Varani's Forum Café, 2nd visit

We have just bought a new car and decided that a wee trip to South Ayrshire was in order.  We had planned to go last Friday after we picked up the car but discovered that the Queen's Baton Relay for the Commonwealth Games was in the area.  We thought we might get caught up in roadblocks so had a trip to North Ayrshire instead (Largs and Nardini's).

We decided we would visit the National Trust for Scotland's property the Batchelors' Club in Tarbolton, the Electric Brae and Souter Johnnie's Cottage.

The Batchelors' Club was a great find.  The tour guide, Cheryl Constant, gave us a comprehensive talk on Robert Burns and his connection to the building and so we were there for much longer than expected.  We therefore decided to head to Ayr to get a very late lunch and an ice cream:  a 99 for Martin and a Double Nougat for me, but as it was Mr Whippy style it should not get a mention really.

We then visited the Electric Brae which is a phenomenon caused by an optical illusion.  Basically you go to this local beauty spot where thankfully the local council has thoughtfully provided a lay-by.  (In years gone by cars and coaches would just stop in the middle of the road and hold up traffic behind).  You then put your vehicle in neutral and have a sensation that it is running uphill.  Martin was well and truly impressed and the scenery around is pretty breathtaking into the bargain.  Ailsa Craig was floating above a summer mist in a pastel blue sea.  It looked like a watercolour.

Afterwards we were destined to drive past Kilmarnock and as the temperature had cooled it seemed like a good opportunity to take home a large tub of Varani's wonderful vanilla ice cream.

Ever since our last visit in August last year we have both declared it our favourite discovery so far and had been hankering after some more and had been looking out for an opportunity to take some home.  Friday's visit to Largs could have provided the chance but it was far too hot.  This time the weather conditions were perfect.

We pooled our resources and found we had enough cash to buy a huge tub to take home and two little ones to eat there and then.  Varani's is in a funny location on a main route into Kilmarnock from the A77.  There are retail parks and a supermarket nearby but in my mind it has to compete with other establishments like Nardini's with its wonderful sea views or Colpi's in Clydebank which has a really nice café. 

Varani's doesn't have a great location and doesn't have a seating area but despite this still manages a steady stream of customers both on foot and by car.  This is a testimony to its wonderful ice cream.  The one thing in its favour is the extensive parking spaces on the street outside.

We ate our small tubs of ice cream out on the street (we did not wish to risk getting ice cream dripped over the new car's interior) while admiring Bluebell (yes we've given it a name).  Absolutely delicious and judging by some of the reviews on Tripadvisor they have customers who travel even further than us.

Varani's is the closest I have come to the ice cream I enjoyed as a child.  It is very unusual because it has a very caramelly colour as well as a caramelly taste.  I love it and we have still to find another one which can knock it off its pedestal. 

LOVE IT!

Crolla's, Byres Road, Glasgow

Last Saturday was a special day for me.  We started with breakfast at Browns on George Square mainly because they had a special offer and we had never been before.

We then set off for a visit to the Weavers Cottage at the village of Kilbarchan.  The Weavers Cottage is a National Trust for Scotland building which demonstrates the weaving cottage industry before the industrial revolution.   It makes for a very interesting visit but unfortunately lacks the obligatory tearoom.

We decided to return to Glasgow for our refreshments and found ourselves on Byres Road which is now home to 3 ice cream establishments.  The University Café. the new Nardini's and an even more recent Crolla's.

We have been to both the University Café and Nardini's before AND we could not get into Nardini's because it was packed so we decided to try out Crolla's.

Crolla's is a well-known ice cream manufacturer in Glasgow.  They have a factory in Polmadie and supply many cafés and restaurants and although they have had ice cream parlours in the past, more recently they had concentrated more on the manufacturing and supply.  They opened the Byres Road establishment in 2012.

The weather was a bit mixed on Saturday but the afternoon was lovely and warm and so as a result there was a steady trade of take away orders from a mainly young (studenty) clientelle.

We were still full up from breakfast and Martin decided to stick with a vanilla ice but as it was a special day for me I decided to have one of their speciality Cold Stone Creations.  I was not sure what I was going to get and did not watch it being created as I was too busy trying to protect my seat.

My Scotland Special contained Vanilla Ice, Tablet Ice Cream and  Tunnocks Teacake all smashed together and then drizzled with raspberry sauce.  Delicious.

Martin enjoyed his Vanilla Ice as well. 

We then waddled up Byres Road before heading off to Fanny Trollope's for our dinner date. 

All in all a lovely foodie day but next time I think we will drop breakfast so we can enjoy more ice cream!