Recently in Desserts & Sweets Category

It's difficult to find fault with Max Brenner if you love chocolates. I mean - how many people do you know that actually do NOT like chocolates?

As the "Chocolate by the Bald Man" slogan implies, Max Brenner is a cafe for everything chocolate lovers will enjoy. Chocolate drinks that come in your choice of chocolate (white, milk and dark) as well as a variety of other creative chocolaty thirst quenchers are what they offer and boy do they do it well.

With two locations in Melbourne city that are practically bursting at its seams (literally) during the evenings and on weekends, it seems that Melbourne is very much in love with this place. If you're wondering if there are more - there are two more stores in the suburban shopping centres, The Glen (Glen Waverley) and Highpoint (Maribyrnong).

If you're interested in finding out their exact addresses, hop over to their website's page on locations.

Gelatissimo is quite a large chain of gelati franchise shops around Australia.

With quite a number of stores, especially in New South Wales, it was just a matter of time before it appeared in Melbourne.

The Lygon Street store at 197 Lygon Street was the first (if I remember correctly) of the franchise to pop up in Melbourne. Browsing their website it seems that this IS still the only one in Melbourne at this time.

Well, located in the dominant Italian eating district of Lygon at Carlton - this gelati store offers another choice for after-meal desserts in this area.

Horng Shii reckons the nutty flavours here are better than Il Dolce Freddo.

Me - I'm not sure. I have to admit, I have tried the gelati from both places but I still prefer the one at Il Dolce Freddo.

I think it's another one of those each to your own things.

"Gelato, or the plural Gelati, is Italian ice cream made from milk and sugar, combined with other flavorings. The gelato ingredients (after an optional pasteurization) are frozen while stirring to break up ice crystals as they form. Like high end ice cream, gelato generally has less than 35% air - resulting in a dense and extremely flavourful product." - Wikipedia

Firstly I have to be upfront about this place. This is my favourite gelati place in Melbourne. Well it was. Kind of. Well it still is - but do read on and I'll explain.

The selection of gelati here is fantastic, from your regular traditional fruit flavours to deliciously rich flavours like nutella and ferrero roche.

South East Asians will also appreciate the (seasonal) availability of their durian flavour - which you know is fresh and available when you walk in and that familiar durian smell is clearly in your face!

Il Dolce Freddo is located right at the 'beginning' of the Italian food heaven on Lygon Street - 116 Lygon St, Carlton to be exact.

According to preliminary studies, antioxidants in chocolate have been linked to help accomplish the following.

- Decrease blood pressure
- Improve circulation
- Lower death rate from heart disease
- Improve function of endothelial cells that line the blood vessels
- Defend against destructive molecules called free radicals, which trigger cancer, heart disease and stroke
- Improve Digestion and stimulate kidneys
- Has been used to help treat patients with anemia, kidney stones and poor appetite

Whether it is good for you or not, almost everyone loves chocolate. That's probably one of the inspirations of the opening of stores like Koko Black.

We visited the Koko Black in Carlton (167, Lygon St) a while ago, and ordered the Belgian Spoil for two and some truffles.