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We all scream for ice cream, but what happens if vanilla is too, well, vanilla?
Local ice cream brands are taking patriotism to new levels by creating flavors inspired by the concept of Nusantara, the Indonesian archipelago. With some of them even sourcing ingredients from villages across the country to help local farmers, they’re turning every scoop into a celebration of Indonesia’s rich culinary heritage.
But do the flavors work? We set out to find out.
21 Factory
As a geriatric millennial with a sweet tooth, you can bet your frappe that I’d be the first in line for anything combining dessert and Tolak Angin.
Enter 21 Factory.
Located on Jl. Veteran I in Gambir, the same street as the legendary ice cream shop Ragusa, 21 Factory offers a wide range of mainstream gelato flavors alongside adventurous ones, like Tolak Angin and Obat Batuk Cap Ibu dan Anak (yes, the popular herbal medicinal brews) as well as those inspired by traditional Indonesian flavors like rujak Aceh (the Acehnese version of the spicy and sweet fruit salad).
Naturally, I had to try them all.
The crowd favorite Tolak Angin — made with the actual syrup — retains the minty aftertaste of the herbal supplement, though it’s somewhat mellowed by the milk. The flavor progression was subtle, like a gentle caress rather than a direct hit to the throat.
Obat Batuk Ibu dan Anak, on the other hand, was decidedly sweet, almost generically so. While it reminded me of the cough medicine my mother used to give me, those not familiar with it might not feel the same nostalgic connection.
Ditto for rujak Aceh, which was in essence a mango-flavored gelato with a drizzle of slightly spicy sauce, reminiscent of the bird’s eye chili used in the real dish.
As I scanned the rows of gelato in search of a palate cleanser, I noticed two unusual Indonesian flavors that escaped my attention earlier: rendang (beef stewed in coconut milk and spices) and gulai ayam (traditional Padang-style chicken curry).
The two were clearly outliers designed for the novelty factor — a fact highlighted by the lady behind the counter, who had to be reassured that I really did want to order them together in the same cup.
Read also: Indonesians not-so-secret love affair with sambalWhen you think of rendang, you imagine beef, spices and coconut milk. Though the gelato had hints of savory and spicy notes, the dominant flavor was coconut. At least, that’s what my brain told me.
The real surprise, though, was the gulai ayam, which was astonishingly lifelike in its evocation of the dish. My sister, who I convinced to help me taste test in return for cheesecake gelato, described it best: It’s like eating cold leftovers from the fridge.
LOCARASA Gelato
A seemingly empty colonial house on one of the busiest roads in Kemang is home to LOCARASA, an ice cream showcase that shares space with Warung Pasta. Yet the flavors of its gelato couldn't be further away from Italian food.
Among the vast selection of gelato are bagea, a traditional round sweet cake from Maluku made from sago flour with nuts and cinnamon, and klepon, a Javanese sweet rice cake filled with palm sugar and coated with grated coconut.
Meanwhile, the sorbets offer a burst of traditional flavors based on rujak and kecombrang (torch ginger), a spice plant native to Indonesia.
For a simple lactose-intolerant girl, trying all the different flavors seems daunting. So, I settled for three.
Read also: Ready, set, cook: How cooking shows transcend entertainment First up was the martabak manis, a sweet and thick pancake with various fillings. I was pleasantly surprised by the creamy texture, which felt like munching 10 peanut butter cups in a row. It was quite filling, so I decided to move on.
Up next was the beautiful pink scoop of es doger, a traditional dessert from Bandung. It was a delicious mixture of tape (fermented rice) and coconut milk, topped by shaved coconut that gave it a local version of the rocky-road texture. The flavor was not too sweet, making it an instant favorite.
But when I got to the klepon, I was stunned. It tasted exactly like the real thing, from the mouth-watering aroma of pandan to the sweetness of the palm sugar. “What a strong finish,” I thought, as I prepared to bid adieu.
But I didn’t get off that easily. Tyo, a marketing officer of LOCARASA, approached me with several wooden spoons to sample even more flavors.
After tasting the zesty-lemon flavor of the kecombrang, the nutty and spicy flavor of the rujak sorbet, and the local cookies & cream vibe of the bagea flavor, my love and loyalty to the conventional flavors of Baskin Robbins and Häagen Dazs had vanished completely.
Gentong
My faith in popular ice cream brands was similarly shaken when I purchased three small cups from the legendary local brand Gentong. Choosing its most Indonesian-coded flavors — avocado, jackfruit and durian — I was ready for a nostalgic blast of traditional Indonesian dessert flavors.
I started my taste test with the avocado flavor. Digging into the cup, I was greeted with a very velvety and silky taste of avocado. It was finely mixed, with no discernible chunks of avocado, and it felt just like drinking a tall glass of jus alpukat (avocado juice)
Read also: Five surprisingly delicious leaves you can find in the wilds of West Java
Next up was jackfruit, or nangka, which is definitely an unconventional ice cream flavor you wouldn’t typically find from Western brands. Like the fruit, this cup of ice cream packed a strong punch, with bits of chewy jackfruit scattered throughout each scoop. It’s like enjoying nangka without the hassle of throwing out the seeds!
I tried mixing the nangka with my cup of avocado ice cream, and it literally became an es teler (iced fruit cocktail with condensed milk).
Lastly, I tried Gentong’s take on the king of fruits: durian ice cream. Now, I’m not the biggest fan of durian, but this is probably the best way to have it. It's reminiscent of the street-side durian ice cream that my dad used to get in Bandung, but fancy. The ice cream was very finely blended, with none of the fibers durian usually has, but it retained the iconic intense flavor and aroma of the fruit.
