Matches made in ice cream heaven

    The ice cream parlour opened its doors in Bangkok’s Tao Poon area in 1970 and has chosen to stay put. Today, under the new direction of the third-generation operators, the brand is enjoying a sophisticated facelift, introducing fresh ideas while still maintaining its traditional recipes. 
    Located in Bangkok-Nonthaburi Soi 2, next to Tao Poon market and a short walk from MRT’s Tao Poon station, the 40-seat ice cream sanctuary is housed in a renovated, simply decorated shophouse with a white tile floor, marble tables, and a wooden counter and panels.

Nationphoto/Korbphuk Phromrekha

        Thipparot was one of the first to introduce such distinctive flavours as kati ruam mit (coconut milk mixed with jackfruit and lod chong or pandan flavoured rice flour droplets), durian, Thai tea, taro, corn, and lychee. Now it’s adding to these staples with 10 new fine-dining style dishes that merge its signature flavoured ice creams with Thai traditional desserts and snacks.

Coconut milk ice cream with mixed toppings/ Nationphoto:Korbphuk Phromrekha

    You can enjoy coconut milk ice cream with hot thang taek (Thai-style pancake topped with shredded coconut, sugar and sesame) for Bt99 or the Thai dessert pla kim khai tao (salty and sweet rice flour strings in coconut milk) with taro ice cream and crispy fried taro chips for Bt89. 

Thai traditional dessert thang taek goes with coconut mik ice cream./Photo courtesy of Thipparot

    The coconut milk ice cream is also a perfect match for the Thai snack of mee krob (crispy vermicelli with tamarind sauce) for Bt109, while the home-made soy milk is served with black sesame ice cream, also Bt109. 

Taro ice cream is served with Thai dessert pla kim khai tao./Photo courtesy of Thipparot

       The mixed dessert of maeng luk (sweet basil seed), lod chong, kao tok (popped rice), and kao niew dum (black sticky rice) is presented with a scoop of coconut milk ice cream topped with foi thong (sweetened egg threads) for Bt119, while a scoop of fresh milk ice cream served with toasted and buttered bread together with maple syrup sauce costs you Bt109.

Coconut milk ice cream is served on a bed of mixed dessert./Nationphoto:Korbphuk Phromrekha

    “My grandfather created the ice cream recipes 49 years ago, long before there were ice cream parlours on Bangkok’s streets. His first flavour and the one that has remained the best-seller is kati ruam mit, followed by other options such as coconut milk mixed with sweet basil seeds, durian, black sesame and coffee. We now have 18 original flavours on offer as well as seasonal options like longan and sugar-apple,” says Saowalak Sophonthanawat, 30, adding that some 1,000 kilograms of kati ruam mit ice cream alone are produced every week.

Home-made soy milk is served with black sesame ice cream./Photo courtesy of Thipparot

    Last year, Saowalak and her partners decided to take things a step further and starting working with a pastry chef consultant to develop new ice cream-based dishes by merging them with Thai traditional desserts and snacks.

The coconut milk ice cream is paired with Thai snack of mee krob and a scoop of fresh milk ice cream goes well with toasted and buttered bread./ Photo courtesy of Thipparot

    “Our coconut milk ice cream is made from coconut sourced from Thap Sakae district in the Southern province of Prachuap Khiri Khan and has a creamy and aromatic flavour. The mon thong durian is used for our durian flavour while Thai tea is home-brewed from the leaves. Our ice cream doesn’t contain any additional flavoured powders, preservatives, emulsifiers or stabilisers,” adds Tritospol Wichitkul, one of Saowalak’s business partners, who works at an advertising agency.

Lemongrass jelly, fried chilli and fresh milk ice cream is served to represent tom yum while traditional summer refreshing treat of tang mo pla haeng also goes with fresh milk ice cream and custard mousse./Photo courtesy of Thipparot

    The original flavoured ice cream also gets a spicy makeover with a clear sphere of lemongrass jelly together with crispy fried red chilli to represent the Thai favourite tom yum. It’s priced at Bt119. The traditional summer refreshing treat of tang mo pla haeng (watermelon with dried fish flakes) is recreated and served with a scoop of fresh milk ice cream on a bed of custard mousse (Bt99).

Thai tea ice cream with flakes of yim sanae crispy snack and salted egg yolk sauce. /Nationphoto:Korbphuk Phromrekha

     For a sweet and savoury taste, patrons can opt for a combination of Thai tea ice cream presented with flakes of Thai-Chinese snack yim sanae (fried white sesame cookie), salted egg yolk, taro chips and salted egg yolk sauce (Bt109).

The original flavoured ice creams /Photo courtesy of Thipparot

     The 18 original flavoured ice creams go for Bt30 a scoop, except for durian which is priced at Bt40. The toppings, which include coconut milk sticky rice, nipa palm seeds, roasted peanuts, mango, lotus seed and star gooseberry in syrup, go for Bt5 a pop. 

Sensational scoops
>>>Thipparot is located just 20 metres from the mouth of Bangkok-Nonthaburi Soi 2, next to Tao Poon market and a short walk from MRT’s Tao Poon station. 
>>>It is open daily from 9am to 8pm.
>>>Call (02) 585 0415, (02) 585 0209 or visit Facebook/thipparoticecream.