Coolest chill-out zone

A new ice cream and dessert parlour is creating a stir in the Granite City. Karla Sinclair pops in for a quick scoop...

Iam a firm believer that ice cream can be enjoyed whatever the weather. And it’s a good thing too, given the northeast’s track record. So when a new dessert parlour sets up shop, it is undoubtedly welcomed by me with open arms, along with fellow local foodies. Among them are Anthony Shillingford, Sudheer (Reddy) Jinkala and Tim Jones, of Aberdeen-based social media agency FanksMedia.

Working as a collective, the colleagues recently opened the doors of Reddy’s Marvellous Dessert Parlour in Rosemount.

Around 1,000 customers were welcomed on launch day, but for those of you yet to catch a glimpse inside, we’ve got you covered.

Reddy’s Marvellous Dessert Parlour, located on Desswood Place, is open from noon to 8pm for walk-in customers and noon to 9pm on Just Eat and Deliveroo.

“We wanted to create a fun place where people of all ages can come and escape the madness of the world,” said Tim Jones.

“As a local social media agency, we thought it would be a cool concept to create a following of people who have a sweet tooth, and bring it to life in the real world.”

Reddy’s Marvellous Dessert Parlour’s slogan is “desserts so good, you only want to share with Instagram”, so you can rest assured your dessert will be a treat for all the senses.

The menu boasts a selection of milkshakes, ice creams, sorbets and bakes including cookies by Cookie Cult.

The ice cream is supplied by Rizza’s of Huntly. The parlour also offers a range of options for vegan, vegetarian, gluten intolerant and dairy intolerant customers.

Tim said: “We will be updating our menu regularly with collaborations.

“Our team get creative with every dessert and if you come into the parlour, we like to put on a show. We prepare all desserts in front of you.

“We create it with flair, similar to mixologists. Whether we have a queue or it’s just you, it’s always fun and we encourage you to get your cameras out.”

The journey that led to opening Reddy’s Marvellous Dessert Parlour has not been plain sailing.

The FanksMedia team officially picked up the keys to the premises more than two years ago, but coronavirus set their plans on hold.

“The keys went back into the drawer,” Tim said. “But with careful planning and plenty of research into what our followers wanted, we finally opened last Sunday.”

For the opening, a number of local influencers were invited to stop by and £3,500 of free ice cream and desserts was handed out.

Tim added: “We had nearly 1,000 customers through the door.

“We were blown away by the reception and we still are. It was all for our awesome followers, so it was a very special day.”

In terms of what to expect inside, FanksMedia’s in-house content creator, known as FanksPops, produced all the interior designs.

It was important to the team they created a place unlike anywhere else in the city.

There is artwork on the walls and props for picture-taking, as well as plenty of colour – predominantly teal, yellow and pink.

A team of eight currently work at the parlour, but Anthony, Reddy and Tim are hoping to grow this figure in the future.

“Our main goal is to bring about a change for our vegan, gluten-free, dairyfree customers,” Tim said.

“Research showed that these groups of people are limited to small choices, but not with us. We have a huge selection of choices for everyone.

“We would love to create a following of lots of sweet-toothed locals who feel valued, enjoy great content between visits

or tastes – and enjoy being spoiled.”

OUR MAIN GOAL IS TO BRING ABOUT A CHANGE FOR OUR VEGAN, GLUTENFREE, DAIRY-FREE CUSTOMERS

CONE KING: Anthony Shillingford serves up a tasty creation at Reddy’s, below, a chocolate feast and cookies by Cookie Cult. Photographs by Kath Flannery.