-18° Creamery has been intriguing me for some time – maybe because of the name, maybe because of the packaging. Or maybe because I have been looking for the replacement of my favorite gelato shop in Gading Serpong, which mysteriously disappeared two years ago.
Quite a lot of reviewers on Google mentioned that they had issues with the unfriendly staffs, but thankfully I didn’t have any. Before visiting, I was not aware that the gelato was served Cold Stone-style: mixed on a slab of frozen granite stone, using two spades. Customers could pick their own flavor combination and toppings that later would be mashed together into one unique scoop.
When it was my turn to order, I stared at the counter in confusion. The selection was pretty small and honestly, none of the basic flavors were really interesting to me. My husband already called dibs on one of their signature combo called M’s Special: Hokkaido milk gelato with milk crumble and rainbow sprinkles as topping. I was not feeling creative that day to think of my own creation, so I went ahead with another combo called J’s Combo: ichigo gelato with cornflakes and frozen banana.
I hated to say this – because I love gelato a lot – but both combos didn’t impress me. Maybe there was something wrong with me, because I never found gelato that I didn’t like. I expected Hokkaido’s rich milkiness from M’s Special, but the gelato had a very mild taste. I couldn’t help comparing it to Cremia‘s delicious soft serve that still haunts me to this day, hence the disappointment. I didn’t understand the science behind it, but was it because gelato couldn’t attain the same deep flavor like what ice cream could?? Even the milk crumbles were more flavorful than the gelato. My husband commented that the crumbles reminded him of bombotter Roti Matahari, an old-fashioned bakery in Pasuruan.
J’s Combo also let me down. The strawberry flavor was nothing special. The frozen banana made it even more downhill. In my opinion, frozen banana didn’t make a good choice for topping bits – it’s too hard to munch, and the fruity flavor was not educed at all. Cornflakes being mashed into the cold gelato was not great too, as it lost its crunchiness. Seems like I still have to keep searching for another gelato shop to fill the void….
Final thoughts:
Food: 6,5/10 | Service: 7/10 | Ambience: 7,5/10
Positive reviews from the masses, but I couldn’t say the same. Might give it another chance by ordering another flavor combination.
-18° Creamery
Ruko Maggiore Grande blok I06. Gading Serpong, Tangerang
Opening hours: 11 AM – 11 PM
