RESTAURANT REVIEW: Haagen Dazs at Bluewater ***** (From News Shopper)

RESTAURANT REVIEW: Haagen Dazs at Bluewater *****

12:57pm Wednesday 2nd February 2011 in Freetime By Michael Purton

WITH a menu consisting solely of desserts, the new Haagen Dazs restaurant at Bluewater is not the venue for a three-course meal, but if you are hankering for a sweet treat it’s an ice cream heaven.

The masses of stores and huge crowds can make Bluewater an exhausting experience, so it’s an ideal location for an ice cream parlour to refresh weary shoppers.

And what could be more refreshing than strawberries and cream? And chocolate, and caramel, and banoffee, and then some chocolate cookies?

Yes, Haagen Dazs has pretty much every sweet flavour you can salivate over on offer, making customers feel like golden ticket holders in a Willy Wonka world of wonder.

After wiping my drool off the menu, I opted for the chocolate and strawberry crepe, which came with fresh strawberries, scoops of Belgian chocolate and strawberry and cream flavoured ice cream, and a drizzle of dark chocolate sauce.

Was it good? Let’s just say I had chocolate in my eyebrows afterwards from trying to lick every last drop of ice cream from the plate.

Judging by the ice cream on the end of her nose, my companion was equally pleased with her choice of the chocolate waffle, which is a warm Belgian waffle with scoops of Belgian chocolate and chocolate cookie flavoured ice cream, topped with dark chocolate sauce.

We both agreed the ice cream was a step above the competition – comparing Haagen Dazs to a 99 from the van in the local park is like comparing Armani with Primark.

Some people may find the prices a bit steep – our dishes were each £7.10 – but you pay for quality and the portions are generous.

The only complaint I have is that the coffee was slightly too bitter, but I don’t expect an ice cream parlour to specialise in hot drinks.

I expect Haagen Dazs to specialise in ice cream, and the ice cream was perfect.

For more information on Bluewater's Haagen Dazs restaurant, visit bluewater.co.uk