I was ordering my dinner from Faasos, and I so wanted to have some ice cream. I generally go with a certain set of flavors, and fruit flavors are generally not my regulars. But occasionally, I end up being just in that mood, and I settle for a strawberry, or maybe a pinaorange or maybe mango. It’s not that I don’t like these flavors, it’s just that I don’t have a regular preference for them. Most of the time when I dig into the cup of ice cream, I am looking for comfort and peace and joy, so I am looking for something to cheer me up, and in such situations, chocolate and the like tends to work better. But this is one of those times, when I ordered a Mango ice cream. Not just any mango ice cream, but the “Mad King Alphonso” ice cream from ‘Hokey-Pokey’.

I love the name – Hokey Pokey. Sounds fun and cute. And being a huge Game of Thrones fan, the ‘Mad King’ bit in the name of the flavor adds an extra special touch. It is like a being a part of the GoT world, being able to touch something from Westeros, a connection is established the moment I read it.

It got delivered by Faasos with the other stuff I had ordered from them. The packaging is very nice. It feels rich and premium. It makes me feel that I am not having some simple mango ice cream off just any shop down the lane, but something rich and royal. And it is said to have been made from real Ratnagiri Alphonso mangoes. Ratnagiri is a beautiful place, but the mangoes from there, more often than not, tend to be out of my budget.

Once I open the packaging, I see there is a cardboard lid inside. But during transit or due to some problem with the refrigeration, not sure which one, quite some bit of mango liquid has seeped out and over the cardboard lid. It’s icy, so the ice cream must have melted somewhat and then re-frozen and then melting again. I pull out the cardboard lid, its all soaked and messy with the melting ice cream. Inside, the ice cream has considerably lost is smooth ice-creamy consistency and is edging closer to becoming a thick milk shake. The temperatures out here are way too high, I get it. A chilled water bottle warms up in just about five minutes, this ice cream must have been out of the freezer and on it’s way to reach me for much longer.

The flavor was good. It might have been a bit disappointing visually and on the texture and consistency front, but it was not at all a disappointment in the flavor department. Very, very mango-ey. Rich and creamy, so definitely quite good fat content, and no replacers or thickeners are felt. It’s actually Alphonso mango flavor. It was fun digging into this cup, I was sad when it was over!

Will I have it again, oh yes, definitely, when I am in that mood. Will I recommend it to someone? Yes, of course! Will it make it make it to one of my favorite ice creams? Well, not yet, there’s still time…