The ice cream, in this cafe is so rich it will cheer you up on even the coldest of days.

Opened just off Borough Market last year Gelateria 3bis is an offshoot of an ice cream parlour in Rimini, and so far it seems to be doing better than a succession of cafes that have come and gone at this Park Street address over the last few years. I’m not sure when a cafe becomes a dreaded franchise, but I don’t think this counts – at least not yet.

Service can be a bit slow. There only ever seem to be two (very Italian) waitresses to serve ice creams, coffee (Pasucci) and crepes. In summer the queues can be huge (although not as insanely huge as the queue for coffee at Monmouth’s Borough Market branch, which is right next door)

On the plus side. It’s friendly. The atmosphere is nice and it’s one of the few places serving coffee that is open on Sunday, when the rest of the market is shut.

The ice cream is all made at the back of the cafe and as well as the standard flavours – chocolate, pistachio etc, they do  liquorice, which is well worth a try. And there’s a chocolate sauce fountain.

A small cone or tub will set you back about £3.00 and a coffee costs £2.00. So it’s not the cheapest coffee break in Old London Town, but you won’t be disappointed by either. It’s a lovely place for a treat – especially on a cold or wet Sunday when the crowds stay away.