The Hot List is the definitive guide to Melbourne’s most essential food and drink experiences, updated weekly. Learn more.
As a kid, you figure you’ll outgrow your sweet cravings as you move into adulthood. At least, that’s what I thought. Then one day, I woke up with more sense in my head than hair on top of it and realised I was wrong – a great dessert is the highlight of any day.
Thankfully, Melbourne has plenty of them. These Hot Listed spots serve up some of the best desserts in the city. Here’s what to order when you visit.
Roma – house-made fior di latte gelato with amarena cherries and syrup
One scoop of this creamy gelato at Con Christopoulos’s Roman-inspired restaurant is a reminder that so often, less is more. It’s representative of what makes Roman cuisine great: simplicity. Think of cacio e pepe and saltimbocca alla Romana – plates that prioritise quality ingredients over quantity.
And the same applies to Roma’s gelato. It’s only ice-cream, cherries and syrup. At the CBD spot, all three are layered generously and the result is a simple, smooth and satisfying way to wrap up your meal. Don’t overthink it.
Entrecôte – traditional vanilla crème brûlée
On my 10th birthday, my parents went to an Eagles concert without telling me. At the time, I was upset. As I got older, I understood. Years later, when I asked my parents what they thought of the show, my dad described it as “predictable but perfect – they played the hits”.
And that’s where my mind goes while I tuck into Entrecôte’s crème brûlée. It’s the French institution playing the hits. It’s absolute fan service that has you hanging onto every sweet note. You know what to expect when your spoon cracks through the glassy, caramelised top, giving way to silky vanilla custard. But it’s predictably perfect. Welcome to L’Hôtel Crèmefornia.
Askal – ube chiffon cake with macapuno cream and preserved berries
Askal helped introduce Melburnians to a refined version of Filipino hospitality that the city hadn’t seen before. And ube is a central part of the archipelagic nation’s cuisine. Here, culinary director John Rivera serves an ube chiffon cake – a recipe from his sister Christine – layered with macapuno (coconut jelly cream) and ube halaya (grated purple yam cooked down to a fudge with coconut milk).
The result is a not-too-sweet, fluffy purple cake, a staple of birthday parties, drawn directly from Rivera’s childhood nostalgia. In true Filipino style, it’s served with a sparkler, whether it’s your birthday or not. If you ask nicely (or at all), the crew will happily blast birthday music and get the entire restaurant to sing along in a show that’s guaranteed to embarrass your mate or your date.
Gimlet – almond milk and Meyer lemon gelato with caramelised brioche
If an Italian summer holiday isn’t on the cards this year, you could always head to Gimlet, where the opulent CBD restaurant serves a Melburnian take on Sicilian granita. It’s not quite the same, but it’s not a bad trip. For hundreds of years, locals on the Italian island have started summer days with brioche dipped into shaved ice flavoured with fruit syrup.
Gimlet’s version is a brioche bun that’s soaked overnight in a crème anglaise before being caramelised as it’s served. Alongside the bun is house gelato made with almond milk and Meyer lemon, scooped and served in a frozen lemon peel that presents beautifully and adds zest. Mop up the mess with the brioche and, ideally, pair it with a digestif or one of Gimlet’s dessert cocktails – the Spiced Crusta goes nicely as a nightcap.
The Hot List is proudly sponsored by Square.
Dining and Cooking