Gelocchio

230 Lygon Street, Carlton

Gelocchio is the new gelato store on the block, having just opened on Melbourne's Lygon Street. They offer many different types and flavours of all natural gelato and sorbet, as well as other icy treats. 

While Gelocchio is already an established store in Cairns, their opening on Melbourne's "Little Italy" on Lygon Street has put them among a number of excellent and already established gelato stores, such as Pidapippo and Il Dolce Freddo. 

Gelocchio

Pinocchio inspired decor

Paddlepops and Maxibons

Other than gelato, Gelocchio also offers many different icy treats, such as their various flavours of gelato pops as well as maxibons, my favourite of which was the passionfruit pop.

Range of different flavours

Even more flavours!

Pina Colada

Although there were many wonderful flavours on offer, my love of coconut led me to the pina colada flavoured gelato. The pina colada gelato was a smooth gelato with a strong coconut base, which was then enhanced with hints of pineapple in the background. This made it so the gelato did not have two clashing flavours, only flavours that complimented each other, which I noticed was a technique that was applied to many of their flavours.

Gelocchio was a fun and quirky place to visit, with friendly and knowledgeable staff, as well as a diverse range of sweet treats. They have shown that they are more than capable of competing with the other well established gelato names on Lygon Street and I would definitely recommend giving them a visit!

We were invited by and dined courtesy of Gelocchio.

Food Rating 8.5/10

Overall Rating 8.5/10

Zumbo

Westfield Doncaster Shopping Centre, Level 1, 619 Doncaster Road, Doncaster

Zumbo is a very well established name in the desserts and sweets field. Ever since his first appearance on MasterChef, Adriano Zumbo has expanded his brand and opened many new stores, including the Doncaster Shoppingtown store, which is located very conveniently for me. The stores are well known for their range of "Zumbarons", as well as a variety of unique cakes.

Assorted "Zumbarons"

Zumbo

6 Pack Macaron $16.50

At Zumbo, they are most widely known for their macarons and their cakes. As a person who has trained in patisserie, I can honestly say that the macarons at Zumbo are some of the best that I have tried. The shells have the perfect density and a smooth sheen to them, while the filling was smooth, light and did not have an overpowering flavour.

Apart from the macarons themselves, the staff were also very friendly and helpful. I was a little indecisive when it came to picking the flavours, as there were so many and the staff were very helpful and informative, which allowed me to make a quicker decision. Although the price point is quite high, I would definitely visit Zumbo again.

Food Rating 8/10

Overall Rating 8/10

Dex2rose

377 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne

Whenever I have spare time in the CBD, I love travelling around and finding new and different places to try. Dex2rose is a small and hidden nitrogen gelato restaurant which also serves other items such as hot and cold drinks, as well as other dessert items, such as Belgian Waffles and Crepe Cakes.

Salted caramel crepe cake 

The Crepe Cakes are a new addition to the menu since my last visit to Dex2rose. Each individual element of the dish was absolutely excellent, with lovely yet delicate flavours which are not overpoweringly sweet. Although the dish was excellent, the crepe cake itself, while incredibly tasty was overshadowed by the other elements on the dish.

Not your granny's apple pie

Not your granny's apple pie is the flavour that I enjoy the most at Dex2rose. The smooth milk gelato is churned with apples and served with warm apples chunks, cream and cinnamon sugar. The flavour is absolutely flawless and the gelato is also fun to eat, as it is served in a cone which is then placed upside down into the gelato cup.

Dex2rose is one of the best places that I have discovered while travelling around the CBD. Not only is the gelato amazing, but the atmosphere is lovely and cozy, which makes Dex2rose a great place to relax at. The staff at Dex2rose have always been absolutely amazing, friendly and accommodating, serving me and my friends with a smile. The first time I visited Dex2rose they were about to close, but the staff welcomed us in as soon as they saw us at the door and served us some of the best gelato that I have ever had. Ever since then I have been hooked and would recommend Dex2rose to everyone!

