• Dex2rose (Melbourne)

In the debate of art over science, perhaps the most powerful is when the two join to create something spectacular.  Jesse from Dex2rose knows this well.  Making gelato and sorbet is a science, creatively selecting flavour combinations is an art, and the rest, well that’s passion.  Invited to taste the new nitrogen gelateria’s flavours of the moment, I was not only impressed by the creaminess and ingenuity of the combinations, but also the innovation at which this new project has come about.

Looking for Dex2rose amongst the crowded lane ways off Bourke Street, I rounded the wrong corners twice before finally finding the cool, very Melbourne glass fronted shop of Dex2rose.  The seating area encourages sociable gelato eating as a substitute to afternoon coffee – they serve the latter too in cold pressed form.  The menu changes every three weeks with flavours ranging from sweet, nutty, fruity and vegan.  This was my first time trying nitrogen gelato.

We began with a ‘Lazy Dinner’.  The sage and burnt butter combination is common-place with pumpkin and pine-nuts for vegetarian dinners (much rarer in desserts).  This was mixed with caramel giving a buttery sweetness with a pop of interest from the sage.  Most exciting was the texture.  This little pot of goodness was so unbelievably creamy that I had to keep dipping in my little spoon for more and more.  The buttery caramel on top added an extra dimension.  This one went really well with the cold pressed coffee.


The ‘Cocopresso’ was perhaps my favourite.  Despite being vegan, the sorbet still held a beautiful richness.  Jesse explained that the higher freezing temperature (between -8°C to -10°C , compared to ice-cream at about -20°C) means the ice-crystals are smaller, giving a smoother consistency.  Each serving is frozen as ordered and melts quicker than usual ice-cream.  The texture would be lost if you were to take it home and freeze it yourself – one of the reasons there are no take-away packs.  Jesse designed this flavour with the whip of rose and coconut cream bringing down the flavour of the coffee.


Matcha is an acquired taste and this one is made strong, unlike most matcha in Australia.  The full green tea taste was apparent and the peanut sugar dust on top balanced out the bitterness of this Japanese traditional ceremony icon.


The ‘WITS’ was quite sweet but still refreshing with a sorbet base of watermelon iced tea and mint.  The mint was subtle.  This was topped with rose and coconut cream.


The ‘Rockkaido’ was my ice-cream buddy’s favourite.  It was made with Hokkaido milk tea and rockmelon with a raspberry cream.  He loved how the acidity of the raspberry balanced out the richness of the milk.  For me it was intense, like Japanese sweets.  The raspberry cream was strong in flavour but so delightfully light in texture.  I’d never tasted Hokkaido milk before but was told its delicacy was in the way the cows are treated.  The rockmelon was subtle but definitely there.

 ‘Honey Stash’ is Dex2rose’s take on the favourite pistachio gelato.  The pistachio paste was imported from Italy to get the best flavour.    Honey cashew clusters gave an extra crunch.  The raspberry cream on top was not too sweet with the honey.  It was delicious.


The finale of ‘Pink Flamingo’ was a mix of peach and rose muscato with rose and coconut cream.  This one was also vegan.  The peach hit my palate first and then the rose.  Very refreshing.

Along with a range of gelato and sorbet, Dex2rose also does daily fresh juice like watermelon, granny smith, strawberry and rockmelon.

The nitro brew coffee is also interesting, frothing like Guinness and subtly infused with fresh apples and cinnamon.  As the carbon dioxide dissolves it becomes sparkling.


Apart from being totally overloaded with sugar and excitement after eating almost six serves between us, we were inspired and energised by the concept too.  The flavours were creative.  All came together perfectly.  It was also my first experience with the superiorly smooth nitrogen gelato.  There’s no going back, we will be going back.

Dex2rose
Racing Club Lane (at 377 Little Bourke Street)
Melbourne 3000
03 9078 0784
www.dex2rose.com.au

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