Cafes / Reviews
Swoon – cafe review
Having ice cream for breakfast when there is frost on the ground and you can see your breath in the air might not be the most sensible idea.
But why not? Especially when a new ice cream emporium has been opened in the centre of town by a couple whose families have been making ice cream for more than a century.
Although be sure to get your terminology correct. This is gelato, made daily on the premises by chefs so serious about the cold stuff that they have been to university to study it; the Carpiagiani Gelato University at Anzola dell’Emilia, near Bologna, in case you’re interested.
is needed now More than ever
Coffee is a more typical start to the day than gelato. But here at Swoon I matched a flat white made with Extract coffee with a gelato also made with Extract coffee, the St Werburgh’s roasters collaborating with this new business and the espresso shots transported straight to the kitchen to make Dr Strangelove – a smooth creamy gelato with a tantalising hint of coffee.
One scoop costs £2.75, two scoops £3.75 and three scoops £4.75 – with more than a dozen different options, including tiramisu, chocolate, hazelnuts and cherry cheesecake. On a recent visit there were also two dairy-free sorbets, lemon and mango.
The milk and cream come from Bruton Dairy in Somerset, while further afield both the lemons and hazelnuts are imported from Sicily.
Staff buzz busily around wearing back aprons and flat caps in a premises opened up after previously being two different shops. Most are at work inside the kitchen, their creations able to be glimpsed through panes of glass, a bench allowing the littlest gelato fans a sneak peek inside.
There is plenty of natural light here, with ceiling height windows overlooking College Green and an octagonal skylight above a small raised seating area towards the back of the room.
There are even gelato cakes in one glass display. It’s not all iced products, however – bread and pastries come from Pullin’s Bakery in Yatton.
This is a more upmarket version of the city’s current craze for all things sweet. It may be cold outside, but Swoon’s chill is Bristol’s latest thrill.
Swoon, 31A College Green, Bristol, BS1 5TB
0117 929 0093