Bellissimo Gelateria

It’s that wonderful time again, #icecreamthurs! Cairns has a wonderful night market, which we managed to visit after a day-long bus tour of the Atherton tablelands (such beautiful countryside). We were pretty tired, but it was a lovely warm evening, and we couldn’t help but notice Bellissimo. There was a  buzz around the gelateria, and when we approached the display it was clear why – there’s a huge range to choose from, and the flavours range from the traditional lemon to red bull! The ferrero rocher option quickly caught my eye and the friendly lady piled up an architectural miracle in the small cup I ordered. I couldn’t believe the amount of gelato I got! I was also really impressed with the service – the staff were attentive to each customer and were very welcoming. The gelato itself had a lovely flavour to begin with – like biting into a cold ferrero – but it did fade the more I ate, which was a bit disappointing. The texture was lovely and creamy, and we enjoyed eating our icecreams while having foot massages at the markets. I couldn’t quite finish mine, but it added to the lively atmosphere of a night at the market.

Bellissimo Gelateria, 54-60 Abbott Street, Cairns QLD, no website

N2 Extreme Gelato

I’m in denial that summer is over, so over the next few weeks I’m going to share icecream reviews every Thursday (#icecreamthurs). Mmm, icecream. I’ve been super excited about Good Food Month’s Night Noodle Market coming to Canberra and so a few foodie friends and I went for opening night. N2 have come from Melbourne to be part of the market and they brought two options to share with us on the menu – the Ferrero Reveal and the Brokeback Moment. I chose the former, with Nutella gelato, crushed hazelnuts, a rice bubble choc top and a warm chocolate ganache syringe. The choc top was quite solid and there was plenty of chocolate – with the rice bubbles it actually tasted like coco pops (yum) and I tried to save it to mix through the gelato underneath. The ganache in the syringe had gone a bit cold, so was tough to extract, but it added a rich decadence that wasn’t over the top. The gelato itself was creamy and had a strong Nutella flavour, which didn’t fade, and there was plenty of it in the small cup. Only a few more nights left to go back and have it again!

N2 Extreme Gelato, Enlighten Night Noodle Market until 8 March, http://n2extremegelato.com.au/

 

Movenpick

Brisbane is a pretty warm city, especially in summer, so inevitably you end up wanting something of the icecream variety to cool you down. Luckily, there are quite a few options – I was excited to see that Movenpick is one of them. I first tried Movenpick in 2009 in Auckland and was very impressed with the quality of their icecream and the variety of flavours on offer. Luckily the Brisbane store is equally impressive. I will always choose a sorbet over icecream when possible, and I was pleased to see that Movenpick has a raspberry sorbet – one of my favourite flavours. I ordered a small cup and was amazed by how true the raspberry flavour was – the intensity of it was incredible. The sorbet is perfectly balanced between being tart and sweet, and even has little crunches of raspberry mixed throughout.  The serving size was just enough for an after-dinner treat, the service was quick and the staff were friendly. Perfectly sweet and refreshing on a warm Brisbane night.

Movenpick, Shop 6A, Little Stanley Street, South Bank QLD http://www.moevenpick-icecream.com/au/en/

Bracegirdles

All throughout my university days and even now when I visit Adelaide, Bracegirdles is my go-to for a decadent treat. Their chocolate is my absolute favourite when it comes to boutique chocolatiers across Australia, and I think it’s at its best in molten form. I don’t think I’ve ever ordered anything at Bracegirdles apart from their chocolate fondue – they offer a range of sizes with different accompaniments, but the ultimate for me is the fondue for four with fruit, shared with friends. You have a choice of milk or dark chocolate for your fondue. After ordering at the counter and admiring the range of truffles, there’s a cozy upstairs space with armchairs which is lovely in winter, or the balcony overlooking Jetty Road for people watching in summer. The plate arrives with banana, strawberry, orange and pineapple, all fresh and sweet. They do offer a lolly version for those with a really sweet tooth, but I found it a bit too much, as their chocolate is very sweet. One of the best things about Bracegirdles is that they sell their chocolate buttons for DIY fondue, so interstate visitors can recreate the magic at home. Love it.

Bracegirdles, 31 Jetty Road, Glenelg SA                http://www.bracegirdles.com.au/

Cafe Comme Ca

¥1000 is a lot to pay for one piece of cake, and when I was a student in Tokyo I could only bring myself to do it twice – once with friends and once in a train station when I’d arrived three hours early for my train (oops). Both times it was from Cafe Comme Ca, and both times it was worth it. So when I went back to Tokyo I made sure to stop in again and try another slice. Each cake is sculpted with fresh fruit into rosettes or other incredible arrangements – I recommend taking some time to look at the display cabinet before making a choice (fair warning though – the staff, sadly, won’t let you take pictures of the whole cakes). This time I went for the blood orange and raspberry cream cake, which came out on a plate with cocoa dust in the shape of bluebirds (swoon). The fruit was juicy and covered in a sweet glaze, and the cream was light and not too rich. Western-style sweets in Japan are often sickly sweet, but Cafe Comme Ca gets the balance (and the beauty) just right.

Cafe Comme Ca, 5F Comme Ca Store, 3-26-6 Shinjuku-ku, Shinjuku Tokyo  http://www.cafe-commeca.co.jp/ (Japanese only)

Dolce & Salato

After lunch at Bent Spoke, we went into town in search of icecream to make the most of a sunny spring afternoon. Wanting something a bit more special, we opted for Dolce and Salato over Gelatissimo in the Canberra Centre. I’d never had anything from D&S before, and was pleasantly surprised by the range of gelato and sorbet flavours available. I will always pick fruity over chocolatey, so went with the peach sorbet and raspberry sorbet, wanting something refreshing. It was a good choice – the raspberry was nice and tart, but the peach was the standout, somehow managing to convey a really strong peach flavour.  The sorbets had substantial texture – they weren’t too smooth, and were just what we wanted on a warm arvo. A friend chose the most exotic flavour on the menu – prickly pear – and was rewarded with what was probably the nicest flavour. Definitely a place worth being adventurous at. Note – their website claims that a ‘woodfired breakfast menu’ is coming soon. One to keep an eye on.

Dolce & Salato, 108 Bunda Street, Civic, ACT          http://dolceandsalato.com.au/

Lux Bite

Ok, so technically I haven’t been to Lux Bite. But a friend accepted my challenge to bring back a sweet from Melbourne that you can’t get in Canberra – this was the result. A quick google reveals that this cake was actually featured on Masterchef too, so must be tough to make! Called the ‘Lolly Bag Cake’, this little slice is full of layers of childhood flavour. The strongest is without a doubt the green layer (spearmint leaf buttercream), but upon deconstruction the other flavours get their moment – redskin, banana and musk. The highlight for me was the layer of freckles (who doesn’t love chocolate freckles?), which gave some crunch, and the ‘banana Joconde’ (sponge). Whilst all the flavours don’t exactly complement each other if you take a mouthful of them all, they don’t exactly clash either, leaving a slightly confused but largely minty taste in your mouth. I found I enjoyed the individual flavours much more after pulling it apart. Now the pressue is on to bring my friend something good back from Adelaide in return. Thoughts?

Lux Bite, 38 Toorak Rd, South Yarra VIC                                     http://www.luxbite.com.au