Snowflake, Soho

I have a chosen London gelateria. Gelupo has won my affection over the years with its consistently excellent flavours, textures and charm. I am very rarely disappointed by Gelupo and I eat there often. However, in the name of science (and greed) I feel obliged to tread new ground, explore the ice creams uneaten and test new gelaterias. It was following this philanthropic impulse that I sampled Snowflake on Wardour St which came highly recommended by A Little Bird, a weekly newspaper of which I am fond and which, for the most part, I trust. Sure, it is high-Yuppie but there is a part of me that loves organic Swedish skin care and Farrow & Ball’s new line of children’s clothes and £70 floor cushions. It’s a beautiful dream. Plus, their event recommendations are reliably good – tried and tested. All of that is to say that I had high hopes for Snowflake and said hopes were brutally dashed.

I would have been willing to overlook the naff name and the plasticky iPod-style shop if the ice cream had been good but it wasn’t. I had Sea Salted Caramel and Hazelnut and both tasted like sugared margarine. They were much too sweet and they tasted and felt strangely hydrogenated – they slipped almost greasily down your throat before you could even decide to swallow them. Also, and this is a fairly common complaint, they were too cold. That might sound ridiculous but if an ice cream is too cold you can’t enjoy the flavour or the texture properly. I’m not sure why some ice creameries are over refrigerating the good (is it shelf life? If so, please just make smaller batches!) but I would like them to stop.

This probably sounds a bit harsh. Snowflake isn’t the worst ice cream I’ve ever had but lacklustre ice cream so disappoints me. Such wasted potential! Ice cream can be the most delicious thing in the world (fact) so why accept less than perfection? Plus, the price tag on central London ice cream demands consideration. If you are serious about eating ice cream in Soho, in London generally, you are wasting your time here.