice cream.

                              I had been walking past this place for over a year now, without actually ever intending to sit down, let alone write an article about. I know, never judge a book by it's cover (see taf), but even so, it just seemed lacking in the "WOW! You have to sit here NOW!"-factor. That having been said, it turned out to be quite a fantastic little find.

                              What made this place ("Da Giorgio ") so noteworthy, in my opinion anyway, were two very specific things:

                              1) They had amazing flavours. And I'm not talking about your everyday, boring strawberry, chocolate and vanilla (which, sure, they had too), I'm talking about Ferrero Rocher flavour, Cookies, Profiterol, even Millefeuille, all with pieces of the corresponding desserts mixed in with them. But that's not all. The most otherworldly, gobsmacking, historic-find flavour was Rosewater. Gorgeous. Absolutely monumental. Maybe it's just me, or the fact that I'm going through a bit of a rose phase at the moment, but it tasted just like loukoumi (aka turkish delight), which made me so over-the-moon happy. Needless to say, it trumped even my yoghurt with N&B flavour.

                              2) As I ordered my ice cream (never in a bowl, always in a cone, remember: it tastes better that way) the assistant turned to this little sort of waffle-making contraption, and poured in a load of batter. 1 minute and 23 seconds later (no, there was a timer on it, I'm not weird that way) out comes a honey-coloured, aromatic ribbed pancake, which was then wrapped round a cone-shaped object. Now yours truly, who had been getting a little upset about not being served, only then realised: the assistant was actually making an ice cream cone! At that very minute (well minute and 23 seconds to be precise)! After it had cooled a little and solidified, in went the rose flavoured ball, accompanied by a yoghurt one, for good measure. So I ended up with a loukoumi-tasting, gorgeous, melting ice cream ball in a warm, thin and crispy, waffle-tasting cone.

Now if that isn't awesome, I don't know what is.

In a nutshell:

• Do you get your money's worth?: Most definitely. 1 euro per ice cream ball, and no charge for the home-made cone.
• Is it worth it? : I'd certainly say so. If you're in the area and in the mood for ice cream, don't  make my mistake and head for Δωδώνη. The truth is they have gone down the drain somewhat of late. But, point of order: if you leave it too late (i.e. 11 or 12 pm) they might be out of batter, so no warm home-made cone for you!
• Will I go again? : With those flavours I'd have to be silly not to! :)

P.S. I know the pic is slightly blurry, but I mean come on, it was warm, it was yummy, it was melting, what was I supposed to do?

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Posted in: Cafe,Da Giorgio Gelateria,Desserts,Ice Cream,Zografou