There’s nothing quite like a lovely scoop of ice-cream, whether it’s licked from a cone on a hot summer’s day or paired with a warm brownie at the end of a meal. But few people will have tried – or even heard of – a revolutionary take on the classic frozen dessert: frying it.
That’s right – balls of ice-cream are coated in batter, deep-fried and topped with delicious additions like chocolate sauce and sprinkles. It may sounds dubious to the uninitiated – but don’t knock it till you try it.
That’s the message of Puds Fried Ice Cream dessert parlour in Cardiff, which opened in October last year. The family-run business prides itself on being Wales’ first and only fried ice cream shop and has been awarded dozens of glowing five-star reviews by customers on Google.
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People have dubbed it “Cardiff’s best kept secret” and described the fried ice cream as a “game changer”, “culinary wizardry” and an “explosion of textures and flavours”. One self-proclaimed former sceptic said that they had been converted and found their “favourite dessert”.
Another reviewer said: “This isn’t your run-of-the-mill ice cream shop; it’s a place where the ice cream is not just served but celebrated, and where the warmth of the welcome matches the novelty of the menu.” So, who are the people behind all the magic?
That’s the Alsisis, a Palestinian family living in Cardiff. We caught up with Ahmed, 34, and his daughter Imaan, 13 – and it turns out the story behind Puds is even sweeter than its food. For the latest restaurant reviews, sign up to our food and drink newsletter here
The idea came about thanks to Ahmed’s father’s – Imaan’s grandfather’s – culinary creations at home in the kitchen. “[My father] comes up with these recipes all the time,” said Ahmed. “One day he created this fried ice cream.”
The concept of fried ice cream is not new and the dish is common in Japanese, Chinese and Mexican cuisine. But Grandpa Alsisi had put his own spin on it and got the rest of his large family to taste test his handiwork.
“I remember we’d all be sat in the living room and he’d bring testers out,” said Imaan. “We’d all try it together and give our opinions.” That was around two and a half years ago. While the grandfather had initially made the sweet dessert for his grandchildren to enjoy, the family saw the potential to share the concept on a larger scale. You can get more story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
“While they were eating it, that’s when we were like: ‘Oh, shall we open a business?’ said Ahmed. “So that’s where the spark happened – in my parents’ house.” The Alsisi family are no strangers to business. Ahmed, and his two brothers AJ and Amir, founded and run White Rose Funerals, which is Wales’ first Muslim-run funeral director.
The family also own a florist, The Flower Spot, and a stonemasonry, Cardiff Memorials. But the decision to open Puds marked a completely new venture for them: hospitality. “There was quite a lot to learn,” Ahmed admitted.
They spent a whole year preparing and perfecting their recipes, with a lot of trial and error. “[My father] wouldn’t share the secrets,” Ahmed joked, but the family managed to figure out the right consistency for the batter and the right temperature for the ice cream.
For fried ice cream to work, the ice cream scoops are frozen at temperatures far colder than those of an average domestic chest freezer. “The batter is almost impregnable, so it doesn’t leak out the ice-cream,” Ahmed added. “And it’s done in a way where it’s crispy from outside and creamy from inside. You don’t want the ice-cream to come out in the fryer. So the ice-cream gets indirect heat.”
They officially opened Puds on Woodville Road in Cathays on October 31 last year, having done a soft launch two months prior. There were long queues from the first day, Ahmed recalled. “[On the first day] I think around 150 people walked in in the space of about 4 hours. I was serving ice-cream and my daughter was serving the customers.”
The then Cardiff Lord Mayor, Babin Molik, was also there, to cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony and, of course, try some fried ice cream too. Today, running the shop is a big family effort. AJ finances the business and the first generation, second generation and third generation of Alsisis all chipping in to help, along with some student employees, too.
Even Ahmed’s niece, Reema, 9, whom they recently helped bring over from Gaza amidst the current Israel-Gaza war, has got stuck into the business. “She serves here – she works here with her father every other day and she gets a lot of tips,” Ahmed said. But there’s one family member in particular who is the driving force behind the business – Imaan.
