See inside the seafront's newest addition Rosa Gelato

The seafront’s only luxury sit-in ice cream parlour has already proved a hit, selling more than 200 ice creams on its first day of trading on Monday, August 23.

Housed in the former Scullery unit in Pier Point, Rosa Gelato, meaning pink ice cream in Italian, is part of a swathe of new openings in Roker and Seaburn which in recent months has welcomed developments such as Stack and Seaburn Inn, as well as Fausto Pizza.

In the coming weeks, Roker will also welcome a new bar and restaurant in the second Pier Point development, as well as a Tin of Sardines gin bar in the former toilet block in Pier View.

Rosa Gelato has created 14 new jobs for the city, with the potential for more, and has been brought to the city by Richard Cooney and daughter Georgia who already run popular restaurant Six, also on Pier Point.

A premium gelato fridge has been specially imported from Italy to ensure the ice cream is kept in the optimum conditions as part of the major investment in the site, which has undergone a complete refurbishment.

Georgia said she was delighted with the response so far.

“The response has been fantastic, especially from the kids who are dead excited when they see their ice creams. To be fair the adults have been just as excited, it’s like a candy land in here,” she explained. "People keep wanting to come in, even when we’re not open and if it continues like this we will probably have to take on more staff.”

She added: “We have some really quirky options on the menu and people seem to love them.”

The new addition to the seafront is able to seat 50 diners indoors, with a further 20 seats outside.

*Rosa Gelato is open from noon until 8pm Tuesday to Saturday and from noon until 7pm Sunday to Monday, but times may change depending on demand.

On the menu

On the menu are 24 options of gelato, starting at £2.50 for one scoop, from Northumberland-based Ciccarelli, with traditional flavours as well as bubblegum, honeycomb crunch, Ferrero Rocher, Kinder white, banana split, coffee and cookie dough, all served in a variety of cones.

The signature sundaes, priced £7.50 each, are also an imaginative affair with options including The Golden Ticket, featuring three scoops of your choice and an explosion of candy; The Little Mermaid which is served in a mini inflatable mermaid’s tail; The Rosa Mess which is the parlour’s take on an Eton mess and Hazelnut Heaven featuring Nutella and Ferrero Rocher ice cream.

There’s also a range of milkshakes, hot drinks and American sodas on the menu, as well as savoury options including nachos and hot dogs.

There’s also seafront-themed sweets to buy, including a pic’n’mix featuring candy ice creams, octopuses, dolphins and more.

Adults can also enjoy a boozy milkshake, as well as a small selection of wine, beer and cider options.

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