Dolce House Gelato, McKinnon by Bilby Blue

Who would have thought we would find a gelato gem in a tiny McKinnon shopping strip? Not just a gelato gem but a great dessert café! Our original plan was just to try the gelato, but once we saw the range of gelato-inspired desserts on the menu we knew we had to return for a second visit.

Said yummy desserts - Belgian waffle

With a sunny corner location the café is obviously very popular with locals. People were enjoying their sweet treats at the large tables on the footpath along both sides, as well as in the bright and cheery dining room (entered via the side street).

Our first visit was focussed just on the gelato. All made in-house, there were 18 flavours on offer, with both dairy and non-dairy (sorbets) options. Cones or cups; one, two or three flavours. Takeaway tubs – half litre, one litre and 1.5 litres – and gelato cakes are also available. Tastings were offered.

As usual for our gelato taste tests, Benny and I each had two flavours in a waffle cone.


I was in the mood for fruity flavours and my choices – blood orange and mango – were excellent, just like the fresh fruit. The colours were quite bold, but I could not fault the taste.


Benny was intrigued with the baklava flavour – how could you make a gelato that represented the Turkish dessert of layers of filo pastry filled with nuts and drenched in honey syrup? After sampling with a taste test, he declared that while the gelato wasn’t that much like an original baklava, it tasted pretty good. So good, that Benny paired it with the chocolate brownie (dark chocolate gelato studded with small chunks of chocolate brownie) and totally enjoyed his gelato experience.


A week later, we were back in the early evening, rewarding ourselves for completing (successfully!) a bathroom DIY project. But what to choose? On the menu: a tempting selection of waffles, sundaes, gelato sandwiched between cookies, “Dol Shakes” – the Dolce House version of the freakshake trend – and crushes (mixes of sorbet and juices). Brownies and cookies were key ingredients in many of the options – Dolce House had several different types on offer, all baked on the premises. If the gelato and desserts did not appeal, you could order one of the generously sized brownies or cookies, perhaps to accompany a coffee or tea rather than the extreme decadance of a Dol Shake.

We noticed that it seemed to be popular for couples to order a dessert and a Dol Shake which they shared, but we went for a dessert each. The Dol Shakes looked amazing, but they would have to wait for another visit.

After a hard day’s DIYing, Benny was craving maximum indulgence in a dessert with substance. It had to be one of the Belgian waffles, and the Crowd Pleaser fitted the bill – laden with chocolatey goodness in the form of pieces of Belgian chocolate, chunks of chocolate brownie, complemented with cookie dough, macadamia crunch and vanilla gelato (see first pic). The waffle was perfectly cooked and the combination of textures and flavours easily satisfied his chocolate cravings.


For me, the warm day suggested something more refreshing – the Pavlova Sundae. This was a choice of two sorbets – my picks were passionfruit and lemon – with fresh fruit, tiny raspberry meringue kisses, passionfruit curd and raspberry couli. A very attractive presentation, with the gelato and fruit tumbled into a conical dish, surrounded by the other accompaniments in three small dishes. The gelato flavours were fantastic (our friendly server confessed that the staff’s favourite flavour was passionfruit). The fruit included strawberries, plump blueberries and kiwi fruit. The raspberry couli was a bit too sweet and jammy for my taste, but the passionfruit curd was lovely.

Verdict

We loved it.

Overall

A great place for excellent gelato, or to share sweet indulgences with friends. We would definitely return for the gelato.

Closed on Mondays, it is open on Tuesday to Friday from 2-10pm and on weekends from 12 noon to 10pm.

Find it at

Dolce House Gelato
225 Tucker Road
McKinnon Vic 3204
Telephone: (03) 9578 6833