We still had a bit of time before our comedy show tonight and I was predictably still hungry after the dinner. We randomly strolled down Enmore Road in the light rain looking for nothing in particular, and stumbled upon a little place called Hakiki Turkish Ice Cream.
“Turkish ice cream?” We asked each other.
“Probably just ice cream made with goat milk,” Richard said.
And that’s when we decided we should probably find out what the deal was about even though I’m not normally a dessert person, and I’m certainly far too superior for sugary treats.
Now that I’ve established my insecurities superiority… Hakiki on Enmore Road specialises in Turkish treats such as baklava and Turkish delights (which is as far as my knowledge in Turkish treats goes), and apparently only opened not even 2 weeks ago. We saw some very unusual ice cream flavours out of the total 14 on display. The more interesting ones include: Baklava, Grape Molasses and Tahini, Maras, Melon and Feta, Turkish Coffee, and Turkish Delight.
Yep. I just marked 43% of the flavours as “interesting”. There’s no way we would walk out of there without trying at least some of those tonight.
The staff told us their handmade Turkish ice cream (also known as dondurma) is made with goat milk (heh), cow milk, sugar and salep — the orchid root that gives the ice cream its stretchiness. Neither Richard and I could believe we’ve lived so many years without ever hearing about its existence. After sampling a few, we decided to get hazelnut (safe bet), tahini, Turkish coffee, and Maras out of the list. Richard got 2 scoops for $6, while I got 3 big scoops for $8!
And the ice cream did stretch, more for some flavours and less for the others; I had to twirl it around the spatula to eat it! It also doesn’t melt. My favourite flavour was the very subtle Maras (probably because I don’t have a sweet tooth), which is the base for the rest of the flavours as the staff told us. Richard really enjoyed his tahini ice cream as well and joked that he should request that flavour at other ice cream shops from now on.
After the ice cream, Richard grabbed a Turkish coffee ($3; no sugar). I’ve never tried it before so I had a small sip of the unfiltered drink. Mmm, gritty. Gritty but good.
There is still a slight novelty factor, but Hakiki is easily an instant favourite, and I will definitely return for more! I hope that when they become immensely popular, the staff would still stay super warm and friendly like they were tonight. smile
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