Day Thirteen: Amorino Gelato

Is it technically food? Well, no, but it’s fricking delicious so it’s going on the list. For obvious reasons (it tastes amazing) you can find a Gelato place on practically every street corner in London. What sets Amorino apart from the other Gelato chains? One, it’s the one I went to. Second, The staff at Amorino layer small bits of the Gelato around a central cone that turns into, when it’s done, an ice cream rose perfect for Instagram.

Ratings:

Food: 7/10

Price: $$

Accessibility: NA

Service: 6.75/10

Food:

It was really good. The chocolate was by far my favorite: it was rich, intense, and creamy, but the coconut was also quite delicious. I didn’t think it would really matter what shape my Gelato came in, but eating an ice cream rose was really fun. I don’t think a reasonably priced Gelato place exists and I have yet to be proven wrong, but you are paying for quality. What I find works best is to order the large with a friend and split it between two or three people. That way you get to try different flavors and you end up paying around three pounds each for the same amount of ice cream as a small size.

Bonus: While I have never tried the ice cream macaroons myself, I have heard from some very trusted sources that they are amazing.

Accessibility:

This is a chain restaurant, so every experience will be different. With my shop, there were no stairs or any other obstruction and the ice cream itself was low enough to see in a wheelchair.

Service:

This will vary from place to place. The men who served us were nice but that could change depending on location.

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Health and Gelato:

The health of Gelato: It seems like every Gelato place claims that it’s the more healthy, less fatty, or more flavorful alternative to ice cream. But what is the actual difference?

Apparently, ice cream sports about 7 grams of saturated fat, 3.5 grams of protein, and 207 calories per serving, compared to gelato’s 160 calories per serving, 5 grams of fat, and 5g of protein.

Now, because of the variance in both ice cream and Gelato, this number is likely different depending on the flavor you choose or the location you go to. So, is Gelato healthier? It depends on what you're looking for. It does have a lower fat content and lower calorie, but it also packs more sugar into 100g compared to the alternative.

It’s hard to say who invented ice cream, some sources indicate ancient China, where they made an ancient form of it using buffalo milk. While it was occasionally served, both didn’t get popular until the 19th century with improvements in dairy farming and refrigeration. Both have the same foundation: dairy, sugar, and air. From there they differ. Ice cream incorporates a lot of air while Gelato is more condensed. Ice cream also has more cream and egg yolks, which creates a higher fat content.