A Tasty, Tasty Treat

Amsterdam is a city in which the old and the new constantly interact. Traditional Dutch-styled homes stand next to sleek, modern buildings while wooden rowboats float alongside luxury yachts in the city’s canals. For my final review, I explore how this duality manifests in Amsterdam’s dining scene by comparing the city’s frozen dessert options. Aside from the fact that both locations serve frozen dessert, the Haagen Daas ice cream store in Rembrantplein and the Ijssalon Tofani gelato shop in Nieuwmarkt have little in common. While I ultimately prefer one to the other, both stores succeed in creating a dining experience that appeals to their intended audiences.

            Judging from the locations and exteriors of Haagen Daas and Ijssalon Tofani, one can gather that the two stores attract very different customers. Located in the middle of a popular tourist destination filled with clubs and bars, Haagen Daas immediately positions itself as a commercial endeavor targeting groups of young travelers. Because there is nothing particularly local or Dutch about the international ice cream chain, the store’s appeal is in its familiarity. Travelers from all over the world recognize the Haagen Daas brand, and it is this legitimacy that draws tourists into the store. Ijssalon Tofani, on the other hand, has a much more demure setting. Founded in 1942 by a local Italian family, Ijssalon Tofani has been on the same street for the past 70 years. Unlike the Haagen Daas storefront, which has fluorescent signs and large umbrellas embroidered with the company logo, there is a quiet simplicity to the Ijssalon Tofani exterior. A single awning and Italian sign hint at the store’s presence, but the exterior blends in so well with the surrounding shops that only local residents would know to look for such an establishment.

            While an outside view is enough to understand that the two stores have different goals in mind, Haagen Daas and Ijssalon Tofani differ most drastically in the layouts and designs of their interior. Resembling the inside of a dance club, the Haagen Daas interior creates an environment in which young people can party and socialize. While there are no distinct VIP lounges, chain metal curtains and strategic positioning create private areas where customers can enjoy their friends’ company without disturbing other customers. Dim, colored lighting and pop-techno music create an upbeat and energetic vibe while sleek furniture and contemporary paneling give the store a sense of sophistication and class. Even before the ice cream arrives, the customer is so entranced by his/her surroundings that dessert almost seems secondary to his/her experience of the store.

            While Haagen Daas focuses more on show and presentation, the Ijssalon Tofani interior basks in its hominess. Small cracks are showing in the tiled walls, and the metal chairs wobble when sat upon, but where these qualities might suggest unkemptness to some customers, I found them more endearing than distracting. These “imperfections” enhance Ijssalon Tofani’s image as a wholesome, family-run business and give it a personal touch. Hanging haphazardly along the walls, faded black-and-white photographs show the store’s founders and their lives back in Italy, and a single whiteboard displays the dessert options in dry erase marker. Such simple and unpretentious touches create an environment that I found much more casual and inviting than that of Haagen Daas.

            Ultimately, my main purpose in visiting these two stores was to evaluate the quality of their frozen desserts. In order to establish some sort of consistency, I sampled one scoop of coffee flavored ice cream at Haagen Daas and one scoop of the coffee gelato at Ijssalon Tofani. On all counts, the quality of the gelato far surpassed that of the ice cream. The Haagen Daas ice cream was not as terrible as, say, generic gas station ice cream, but the dessert clearly lacked the flavor and richness typical of high quality ice cream. A generic creaminess overpowered any hint of coffee flavor, and the ice cream’s texture was so fine that a single spoonful melted before I had a chance to capture the essence of the dessert. The ice cream also had little ice shards that gave the ice cream a mass-produced, over-preserved quality. In contrast, Ijssalon’s coffee gelato provided my taste buds with an orgasmic experience. The coffee flavor had enough boldness to stand out, but not so strong that it overshadowed the creaminess of the ingredients. The stronger, heavier coffee taste contrasted pleasantly with the gelato’s light, fluffy creaminess. Most noticeably, the gelato possessed a textural richness that caused it to melt slowly in my mouth, thereby allowing me to savor and enjoy the gelato’s rich, lingering flavors. When talking to the server at Ijssalon Tofani, I discovered that the employees make the gelato one day in advance so that their products are as fresh as possible, and I certainly found that the workers’ care and diligence showed in the gelato’s overall quality.

            While I found the environment and taste of Ijssalon Tofani more suitable for my personal preference, I want to stop short of saying that Ijssalon Tofani is a better restaurant than Haagen Daas. When I went to Haagen Daas with two other classmates, I, like many other tourists, had a delightful time chatting with company in our private area and admiring the chic layout and decorations of the interior. However, for a traveler seeking a more local, authentic Amsterdam experience or for a dessert connoisseur, Ijssalon provides a peaceful, inviting escape where one can go with one’s thoughts and enjoy a delicious (and affordable!) order of gelato. From experience, I can tell you that the coffee flavor is a must.