shopping

Gelato Messina Fitzroy

HWKR is a food court-styled place modelled off Hawker centres in Singapore and Malaysia, filled with rotating vendors, such as MasterChef winner, Diana Chan’s Chanteen, the famed lobster-spot Pinchy’s, and in its latest bout, features an epic dessert cross between Gelato Messina and Wonderbao – two cult-like food spots of Melbourne. Their desserts, not only Instagram-worthy, but are also a blend of complicated ingredients that do something magical when all put together so I would highly recommend the Cocoa Nib Cake and the Magic Mushroom for all my Melbourne dessert lovers! The good fat: Anyone with an interest in Melbourne food is surely to have seen this cute “Magic Mushroom” pop up on their Instagram feed lately! Lucky for you, it’s one of the desserts that lives up to its hype! The icecream x dessert skills of artisan gelateria, Gelato Messina, means it manages to create a unique, whilst delicious dessert, full of complementing flavours between chocolate, caramel and peanut butter, not forgetting about the varying textures from the perfect crunch of the feuilletine, the softness of the gelato and the gooey-ness of the caramel. The highlight, on the other hand, was the cocoa nib cake! Featuring a multi-dimensional blend of crunchy nuts, roasted cocoa flavours and sweetness from the caramel and nougat, the cake was a blend of subtle flavours that worked deliciously when all put together. It wasn’t overly sweet and I loved the nougat + nut insert in the middle giving that added CRUNCH when biting through the layers of soft gelato. The bad fat: The macaron gelato sandwich was way too sweet for me. Although the idea of cream cheese gelato sounded perfect to me, the sugariness of the yellow macaron and passionfruit insert was way too overpowering and all the other subtler flavours were lost behind it. However, for those looking for a strong, sweet + sour kick, this may be the dessert for you! SHOULD YOU GET FAT HERE? YES – The Evil mushroom has been popping up everywhere over Instagram – so why not grab one for you and a friend to share! (or not hehe) FAT-O-METER: 4/5