Cup
The neutral choice, and the right one if you are ordering two or three scoops or want to try flavours side by side. A cup also gives you room for toppings without everything sliding off, which a cone does not.
Order a cup when the flavour has texture in it: falooda, kunafa, anything with pieces.
Cone
The cone is part of the taste, not just a holder. It adds a wafer sweetness that suits plain and creamy flavours and fights with fruit ones.
Cones are also a timing decision. In peak summer heat you have a few minutes before it becomes a race, so a cone suits walking and eating, not sitting and talking.
Shake
The most underrated format. Blending changes a flavour rather than just cooling it. Biscuit and chocolate flavours get better as shakes because the pieces distribute; delicate flavours like saffron get worse, because the blending flattens them.
If you are only ordering one thing for the table, a Lotus or Choco Kunafa shake is the safest order on the board.
Bucket
The take-home format, and the cheapest per serving by a distance. ½ litre suits two to three people, one litre suits six to eight as a dessert portion.
Buckets are also the right call for anyone who wants ice cream over several days rather than in one sitting, as long as your freezer is cold enough and stays closed.
A quick guide
- Trying the shop for the first time: single scoop in a cup, Kulfa Delight
- Walking around: cone, or a popsicle
- One order for a table: a thick shake
- Family at home: 1-litre bucket
- Very hot afternoon: fresh-fruit popsicle, not dairy
Melado prices every flavour in all four formats. Elite is Rs 150 a scoop and Rs 490 as a shake, Premium Rs 200 and Rs 590, Premium Gold Rs 500 and Rs 1,190. The full table is on the menu page.