Melt-in-your-mouth moments
Sugar, spice and everything nice… if sweet treats are your vice, these indulgent, delectably rich desserts will have you dreaming about Melbourne's finest chefs from dusk till dawn.
Get excited for the menus of nine of Melbourne's most indulgent restaurants.
1. Tipo OO
The Italians were onto something when they combined two of our favourite things – coffee and chocolate. Throw in some creamy mascarpone for good measure and you've got the perfect solution for your sugar (and caffeine) cravings. Tipo 00 has perfected the tiramisu with its aptly named tipomisu. Spoon mouthfuls of the rich, soft-textured masterpiece into your mouth as the perfect finish to an Italian feast.
2. Supernormal
Asian fusion meets pastry chef genius at Supernormal, where the dessert menu features everything from persimmon, coconut yoghurt and burnt meringue to pop-up bites like the creamy basque cheesecake. Not to be missed is the peanut butter parfait, a sweet stalwart combining salted caramel with peanuts, which delights you more with every bite.
3. Cecconi's
Set your sights on Cecconi's must-have soft-centred warm chocolate pudding with fior di latte gelato. For tiramisu with a twist, enjoy the taste of kahlua and strega, mixed with the classic balance of coffee and mascarpone cheese. For something both sweet and nutty, don't hesitate over the delicate, many-layered millefoglie in all its puff pastry, hazelnut mousse and mandarin gel glory.
4. Pidapipó
A vast flavour landscape lies beneath the stainless steel covers at Pidapipó, a gelateria gifting exceptional ice-creamy delights. Try your dessert chilled and scooped atop a cone: chocolate and coffee brownie, apple crumble or key lime pie. Go fresh with watermelon or passionfruit sorbet, or creamy with must-try bacio or vanilla bean and honey comb. Sheer delight, lick by lick.
5. Bar Carolina
Lover of peanut butter and connoisseur of everything sweet? The peanut butter marquise from Bar Carolina with almond mousse, pecans and smooth pistachio cream will tick all the boxes. Delight your cheese-loving palate with a syrupy slice of ricotta cake. Enjoy every bite of the accompanying toffee mousse, glazed banana and cinnamon tuile.
6. Grill Americano
Channel your romantic side with the Venetian trifle of love at Grill Americano. Taste tiramisu with a hidden layer of tempered chocolate or treat yourself to a slice of classic vanilla meringue cake. Chocolate lovers rejoice, as the culinary genius behind the restaurant's menu has also created the profiterole con nocciole. The delicious layer of chocolate sauce adds the finishing touch to this tasty morsel.
7. Grossi Florentino
Pour warm chocolate sauce over a feather-light souffle or savour the chocolate fudge-cake goodness of torta pistocchi at Grossi Florentino. Discover why the florentino tiramisu has been a staple on the menu for decades, or – for a simple yet mouth-watering treat – sink your teeth into a classic ricotta-filled cannoli.
8. Cutler & Co
At Cutler & Co., you can swirl hints of fruit and rosemary around your mouth with a quince vacherin with rosemary, served with salted honey ice cream. Picture layered meringue and cream in this French-inspired dessert that changes each season. Previous iterations have heroed fruits like blueberry, mandarin, pineapple, strawberry and peach.
Lovers of fruit might also like to try the pink lady tarte tatin, which is made from hand-picked apples from Napolene orchard in Coldstream and then caramelised and baked with puff pastry until golden.
9. Lollo
Turning sour into sweet is a magic trick at Lollo, where the humble lemon cake is transformed into a bianco of meringue, cassis, lemon crème, elderflower and yoghurt sorbet. For a zesty bite, order a serve of pomelo cheesecake and savour the flavour of citrus bitters on the tip of your tongue.
