My 11 year old son and I visited Gelateria Gazzeria (GG) at lunchtime today. As the last day we'd spend together before he goes back to school (after spending the weekend with his Dad) I wanted to do something special. GG is just that; special. It looks to be the only proper (or only, full stop) ice cream parlour in Buckinghamshire. In view of that, I was surprised to find it so quiet but lots of people came in after we arrived. We had come all the way from High Wycombe especially.
On entering the shop, it is bright and clean with a display cabinet full of lovely ices to catch your eye. Along with mainstay flavours, there are those flavoured with Oreo biscuits, peach, honeycomb etctoo many to remember but each one looking delectable and obviously not mass produced.
The seating area is plain but functional and there is a dedicated area for young children and their entourage to play (books, colouring pens, wall-mounted puzzles, a few toys etc.). Right next to this are two comfy chairs, a sofa and a coffee table. I also noticed a dining chair on which a toddler booster seat had been attached so my 20 month old would have been easily contained! I didn't see any other highchairs, though.
Apart from the food, I was also impressed by the following:
- I breastfed my 3 month old for almost the whole time we were there with not one word of criticism or frown from the staff thank you!
- The whole space was very clean with the female member of staff busy cleaning while we were there. She was an enthusiastic individual and while the young man behind the counter was ok, he looked as if he'd been dragged to work that day. The unisex toilet (inc. babychange table) was also very clean.
But, the main comments have to go to the food itself and there's more than ice cream on the menu. We started with freshly made ice cream milkshakes, one with Oreo biscuit and one with chocolate. These were delicious however it's a shame that disposable cups had to be used a traditional glass would have been even better but, with such a small shop unit, I can understand why it's more convenient.
My son then had the Gazzeria Hotdog which was 15cms long and served in a crusty bun. It came with tomato sauce and mayonnaise sachets. He said it was meaty and tasty. With that, he had a fairly generous bowl of chips.
After my milkshake, I chose the Warm Chicken Caesar Salad. I've had this dish all over the world and today's was one of the best. The Romaine lettuce was clean and crisp, mixed with croutons, plenty of crispy chicken pieces, fresh tomato and of course the dressing and grated cheese. It was really good and came with half a baguette and butter (I couldn't manage the bread and butter so took it home). Both dishes were served on clean, white crockery.
We finished with a small ice cream each. I had coffee and my son had chocolate, both served in a waffle cone which itself was very tasty. We only scratched the surface today and oh no! must go back to see if the rest of the menu is as good. Do remember to look at the menu on the wall as well as the table menu.
Our bill came to £21.15 which was enough (wouldn't want to pay much more for lunch) but we had a lovely, relaxing time. Kids and parents were coming in fairly thick and fast by the time we left and everyone seemed so excited by their visit.
If I may offer some helpful criticism.?
- As I've said, the young man behind the counter was ok but in an ice cream parlour please try to be a little more cheerful.
- It would have been nice to be asked If everything's alright with our food or words to that effect.
- More highchairs, please, or perhaps they are stored somewhere.
- A drinks menu would have helped.
- The toilet, although clean, seemed to need some attention. With the babychange table down, it was even harder to reach and depress the flush button which was already very stiff. The door lock really needs replacing!
All in all, we did enjoy our first visit to Gelateria Gazzeria, and will be back with the remaining two members of the family. Thanks very much! read more