Food Rating 9/10

Overall Rating 9.5/10

Pancake Parlour

550 Doncaster Road, Doncaster

Pancake Parlour is a restaurant that has become one of the most popular hangout spots in Doncaster. I find myself here with friends quite often, purely due to the fact that they are open 24/7 and have a convenient location. Although we visit Pancake Parlour quite often, the experience is almost always negative and the only reason we continue to visit is because of their hours.

Traditional bacon & eggs $17.60

The traditional bacon & eggs is something my friends like to order no matter what time it is during the day. While the dish is nothing spectacular, you can't really beat bacon and eggs paired with some pancakes and butter.

Hot buttered walnuts  $19.90

The hot buttered walnuts were one of the best things that I have ordered at Pancake Parlour so far. The warm, buttered walnuts combined with the cinnamon, which was an amazing flavour when combined with the vanilla ice cream.

Chocolate & chocolate swiss mountain malt

Hot Chocolate

Although I was expecting a bad experience food wise, I was pleasantly surprised on this visit. The dishes and drinks we ordered this time were made well and the service was decent although they were busy. If they continue like this, then I may visit again with more confidence in the future. 

Food Rating 7/10

Overall Rating 7/10

Max Brenner

QV Centre, Level 2, 210 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

Max Brenner Chocolate Bar is one of the most well known chocolate and dessert stores in Melbourne. They have 8 locations spread across Melbourne which are very popular with couples and groups that are looking for a hot or sweet treat.

Max Brenner

Christmas decorations up

Dark hot chocolate - American marshmallow $6.30

Milk hot chocolate - Crunchy waffle balls $6.30

The hot chocolates we ordered arrived quite quickly in Max Brenner's signature "hug mugs". The chocolate was not overly sweet and carried the distinct flavours of dark and milk chocolate respectively. The toppings in each of them where quite a disappointment though, as the marshmallows became soggy and started disintegrating and the crunchy waffle balls were akin to soggy cocoa puffs.

Max Brenner is definitely a good place to have a sweet treat while catching up with friends, however I do recommend taking care while ordering, as some of the menu items can be hit and miss.

Food Rating 6.5/10

Overall Rating 7/10

The Dessert Kitchen

105 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne

As part of an ongoing trend, Asian desserts have been a favourite after dinner treat for many people. In some ways, this type of niche is dominated by Dessert Story, which has caused some of the smaller and more creative stores to fall into some sort of obscurity. This meant that the opening of The Dessert Kitchen has excited many people and has also resulted in huge queues and waiting times. 

Busy and bright

Taro and sweet potato

Ice stream ramen

Although the name gave nothing away about what it was, I could not resist ordering the Ice stream ramen, based only on the look of the dish. Unfortunately the dish was almost flavourless, even after adding the syrup to the dish all I could taste was the sickly sweetness and nothing else.

Japanese green tea soba

The only decent dish that we were served, the green tea soba had a strong flavour which was refreshing with the beans on top. The dishes and mangoes on the side, although sweet did not really add anything to the dish.

The Dessert Kitchen has incredibly long wait times, as well as a time limit for diners, to deal with the huge crowd. Part of me cannot imagine why people are waiting so long to repeatedly go there, as the experience was mediocre at best. The immense sweetness of all the dishes overpower the relatively weak flavours of the food, while the service was almost non-existent.

Food Rating 5/10

Overall Rating 5/10 

Tina's Noodle Kitchen

Box Hill Central, 1 Main Street, Box Hill

Back in 2003 Tina Li would open a small restaurant on Smith Street. With barely any space, she attempted to bring authentic Sichuan cuisine to Melbourne. Looking forward 13 years, the strong and bold flavours of Sichuan cuisine, as well as the allure of the fragrances emanating through the doors have established Dainty Sichuan as a household name throughout Melbourne.

The success of Dainty Sichuan has culminated in the establishment of many branch restaurants, such as Dainty Sichuan Hot Pot, Dainty Noodle Express and Tina's Noodle Kitchen.

