Steven Ter Horst

Adelaide has some fabulous independent chocolate stores, and Steven Ter Horst is one of the best. Craving something sweet after brunch, a friend and I dropped in to eye off the cakes on display. I was sorely tempted by the salted caramel tart, but seeing that they offered a ‘fruit de bois’ hot chocolate with strawberries, raspberries and blackberries, I was sold. They kindly made the mix dairy-free for me, using coconut milk and soy instead of milk. There was a short wait, but we sat comfortably at the large centre table, which was strewn with South Australian magazines. My mug came out and I was surprised at how thick the mix was – I adore true Italian hot chocolates and this was beautifully thick, apparently due to the berries. I ate it mostly with a spoon, to make sure I didn’t miss any. The dairy-free option in no way detracted from the flavour of the chocolate, which is an uncommon quality and reflects the care and talent that goes into their craft. The chocolate was rich, not sickly sweet, and given a delicate tartness from the berries. Well worth a visit.

Steven Ter Horst, 256 Rundle Street, Adelaide SA       http://www.steventerhorst.com.au/

Gelato Messina

Upping the anti to gelato cakes this #icecreamthurs! Gelato Messina’s gelato cakes are famous around Australia – that was more than enough motivation to give them a try! The cakes are only available at their Darlinghurst store, so off we went, excited by the creative options. Because one’s eyes are often bigger than one’s tummy, Gelato Messina offers mini gelato cakes as well as the full party size – I couldn’t go past the ‘Dr Evil’s Magic Mushroom’ (who could, with a name like that?). It was a shame to get stuck in because it was so beautifully crafted, but the first mouthful cured me of any further guilt. The top of the mushroom is made from dark chocolate gelato, peanut cookies and silky smooth dulce de leche, the bitter dark chocolate flavour matching the sweet dulce de leche and the cookies adding some crunch. The same flavours continue into the white stem, but the real surprise was in the ‘grass’ – popping candy! The crispiness of the base finishes the dessert off perfectly. Gelato Messina is famous for a reason – give their icecream cakes a try for flavoursome and creative desserts.

Gelato Messina, 1/241 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst NSW                 http://www.gelatomessina.com

Nitrogenie

There is definitely a trend of using liquid nitrogen to make icecream/sorbet, probably because it has such a cool visual effect! I’m not even going to pretend to understand the science behind it, but suffice to say, it’s pretty awesome to watch. Having tried it for the first time in Sydney, I was pretty excited to find Nitrogenie making liquid nitrogen icecream in Brisbane. We went in on a warm evening and I was delighted to see that they had a fruity flavour – mango. Perfect for a tropical night. I ordered a small cup, which when it was ready was disappointingly small, but which turned out to be just the right amount after dinner. The mango flavour was incredibly intense – it really did taste like eating a mango (but colder)! There were even little stringy bits in it, just like a mango. My friend had the salted caramel and from the small mouthful I tried it was superb, although more on the salty side. We took our icecreams down to the river to soak up the night lights and warmth – quite an excellent Brisbane experience.

Nitrogenie, Cnr Ernest St & Stanley St South Bank, QLD      http://nitrogenie.com/

Adriano Zumbo Patissier

I have been a fan of Adriano Zumbo macarons for a long time. For a while, I had a tradition of trying new flavours every time I visited Sydney, but it’s been some time since I’ve stopped in. After breakfast at Sokyo at the Star, we couldn’t resist the multicolour, sweet-filled window of Zumbo’s. I’d tried all of the macaron flavours on offer, so looked further along the window to the tarts. There was an impressive array, but my eye was drawn to the peanut butter and raspberry combination called ‘Peter, Bob and John’ (PB&J). The tart was a good size and prettily presented with chunks of raspberry and peanut brittle on top. The first mouthful was silky smooth – the chocolate ganache was creamy and soft, and a perfect contrast to the sweet, slightly crispy base. The second mouthful was all about the raspberry gel (the ‘jelly’ in PB&J), which is tart compared to the sweet ganache. The peanut brittle added great textural pops, although I thought that the peanut butter flavour could have been stronger. Overall a delightful treat combining two complementary flavours. Zumbo remains the king of sweets.

Adriano Zumbo Patissier, 80 Pyrmont Street, Pyrmont NSW http://adrianozumbo.com/

Frugii Dessert Laboratory

Frugii Dessert Laboratory made a splash when it first opened, and I thought it was high time to check out what all the fuss was about. Dad and I went on a Saturday night and we arrived just before the crowds – there were about five icecream flavours and two sorbets on offer – I picked the passionfruit, orange and apple sorbet, and Dad chose the salted caramel icecream. We picked the small size, and whilst the portion looked quite small, I don’t think I could have eaten any more. The sorbet was really refreshing, with a good balance between the sweetness of the orange and apple and the tartness of the passionfruit. The fruity flavour was quite strong and didn’t lose its intensity the more I ate. I did find the texture a bit icy compared to other sorbets, but not unpleasantly so. The salted caramel was probably the best I’ve ever tasted – rich, creamy and with just the right amount of salt, I’d definitely order it next time, along with one of the delicate cakes on display. A fun additon to Canberra’s dessert scene.

Frugii Dessert Laboratory, 30 Lonsdale Street,  Braddon ACT                                 http://www.frugii.com/

Nitro Lab

Still in denial – how long until summer again? #icecreamthurs. I am a sucker for anything raspberry-flavoured. Wandering up Bourke Street, I came across Nitro Lab (which also seems to be called The Lab Nitrogen Gelato – confusing!) and was sucked in by the prospect of combining two of my favourite things – raspberry and nutella. The lady behind the counter was really friendly, and when I asked about the dairy-free options she gave me a really comprehensive outline of my choices. Luckily, the raspberry gelato is actually a sorbet – I decided not to go totally dairy-free and had the ‘golden gaytime’ crumb and nutella on top. The shop was fairly quiet so I only waited for a couple of minutes for my sorbet – the novelty of watching them make it with N2 doesn’t seem to wear off! The nutella dollop was massive and I tried to mix it in with the sorbet. The crumb was lovely and crispy, although it didn’t really taste like a golden gaytime crumb. The sorbet itself was the right balance between sweet and tart and there was plenty of it in the cup. Yum.

Nitro Lab, 188 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC, no website

Royal Copenhagen

Hello #icecreamthurs! Glenelg has so many dessert options that it can be hard to choose – showing friends from Canberra around, they asked which of the icecream options was the best. I hadn’t had icecream down there for a while (usually opting for fondue), so picked Royal Copenhagen hoping that it would pass muster. Luckily, it did. I chose a single scoop of the Vanilla Meringue, Passionfruit and Raspberry icecream, having never come across this flavour before. It was a good choice – the icecream was beautifully creamy, the sweet vanilla meringue flavour was clear and well complemented by the tartness of both the raspberry and the passionfruit. My only criticism was that the meringue flavour seemed to fade the more you ate, but this is a fairly common issue with icecream. It didn’t hurt that they offer self-service toppings, including sprinkles and nuts – I added plenty of the latter to mine! We also had donuts to share, which came out piping hot and well dusted in cinnamon sugar. They were lovely and soft and I could have happily devoured several more. Royal Copenhagen didn’t disappoint!

Royal Copenhagen Icecreamery & Dessert Bar, 15 Jetty Road, Glenelg SA