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No one does showstopping dishes like the The Big Mamma group: Circolo Popolare’s mighty carbonara, served from a hollowed-out wheel of pecorino cheese; Gloria’s giant lemon meringue pie. Now Filippo La Gattuta, executive chef, has come up with another snazzy invention: a 65-centimetre-tall stracciatella ice cream cake, carved into generous slices of chilly, chocolatey goodness. It’s exclusive to their brand new, hyper-Instagrammable restaurant, Ave Mario. He tells us what goes into it.
The chocolate
‘To balance with the sweetness of the ice cream, the chocolate we use tastes very clear and strong. We add it in chunks to give a nice crunch which keeps it interesting.’
The ice cream
‘We don’t put nuts or gluten in it – that way lots of people can enjoy it. It’s not as creamy as the ice cream we serve at Gloria, so the tower can be cut without it collapsing.’
The shape
‘We use a 60cm-tall bespoke mould, weighing six kilos, to structure the tower.We pour the ice cream into the mould and freeze it for 24 hours before taking it out to serve.’
The service
‘The tower is brought out on a silver tray, a slice is carved out at the table, and the optional caramel is poured. The reaction of customers is amazing – like: Wow!’
Ave Mario, 15 Henrietta St, WC2E 8QG. £9.
Read the whole of our Hype Dish series.