One of the pluses of Ho Chi Minh City’s food scene is that it still leaves room to compelling personal stories. Sure, international chains are already everywhere, but if you are patient enough you can still find self-motivated individuals that just want to do the right thing. The owner and artisan behind Ralf’s Artisan Gelato has one of these stories to tell. For him gelato was a destiny, Vietnam is probably an accident. He first tried to take over a gelato parlor in Germany when he was in his mid-twenties, but the Italian owner called off the deal. So he went on another professional trajectory for 30 years or so. Finally, he was able to acquire a gelato parlor in Germany and spent the past 10 years learning and perfecting his trade. Finally, life brought him in Vietnam where all what he learnt finally came together.
The visit
I was introduced to this gelato parlor (you will see why I cannot write ice cream in a moment) by a good friend of mine in 2017. Now, every time I visit Ho Chi Minh City a stop is mandatory. My latest visit dates back to July 2018 and on this occasion I had a chance to speak to Ralf and I was even given a tour of his laboratory.
Ralf’s Artisan Gelato is a representative of the Italian tradition, but using the Italian term “gelato” to designate its creations is not just an homage to Italy. Rather, gelato indicates a distinct production process that leads to something different from ordinary industrial ice cream. The key is that gelato contains less fat (less cream and more milk is used) and less air than ice cream and it is served at warmer temperatures. This results in a more organic, intense flavor and a richer texture. The association Gelatieri per il Gelato (Ralf is their only Asian member) also stresses the use of fresh, natural, high quality ingredients and the production in small batches.
But there is more. Even in Italy, the vast majority of gelato parlors use semi-finished products to quickly produce their gelato. Ralf is among the few artisan that produces his gelato from scratch. This means that he picks the best ingredients and turns them into gelato step by step. For example, producing a batch of passion fruit may involve a week-long process that starts with letting the fruits mature to the right point, harvest the pulp and so on. This is not a process that can be easily scaled and, not surprisingly, real gelato artisan operates small shops.
These points were optimally illustrated by my choice, a scoop of coffee ice cream and one of Marou chocolate (Marou is a Vietnamese brand of chocolate… more in another review). The coffee flavor was intense, but not pungent like in some industrial ice cream I experienced elsewhere and the texture of the chocolate was closer to a mousse than regular ice cream.
Before leaving I also tasted a few of the more exotic flavors available. Ralf created a fish sauce flavor that is scoring very well with locals (not my cup of tea, but fish sauce is so intimately part of the Vietnamese culture that I am not surprised the flavor can have a lot of admirers). I liked another Vietnam-inspired flavor, yogurt and black rice (a typical Vietnamese dessert). Finally, I would recommend trying the pumpkin seed oil that has a nutty back-taste and is made with pumpkin oil imported from Austria.
The check
One scoop currently sells for 60,000 VND (2.62 USD). Two scoops like in my order make a good portion, so you will spend between 2.60 and 5.20 USD to taste this labor of love. I find the price point more than reasonable considering all the work and dedication necessary to get to the finished product. Besides, industrial ice creams sell for around the same (sometimes even more). I am not even comparing these prices with Shanghai or Hong Kong where prices are higher, but the quality is spotty. The gelato can be tasted in a cup or in a cone (I prefer the former). The shop also has tables and I and a friend enjoyed the gelato indoor with complimentary iced tea, but, of course, it also makes sense to enjoy it as a street food (in this case cone is the right choice!). So, all in all, I want to say thanks to Ralf for teaching me something new about food and for having brought this tradition to Vietnam. I hope to visit him again and again.
Where in Ho Chi Minh City:
39 Đặng Thị Nhu, Phường Nguyễn Thái Bìn, District 1
At the time of posting it is closed on Mondays and opens at 1pm during the week, at 11.30 on weekends and keeps open till 10pm. Check their Facebook page for up to date information.
UPDATE
I also would like to share this gelato drink popular in Germany and Austria that Ralf has on his menu:
It is basically a chocolate drink with two scoops of gelato (also the coffee version is available). It is an extremely rich drink highly recommended to chocolate lovers.