Restaurants

By Chris Moss

Come nightfall, one percent of the middle classes in Buenos Aires hang out in bars, drink wine and take the occasional line of charlie. The other 99 per cent are more likely to be found posing in ice cream parlours, for artisanal ice cream is their true vice.

Freddo, Argentina’s best-known posh ice cream chain, offers dozens of flavours at slick outlets across the city. The newly opened UK branch, Freggo – it couldn’t take the Argentinian name because of a trademark conflict – is an attempt to replicate the ‘experience’ of going out for a cone as well as bringing the country’s quality produce to a new market.

Part of the successful Gaucho steakhouse group, and located beside the flagship restaurant on Swallow Street, Freggo is a smart-looking venue with a few stools beside the big windows.

Two-flavour cones are pricey at £3.95, but the two scoops were huge and the flavours a cut above your average van man. The vanilla and banana were creamy, the dulce de leche ‘temptation’ as scrumptious and sweet as the Buenos Aires original, and a scoop of malbec and berries was a welcome novelty. Service was speedy so there were no queues forming. 500g tubs for takeaway are £11.95 and there’s excellent coffee if you don’t want an ice cream.

On weekdays it opens at 8am – and promises to offer medialunas (sweet croissants) for breakfast very soon – and closes at 2am, thus making a visit to Swallow Street the closest thing London has to a trip ‘down Argentine way’.

Time Out London July 2009