It’s been a hobby of mine to find local dishes during my travels. Not only that, I also look for those authentic places that have been around a while. Zangrandi Ice Cream is one of those places I’d been eyeing on if I ever had the chance to travel to Surabaya. Well it’s ice cream, it’s an old parlor, Surabaya is steaming hot, and… did I say that it was ice cream already?
There are a few of these old ice cream parlors in Java. There’s the Ragusa in Jakarta, Toko Oen in Semarang and Malang, and there’s Tiptop in Jogjakarta (which Vira had tasted but I haven’t). Then there’s Rasa in Bandung and recently we’ve heard about Domino in Jember. Surabaya has Zangrandi. Well, the Dutch did leave something good after all.
Zangrandi Ice Cream has been around for about 83 years and was established by an Italian guy named RenatoZangrandi. Leave it to the Italians to make great ice cream, gelato, and other desserts (gotta head to Italy! *jaunt on travel list).
How did the Zangrandi Ice Cream taste? Yummy! I had a delightful small bowl to myself after a hot day sight seeing Surabaya. I recall liking this ice cream better than the one in Toko Oen Semarang and Malang. It had a milkier taste. I think the fruits were canned but it only added an oomph to my bowl of scoops. However, as the other old parlors, the ice cream wasn’t as smooth or as milky as we know it today. Still, it was a great combination with tired feet and sticky face due to sweat.
Although I haven’t tried it (I tried something else that I can’t remember what it was), I would recommend you the avocado or durian flavored ice cream. Have a tropical fruit ice cream while you’re in Indonesia. No?
The venue itself was pretty retro. It’s located in one of the old Dutch buildings on one of the busiest roads of Surabaya viewing the old Youth Building complex, which is one of the maintained old buildings. At the end of the one-way road, is the town hall that kept its art deco style making the area have very retro feel indeed. The eating area is on the porch. They had vintage rattan chairs and there were no aircon to spoil you in the ambiance of present modern time. If I had on a frilly summer dress and a wide hat, I’m sure time had never changed.
Prices are around IDR 25,000 / portion.
Zangrandi Ice Cream
Jl.Yos Sudarso No.15
Telp : 031-5345820, 5461490
Opening hours: 10:00 – 22:00 (yep, you can have ice cream late in the night!)