2016 Apr 26
by Anuki Premachandra
Beating the heat in Jaffna.
With the Sri Lankan heat breaking records, Rio Ice Cream is by far one of the busiest places in the city. Like how they say, “You haven’t explored Jaffna, till you taste their ice cream”. Rio has been around for ages and has made a name for itself in the city. Their main outlet in in front of the Nallur Kovil. There’s also another one on the 3rd floor of the recently built Cargills Square. I’d suggest you go to their older place because they offer more of a variety than the recently opened outlet. Whichever one it may be, Rio is definitely a must go.
Rio isn’t an ice cream store that popped up recently. It’s been around for ages and has really worked their way up to being one of the best in the country.
Ambience
Alright, so this is not your average comfy ice cream joint you find in Colombo at Il gelato or Baskin Robins. It’s more like the Majestic City Food Court. But what you find at every Rio outlet is their interesting wooden furniture, whether it be the one in Wellawatte, Negombo or Jafnna. They’ve got wooden chairs with elongated back rests that literally is high enough to serve as a head rest.
The staff is warm and friendly. They are also very efficient in the sense that your order is given to you in minutes. For those of you, who don’t know head or tail of tamil, the language problem wouldn’t be as much of a barrier here because the staff, seems to be understanding and is prepared to give you what you want.
The only bummer in the place is the lack of comfort. There isn’t really any place in the city, other than the hotel you’ll most possibly be staying in where you can go chill, read a book and maybe bond with your friends and family. Rio would literally be every travellers dream if they replicated this atmosphere too, although that seems to be quite far from reality.
In terms of hygiene, it’s not really as hygienic as a coffee stop or an ice cream parlour in Colombo would be. This is because it’s very crowded 99% of the time and because it’s a cheaper place compared those in Colombo.
Rio is quite a busy and crowded place so it’s not somewhere you can chill while on vacation. Although literally with the excruciating heat and dust in Jaffna, Rio will be your knight in shining armour.
Food
Fun Fact: Did you know that even the water used to make ice cream in the Wellawatte and Negombo branches, is transported all the way from Jaffna? They do this because the water in the northern part of the island has an acquired salty taste to it that Rio intends to incorporate in their ice cream, no matter which part of the country they are sold in.
If you’re trying Rio out for the first time, we suggest going for the Mix Ice-cream for Rs.250. It’s ideal if you want to try out most of what Rio has to offer, in one cup. If you’re the Sri Lankan who prefers jelly and fruit salad on your ice cream, you can opt for the Jumbo Ice-cream which bingo, is the same price as the former. I’m not the kind who would prefer jelly and fruits on my ice cream as opposed to nuts and some thick chocolate syrup. For those of you like me, the Jumbo Ice-cream might not satisfy your taste buds.
The sundaes they had to offer weren’t really as pleasing as we expected it to be. I suggest you choose to leave out the sundaes because even though they offered quite a few like coffee, butterscotch and blueberry. The let down here was that the ice cream wasn’t flavoured. It wasn’t coffee ice cream or butterscotch or blueberry. Instead it was vanilla ice cream topped with the relevant topping flavour. This was a bit of a let-down but I must say, out of the three flavours we did try, the Blueberry Sundae was exceptionally good.
If you’re going to Rio after a hearty lunch or dinner and have no room for dessert but really wants to try their ice cream out, don’t you worry. We’ve got a solution for your dilemma. You can buy a Blueberry Ice cream cone for only Rs.70. It’s happy in your tummy and your wallet.
The Choc Ice Bar was a joy. It’s not your average ice bar with ice cream on the inside with a thin layer of chocolate coating on the exterior. The Choc Ice Bar, is rather a chocolate coated ice bar, it’s quite messy to describe, but it’s along the lines of a chocolate bar, coated in a rich chocolate syrup which is icy cold. This chocolate on chocolate beauty is only Rs.30!
Rio also has Indian delicacies on sale. They say the only way to experience the city is to live it. Besides the sight-seeing, what else is a better way to live it than eat it? Okay, by eating it, I mean trying out the incredible multi oriental cuisine the beautiful city has the offer. The sweet treats are a part of it. When you’re heading back home, drop by Rio and get some Laddu, Musket and more sweets they have to offer. Everyone at home is going to thank you for days!
Rio definitely gives you a run for your money. I’m sure you’re as surprised as I am. The prices are incredibly cheap and the ice cream is impeccably yummy. A must go-to place!