Box Hill Central

 Chicken skewers

Pork blood curd combination noodle

The pork blood combination noodle contains a plethora of ingredients, including but not limited to pork blood curd, tender beef, spam, quail eggs, various mushroom and fungi, lotus root and tripe. The soup contains immense amounts of spices, Sichuan peppercorns and chilli oil, which I asked to be reduced, as the 1cm thick layer of oil was too much for a light lunch.

Tender beef noodle

The tender beef noodle was similar to the pork blood curd combination noodles, however a number of the ingredients have been replaced by more of the tender beef, as well as a completely different soup base. The noodles used in both of the noodle dishes were very light and smooth, which gave a pleasant mouthfeel.

The dishes offered at Tina's Noodle Kitchen do not hold back any punches. If you are eating here make sure you are ready for the impact of heavy flavours and extremely spicy dishes. Also as a non-Chinese speaker, I felt like the service was considerably worse than if I were with Chinese speaking friends.

Food Rating 7.5/10

Overall Rating 7/10

Cupcake Central

Melbourne Central, 257/211 La Trobe Street, Melbourne

Cupcake Central is a small cupcake store tucked away around the corner of the Melbourne Central food court. They boast many things, from a delicious and wide range of cupcakes and beverages, to cupcake workshops and masterclasses. I found myself here looking for a quick afternoon pick me up snack.

Cupcake kitchen

Cupcake display

More cupcakes on display!

Cupcake central

Red velvet, caramel pear crumble, PB&J and citrus earl grey

We chose to have four different cupcakes to try out a different range of flavours. The cupcakes normally cost $4.50 each but cost $17 in a set of 4. The flavours of each cupcake were well pronounced, however in some cases either the flavour of the cupcake or icing overpowered the other. The biggest culprits were the PB&J cupcake, where the icing had a delicate peanut flavour which was overpowered by the immensely sweet cupcake, and the citrus earl grey cupcake in which the citrus flavour overpowered the earl grey. Other than the flavour components, the cupcake bases were not too dry in the center, however they were slightly denser than I would have liked.

One thing I really enjoyed about Cupcake Central, that would definitely make me come back was the service. We were served by an absolutely lovely waitress who was very friendly and informative, as well as patient since we took quite a long time deciding our flavours.

Overall a great sugary pick-me-up for the afternoon. Although I could have picked a few areas that I would have liked a little improvement, most of it would just come down to personal preference.

Food Rating 7/10

Overall Rating 8/10

Pineapple Waffles

769C Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn


Although Hawthorn's Glenferrie Road is known as a vast and vibrant area with different restaurants and cuisines from a range of cultures, it has always been lacking in the dessert department. While we were searching for place to enjoy some dessert after a warm dinner, we noticed that most of Hawthorn's dessert offerings involved ice cream, gelato or frozen yogurt. Eager to have a warm dessert on the cold night, I was delighted to see a restaurant specialising in liege waffles.

Pineapples waffles

Clean and spacious interior

Fun decor

Nutella waffle with dark belgian chocolate, Nutella sauce, strawberries and mini marshmallows $8.50

I chose to build my own waffle with some favourites such as Nutella, dark chocolate sauce and mini marshmallows. I enjoyed the toppings quite a lot as I have quite a sweet tooth, unfortunately the waffle itself was a bit doughy in the center and therefore was quite heavy.

Waffle delicates $14.80 

Although the toppings and ice cream were pleasant and had a lot of variety, the overall dish suffered from the same problems as the Nutella waffle. Out of the different flavours offered on the dish, my favourite would have to be the cinnamon apple with maple syrup and roasted walnuts, as it had warm flavours from the cinnamon apple spice and textural elements from the roasted walnuts.

As one of Hawthorn's few choices of desserts I hope that the problem with the waffles was a once off issue, I enjoyed the experience with friendly staff and great toppings but I would definitely like to see an improvement on the waffles themselves.

Food Rating 7/10

Overall Rating 7.5/10