A new ice cream craze has rolled into Dundee straight from the Philippines, in the form of Scotland’s first Ice Cream Roll pavilion.
Jack Quirk was travelling in Asia last year when he stumbled upon a peculiar sight.
Street vendors were using super cooled blocks to make “instant ice cream”, pouring fresh cream onto the metal surface and crafting it into rolls as it cooled very quickly into ice cream.
Jack was struck with the idea after seeing it being done in Thailand and then again in Manilla, and thus Thrilla n Vanilla was born.
The Overgate store is the first of its kind in Scotland and only the second in all of Britain.
Jack, originally from London, was impressed with Dundee after looking for locations for his new venture and said that the city’s reputation as “Sundee” was a reason why he decided to open his first shop here.
He said: “We opened four days ago, and every day has gotten steadily busier as people here about the stall.
“We have already had lots of hits on the social media pages, people are interested in the concept of it.
“I was travelling through Asia and would see people crowded round these street vendors who were making the ice cream rolls.
“I decided to start up my own business when I came home and the Overgate offered me a major opportunity.
“I had never worked in the catering industry before, so it was a big risk.
“I think it will be a risk worth taking.
“Dundee is a good location for ice cream stalls I think, I had heard of it being called ‘Sundee’ before and I can’t believe there aren’t more ice cream vendors in the city.”
Jack was inspired by the Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier boxing match “Thrilla in Manilla” for the name of his business and will be aiming to punch above his weight as he plans to expand his business into Glasgow and beyond.
The store is located on the Overgate’s ground floor and is open 11am-6pm daily, with a 10am opening on Saturday.