“[Setting up Puds] wasn’t just [Imaan] – it was the whole family working together. But I’d like to say it was under her leadership,” said Ahmed, adding: “I wouldn’t have supported it if it wasn’t for her.” The name of the shop is actually a testament to her key involvement. The family have nicknamed her ‘Puddy’ – as in, pudding – every since she was a chubby baby. In fact, that’s what the ice cream parlour was called when it initially opened – ‘Puddys’ – until they decided to rebrand as ‘Puds’.
Now Imaan pops by the shop after school and on weekends, helping to serve ice cream, devise and design the menu, and take photos of the food for social media. “It’s weird seeing [my nickname] everywhere,” she laughs. It’s not the only entrepreneurship she’s involved with either. She and her younger sister, Besaan, 10, also sell handmade crafts to fundraise for Palestine, attending events and festivals with the support of their mother.
“Where she is now, I’m very happy – I’m very proud for her,” said Ahmed. But despite the heart-warming story, running Puds isn’t always smooth-sailing, he admits. They’ve had a lot of passers-by, particularly older people, turn their noses up at the concept of ice cream being fried.
They’re on a mission to challenge people’s pre-conceptions and urge any sceptics to give it a try. As Imaan puts it: “I mean, you only live once so you might as well. It’s better than normal ice cream – way better. You can’t go wrong with it.”
Our review
It would be remiss of me to visit Puds and not try its signature fried ice cream – and see if it’s really as good as all the reviews claim. I spent a bit of time figuring out what I wanted, as there’s so much to choose from on the menu.
For the fried ice cream, you can choose from different ice cream flavours, biscuit crumb coatings (on top of the batter), sauces and other toppings. You can also get ice cream scoops wrapped in cookie dough, as well as bubble waffles, doughnuts, “dreamshakes” made with ice cream and hot drinks. Ahmed tells me they’re looking to introduce “dragon breath shakes” using liquid nitrogen to create a smoky effect.
I settled on the following fried ice cream concoction: a cookies and cream ice cream scoop, coated in Oreo crumbs and topped with raspberry sauce, sprinkles and cream. Having never tried fried ice cream before, I expected to like it (I’ve got a terrible sweet tooth) but didn’t expect to love it as much as I did.
In short, it was as amazing as it looked. The ice cream was still cold and held its shape, but was still easy enough to cut through, having been gently warmed in the deep fryer. I’m not ice cream expert, but this was undeniably good quality and wonderfully rich in terms of both taste and texture. Ahmed informed me the secret to that was using a clotted cream variety.
As for the batter and crumb coating, it was just the right thickness and despite being deep fried, it wasn’t greasy at all. Before trying it, I wondered whether the fried batter would be taste similar to a doughnut, pancake or waffle. But it actually had its own distinct character, almost like a mixture of all three, and was the nice balance between crispy and soft.
Normally, when I visit dessert shops, I typically make a bee-line for the baked cookie dough. But I have to say, from here on out, fried ice-cream will be a strong contender – and, weeks later, I’m still craving what I ate in Puds.
I also tried one of the “dreamshakes”, made with mango ice cream. I’ve only ever had mango sorbet, which I’m not a huge fan of, so was a bit sceptical whether mango ice cream would be any better – but I was very pleasantly surprised. This too was fantastic. It was essentially a far more decadent version of a mango lassi, topped off with cream, white chocolate drizzle and white chocolate curls. Surprisingly, it was not sickly and had a discernible mango taste.
Finally, I tried one of the latest introductions on their menu – baked Alaska. If you’re unfamiliar with this classic dessert, it consists of cake, ice cream, and meringue. The presentation of this was beautiful and the meringue had a lovely brown colour on the outside. Out of the three things I tried, this was my least favourite and I would’ve liked a bit more ice cream added in. But it was still a lovely dessert, with light and soft layers of meringue and cake.