ICE cream tasting at 10.30am. . . It was a good start to the day.
The place in question is the recently opened Fresco Freddo’s at 83 Oxford Road in the Grade II listed St James’ Building.
We hope it does well too because we like variety of choice at Manchester Confidential. And this place gives us more options for munching.
Fresco Freddo’s is Manchester’s first Italian gelateria for years although there is actually no ice cream on offer at all. Well technically not. Instead they sell twenty-two different varieties of low fat gelatos and sorbets; meaning you can feel less guilty about indulging yourself as early in the day as I did.
So what are the basic differences between ice creams, gelatos, and sorbets?
Well according to Freddo’s, an ice cream has large amounts of air whipped into the product, this is not the case with gelato thus giving it a denser feel and more full-bodied taste. Sorbet on the other hand is made from fruit purée and, unlike ice cream, contains no milk. This means that Fresco Freddo’s can market their products as a healthier alternative to ice cream. That fits the times of course.
The interior is bright and colourful matching the vast array of colours showcased at the ice cream (sorry, gelato and sorbet) counter. There’s a generously sized seating area so you can sit down and enjoy your dessert in the cool air-conditioned interior while envious people walk by gazing back at you through the large front window.
In terms of price, one scoop will set you back £2.30, two scoops are £3.30, and three scoops are £4.30. You can either have this in a cone or tub. Not cheap, although the drinks are less expensive - a basic Americano is £1.80 and an iced coffee is £2.20.
There is also a take-away service on offer, as well as a range of crepes, cakes, and waffles to further satisfy those with a sweet tooth.
I went for a scoop of stracciatella and lampone. In layman’s terms this is fine chocolate in cream and raspberry. Not knowing what half the flavours were, I instead based my decision on which two scoops of ice cream would look best together. I’m glad to say I wasn’t disappointed – the gelato/sorbet combination worked extremely well and you can really tell how different they are from ice cream.
It was very lovely.
You can easily envisage Fresco Freddo’s doing well. It’s got a cracking location close to Oxford Road Station, The Palace Theatre and on the main - packed - drag into town from University land.
We hope it does well too because we like variety of choice at Manchester Confidential. And this place gives us more options for munching.
ALL SCORED CONFIDENTIAL REVIEWS ARE IMPARTIAL AND PAID FOR BY THE MAGAZINE.
Fresco Freddo’s, 83 Oxford Road, City, M1 6FQ. 0161 222 3349
Rating: 15/20
Gelato and Sorbet: 8/10
Service: 4/5
Ambience: 3/5
