Desserts by Night

If you’re a dessert fan and ever in Springvale one day then it’s worth checking out Desserts by Night to satisfy your sweet tooths! Davin and I were in the area for dinner with Hello.imnikki and partner when we decided to check out this newish place to see what it was all about. We learnt that it also had a sister branches at other locations.

As we were walking towards the place, from across the road we weren’t actually sure if it was open or not. They had garage like roller shutters that were a quarter down and we couldn’t see any lights on. However when we got closer we realised that they were open. Yay! The cafe itself was very large and spacious with plenty of chairs and tables.

Being really full still from dinner, we decided to order a few desserts to share. The pear shaped dessert was called The Helen which Hello.imnikki ordered. Of course I couldn’t resist trying it given it was my name! It was shaped just like a pear so delicately placed on a bed of chocolate. We cracked the outer layer of white chocolate to find lovely chunks of pear and cream inside. It was probably more on the sweet side for me but a nice and pretty dessert nonetheless.

The Mango Pudding was my type of dessert. Firstly because I love all things mango, but also because it was a light and not too sweet type of dessert. It had fresh mango, mango coulis, lychee foam, condensed milk, vanilla crumble, tuile biscuit and mango sorbet. A dream dessert for a mango lover and all the components went perfectly together.

Finally we also tried their special which was the Pinata. Now if we weren’t already impressed with the presentation of the desserts so far, then this really wowed us. The dish came out on this wooden contraption where a white chocolate sphere dangled above the rest of the dish. The idea is to crack it open with your spoon, releasing flakes of goodies over the dessert. On the main dish was a coconut cheesecake, with berries and pineapple and passionfruit sorbet. It was a really refreshing dish!

We were overall certainly impressed with all the desserts they had to offer, particularly the flavours and the beautiful presentation of their dishes. A place we will definitely think of again after dinner one night!

Desserts by Night
Approx $20 AUD per person
Address: 317 Springvale Rd, Springvale VIC 3171
Phone: +61 3 9540 3453

Desserts by Night Springvale Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

KOI Dessert Bar

When we heard that Reynold Poernomo from Masterchef was opening a pop up stall of his KOI Dessert Bar in Melbourne for just 3 months, we knew we had to check it out. His desserts have always looked amazing and now was our chance to finally try them!

Located in the HWKR Food Centre in the Melbourne CBD, along with a number of other pop up stalls, KOI provides a dessert menu you can order from until sold out. In addition they also have pre-made dessert delights behind a glass window.

We opted to order the Mr Grey on the menu which had French earl grey cremeux with strawberry white chocolate, yuzu, yoghurt sorbet, lychee and mint. The dessert was presented beautifully and I loved the earl grey flavours that came out from it. The sorbet and fruit made it really refreshing.

We also ordered one of the desserts behind the glass which was the Berry Cheesecake. This had almond sable, lemon cream cheese mousse, blueberry myrtle coulis and baked lemon cheesecake. It was such a pretty dish and the lemon cream cheese mousse was so soft and creamy.

Overall it was a good experience, we probably enjoyed the dessert prepared from the menu more than the pre-made desserts but of course you would expect the dishes on the menu to be better. The service was also really good and staff were friendly and efficient. They asked us how the desserts were when they cleared our tables away and were very open to feedback.

So if you’re interested in checking out the pop up stall, make sure you go soon before they leave on 30 April 2018!

KOI Dessert Bar
Pop up stall until 30 April 2018
Approx $15 AUD per person
Address: HWKR – 137 A’Beckett St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: +61 3 9018 7135
Website: koidessertbar.com.au

KOI Dessert Bar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Dairy Bell

I’m going to take you guys on a trip down memory lane today with a review on Dairy Bell. With so many fancy Gelato places these days, it’s easy to forget the humble old school ice cream shops which started our sweet tooth obsession. Without sugar coating anything, is Dairy Bell as good as it’s successors? That’ll be a definite no. The quality just isn’t up to par for today’s standards, however Dairy Bell will always have a special place in my heart. Just like Neapolitan ice cream, the nostalgia is strong.

