Cow & the Moon

Hello #icecreamthurs! Let’s eat icecream to pretend it’s still summer. I love Cow & the Moon – it’s pretty much the best gelato I’ve ever had – so I’m always happy to go back and try more of their fabulous flavours. On this visit, I chose two of their fruity sorbets to try, one new and one old favourite. The new flavour was the peach sorbet, which I sampled and fell in love with. The peach flavour is sweeter than other peach sorbets I’ve tried, so the effect is more like eating a sweet, ripe peach, which I really liked. The texture is perfection – as creamy as any dairy-based icecream – and the flavour is beautifully intense. I also went for an old favourite, the black and blue sorbet, which tastes just like a blackberry chewy lolly. This is the kind of flavour that gets the saliva going, it’s so sweet and tart and bold. Dad ordered the World Gelato Championship-winning Affogato flavour, which I tasted too – oh my. There were caramelised almonds in it, as well as the perfect coffee and vanilla flavours. Swoon. Must visit for anyone heading to Sydney.

Cow & the Moon, 181 Enmore Road, Enmore, NSW, no website

Devon

I was so very excited to see that one of the breakfast/brunch options at Devon was salmon. It’s quite rare to find a Japanese-style breakfast, so we were happy to wait for nearly 30mins to get a table. Seated in the back courtyard, we ordered right away, tummies grumbling from the wait. I chose Breakfast with the Sakumas ($25), clearly a staple menu item, of miso-grilled salmon, smoked eel croquette, 63 degree egg, radish salad and kewpie mayonnaise. The plate was beautifully presented, and I broke open the croquette before cutting my egg, so there was something to absorb the perfectly runny yolk. The croquette was delightful – don’t be put off if you’re not a seafood fan, the eel flavor is subtle, and the brown rice inside makes this a surprisingly filling portion. But the main game is definitely the salmon, which shines brightly amongst all other salmon dishes. Perfectly flaked and tender, and topped with a crisp seaweed and spice crumb (amazingly good), this was a complete delight and something I would go out of my way to eat again. The radish salad broke up the rich flavours of the rest of the dish, bringing perfect balance and sending me right back to Tokyo breakfasts past.

Devon, 76 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills, NSW, http://www.devoncafe.com.au/

Baskin Robbins

I spent a lovely afternoon at the Opera House to see The Australian Ballet, and on my way back to the train I treated myself to a cup of Baskin Robbins, which seems to have disappeared from most other Australian cities. Whilst Love Potion #31 is my absolute favourite, I wanted something a bit lighter, so opted for the ‘Citrus Twist’ – “ice made with the tangy twist of lemons and limes”, according to the sign. Refreshing and dairy-free equals fine with me. I think the description on the sign was pretty accurate – there was still a fairly smooth, although certainly more icy than icecream, texture to the Citrus Twist, and the mixture was actually quite sweet compared to other lemon and lime flavours I’ve tried. Having said that, the flavours worked well together, and would suit those who don’t want a sorbet that results in cheek-puckering bitterness. The serve was reasonably sized, and it delivered on the ‘refreshing’ promise too. Like most places, you can enjoy a complimentary taste to help pick your flavour. With such great Harbour views, it’s hard to look past for an affordable sweet treat in Circular Quay.

Baskin Robbins Circular Quay, Lot 2, Quay Grand 61-63, Macquarie Street
Sydney, NSW http://www.baskinrobbins.com.au

 

Lotus Restaurant

You know that feeling, when you look at the dessert menu at a restaurant, and want everything? This was my dilemma at Lotus. However, one item stood out above the others, so we made the call and went for it. The Lotus Garden ($15), with a white peony tea bavarois, poached peach, raspberries and raspberry puff sounded irresistible. When it arrived, the stunning presentation only confirmed the choice. Dotted with edible flowers and microherbs, the pale peach colour and the vibrant raspberry red was visually striking. This dessert has all the textures happening – from the crisp of the raspberry puff (think prawn crackers for texture), to the pop of the fresh raspberries, to the soft give of the poached white peach, and the smoothness of the shiny, glazed bavarois (similar to a pannacotta) – making it an exploratory adventure. All of the flavours worked so well together, and a mouthful with all of the elements was utter heaven. The sweetness of the white peach was offset by the tartness of the raspberry, and the white peony tea flavour added a delicate but not particularly sweet floral note. I’m not sure I could go past this next time, as much as I’d like to try the rest of the dessert menu. Note: between dining and publication, the Lotus Garden has changed on the menu, so this exact flavor combination is no longer on offer.

Lotus Restaurant, Level 1, The Galeries, 500 George Street Sydney NSW, http://www.lotusrestaurant.com.au/

Petal Met Sugar

Petal Met Sugar isn’t the kind of place you can just order one thing from. I mean, look at their delicate, elegant sweets! So we ordered two cakes to share – the Vanilla and Rhubarb Eclair ($7) and the Salted Caramel ($6). The Eclair had a strip of dried rhubarb laid on top of a thin layer of sweet icing, but when you bit into the the soft, springy choux pastry, there was the lovely discovery of vanilla creme patissere. This paired delightfully with the sweet rhubarb jam also hidden inside – the flavours were subtle and sophisticated together. Next was the Salted Caramel, which was visually stunning – encased in a tart shell and topped with edible flowers, caramelised popcorn and gold sea salt (seriously, wow!). True caramel fans rejoice! This dessert takes your caramel just to the point of toasted bitterness that requires real skill – surely a moment longer and it would have been burnt. The result is a really rich flavour that has far more complexity than something less-cooked, and I found the balance of the salt just right for my taste. The popcorn added a fun textural contrast too. My conclusion? Everything here is pretty much perfect.

Petal Met Sugar, 68 Sir John Young Crescent, Woolloomooloo, NSW, http://www.petalmetsugar.com.au/

 

RivaReno Gelato

RivaReno Gelato was recommended to me by a friend – they make their gelato fresh daily from scratch, and have a great range of flavours. I was very excited to see a sorbet section on the menu, which included two of my favourite flavours – raspberry and peach. I decided to go for the peach, as it’s the rarer flavour, and was surprised by the creamy texture of the sorbet. Definitely no icy nonsense here, this is the real deal. I was struck by how buttery the flavour tasted, with an almost nutty undertone, meaning that there was clearly no artifical peach flavouring going on. The flavour seemed to develop and become more peachy the more I ate, although it certainly wasn’t a particularly sweet sorbet. I really haven’t had any icecream/sorbet like this before – it was complex and authentic, with flecks of peach skin throughout. I also tasted my friend’s lemon sorbet, which got my saliva going – incredibly tart and acidic, it would be the perfect palate cleanser after a nice meal. The quality here is excellent and I would also be keen to try their chocolate-coated gelato on a stick, which looked amazing in the display cabinet.

RivaReno Gelato, 280 Crown Street, Darlinghurst, NSW, http://rivareno.com.au/

Gelatiamo

Gelatiamo is a lovely little cafe, offering a great range of gelato with about half of the flavours being sorbets (yay!). There’s plenty of seating inside, so we decided to dine in, and were served our choices in cute sundae glasses with long spoons. Listed as one of the top 10 gelaterias in Sydney, this was my first visit, so I picked a flavour that can be hard to find – mandarin sorbet ($4.90 for a single scoop). I was surprised by how huge the serving was (dine in is highly recommended) – I would have easily thought of this as a double serve, but Dad’s double was piled up even higher! I had a quick taste of his hazelnut and pistachio choices – both were creamy and nutty, with perfectly smooth textures that didn’t have ‘bits’ in them. I then got stuck into my sorbet. Don’t order this flavour if you like sweet sorbets – the citrus flavour in this sorbet is really intense, but also quite bitter. I found this really refreshing, and the flavor screamed MANDARIN! I could imagine this being a great palate cleanser after a heavy meal – fresh, sharp and delicious.

Gelatiamo, 362 Pacific Highway, Lindfield, NSW, http://www.gelatiamo.com.au/