ITO Ke Mashur Fruit Cream
By Rhea Jose
In Delhi, there is so much of history and culture mixed up with the food. An intrinsic part of the charm of Delhi’s streets is its food. Various places in Delhi narrate many stories through the overwhelming variety of street food that they offer. They’ll inspire you to pull out your cameras, explore new ways, and sometimes, even get into the kitchen and recreate.
One such place I recently explored is the famous “Income tax canteen wale” at the ITO lane on Azad Bhawan Road. This place has been serving chilled fruit cream since the past 46 years. It was started by Shri Amarnath in 1969 at the CR building, ITO lane. It was shifted to this spot 4 years back and, today it is run by Vinod Kumar and his brother. The fruit cream is delicious and gives you a very authentic ‘So Delhi’ taste! The cream shake is made with Mango, Banana, Papaya and apple (seasonal) which are churned together with separate cream and ice to make it into a smooth cream. It is then garnished with tutti frutti. This refreshing homemade sweet-dish is made by Vinod ji himself. The fruit cream is a perfect delight on a summer day!
In summers, on an average, 300-350 customers visit this shop daily, and in winters the count comes down to 200. People who are on a fast often have this to subside their hunger buds. It comes in various sizes of Rs. 20, 30, 40 and 50 respectively. If ever you happen to be in ITO, then definitely give this amazing dessert a try! And yes, not to forget, Sundays are off for Vinod Ji too!