After a very filling lunch with my work colleagues, one of them suggested to get Dairy Bell for dessert. Since I hadn’t been in a while, I happily obliged. It was my first time at the Malvern branch because the franchises have been steadily closing one by one. Last time I had Dairy Bell was actually in Dandenong, but that store is long gone now.

First thing I noticed when I walked into the shop was that it smelled like oil! This was very weird for an ice cream shop. I soon realised that they were also selling donuts. When I think of donuts, Dairy Bell wouldn’t spring to my mind, but I’m happy they’re trying different things. I looked around the shop and it looked exactly the same as what I remembered it to be. For this day and age, a revamp couldn’t hurt because the layout is starting to look really dated.

My colleague got the banana split, and I only got a single serve of blood orange sorbet on a cone. The prices are certainly on the cheaper end, and it’s very easy to up your sugar intake at this place for not much money. His banana split just looked like an overkill for someone who’s had a big lunch. I couldn’t believe he finished it all by himself! My blood orange sorbet was on the sweeter side, and tasted a bit artificial. It wasn’t horrible but wasn’t the best either. The cone itself wasn’t anything to talk about, it’s the dime in a dozen ones you find at the supermarket.
 

Even though I didn’t have the best experience, I would still come back for old time’s sake. I might try some classics next time like chocolate or coffee. Even though the competition has left these guys behind, I’d still show my support for an old Australian icon.

Dairy Bell
Approx $10 AUD per person
Address: 89 Chadstone Road, Malvern East VIC 3145
Phone: +61 3 9530 4369
Website: dairybell.com.au

Dairy Bell Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Miss Marple’s Tearoom

Miss Marple’s Tearoom has been around for some time and is a major hotspot for tourists. Located in the Dandenong ranges, they are well known for their Devonshire teas and scones. Davin and I finally dropped in to check it out recently during our long weekend after lunch.

It was a beautiful sunny day and perfect for a laid back drive to the Dandenong Ranges. When we arrived, I instantly loved the look of Miss Marple’s from the outside and even more so on the inside.

Set in a Tudor style building, the restaurant is dedicated to Agatha Christie’s novel series character, Miss Marple. Upon entering you will see Miss Marple memorabilia everywhere and I was struck by the charm of it. The decor included wooden table and chairs, floral curtains and table cloths, and porcelain teapots of different colours and styles all along the walls. There were quite a few people inside but there was also a nice quietness to the place.

The friendly staff seated us at a lovely window table with a bed of flowers just outside. Given we had just had lunch we couldn’t order anything more than the tea and scones. However we did see plenty of people ordering main meals there too.

We ordered two plain scones served with ‘Miss Maple’s Own’ home-made raspberry jam and freshly whipped cream. We also ordered a pot of tea and chose the Teapot of Taylors which was described on the menu as their house blend ‘Yorkshire Gold’ and was apparently voted as ‘best cup of tea in England’ by the British Tea Council. Interesting!

The scones came out and I was surprised how different they looked to the scones I’ve normally experienced. These scones were not round and small. These were tall and more rectangular in size. In fact, they were so tall I could cut each scone into 3 sizeable pieces. They came out piping hot and boy were they good! The texture of these scones were so light and fluffy compared to any scones I’ve had before. The raspberry jam and the freshly whipped cream was delicious. The tea was also amazing. I have to agree that it was probably one of the best teas I have had. It had a lovely flavour to it.

Overall it was a great stop in experience for us. It would have been great to try some of their other main meals but maybe next time when our tummies are not so full!

Miss Marple’s Tearoom
Approx $25 AUD per person
Address: 382 Mount Dandenong Tourist Rd, Sassafras VIC 3787
Phone: +61 3 9755 1610
Website: www.missmarplestearoom.com

Miss Marple's Tearoom Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato