1565, Kensington by Bilby Blue

One of the happy consequences of our year-long gelato quest is that we are now in the habit of checking out gelato prospects just about wherever we are going. And so, on a beautiful summer’s day, Broadhands and I found ourselves in Kensington to visit 1565.

Raspberry with rosewater and pineapple gelato

Just around the corner from Macaulay Road near the railway crossing, 1565 is a dark and slightly grungy café that offers Italian-inspired sandwiches (and loaves of artisan bread to take home), gorgeous looking cakes and cannoli, coffee and T2 tea, plus the reason for our visit – gelati.

Tastings were freely offered by our super friendly server. There was a long menu of flavours on the wall, but this was just a rough guide – with only a vague overlap across the 20 flavours in the pozzetti it is best to inspect the handwritten labels scrawled over the pozzetti lids to see what is on offer for the day. As the flavours are based on fresh ingredients, the selection varies according to the season, and includes both dairy and non-dairy (sorbet) options.

Gelato comes in cups or cones, plus there are tubs (500ml or 1 litre) to take-away. As usual, we each had two flavours in a cone.

If Benny had been with us, he would definitely have picked the ginger. I was a bit puzzled by this one – I expected it to be brown and based on the powdered spice, but it looked indistinguishable from vanilla. So I tried it on Benny’s behalf, and wow! An amazing ginger hit. Made from fresh ginger, and of course this would not colour the gelato.

But I had already tasted my pick of the day – orange and fennel – and the ginger would not have been an ideal pairing. I tried pistachio – awesome, but again, not quite right for a match – then settled on Nutella for my second flavour. The Nutella was smooth and creamy, not too sweet either. The orange and fennel was blissful – the fresh citrusy tang was superbly complemented by a gentle hint of aniseed from fresh fennel. Stunning.

Broadhands did not need to taste – a snap decision was made. Raspberry with rosewater, paired with pineapple (see first pic). Both were very strong fruity flavours, but he said that the combination worked really well. The pineapple was exceptionally intense, while the rosewater offset the acidity of the raspberry without adding too much sweetness. He is already planning return visits so he can work his way through the other flavours.

Serving sizes were generous, without being excessive. Note that Broadhands is so named for a good reason – his massive mitts dwarf the cones in the photos, making them look a lot smaller.

The texture of the sorbets wasn’t quite as creamy as at some of the other gelateria we have visited. However, as they say on MasterChef, the important thing is the flavour, and that was outstanding.

Why 1565? According to signs on the wall, gelato was invented in Florence in 1565.

Verdict

We loved it.

Overall

We would be very, very happy if this was our local gelateria. The sorbets were not quite as creamy as at some other establishments, but the knockout flavours and friendly service will ensure that we return. Often.

Find it at

1565
3 Gower Street
Kensington Vic 3031
Telephone: (03) 9376 1965