Update Review, 2018 & 2019 Visits
During my last visit to Sydney, I attended an event catered by Messina (which I've reviewed before, originally, in 2015, and in 2016). However, the gelato clearly had melted and re-frozen, and was kinda freezer burned, so, it is hard to fairly judge the gelato as the base had very clearly suffered. Luckily, I also swung by the shop a few times on my way home from the office, to get a treat on a warm day, or try a fun new weekly flavor.
The very next week, I attended an event with one of their "Trans Cakes", but alas, I wasn't able to get a photo before it was destroyed (er, I mean, enjoyed).
As always, Messina had some very interesting flavors, some of which I liked more than others.
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| Boysenberry / Salted Caramel. |
"Our own yoghurt gelato with poached boysenberry coulis."
Eh. Slightly tart. Fruity. Not my style. Way too freezer burned to really reflect on though.
SALTED CARAMEL AND WHITE CHOCOLATE
"Salted caramel gelato with white chocolate chip."
I didn't find this very remarkable. I'm not sure why. Just kinda plain sweet gelato? No real salt, no caramel, no white chocolate ... just, sweet?
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| Bounty / Nonno Carlo (Nov Special). |
"Coconut milk gelato with desiccated coconut and choc chip."
I wouldn't naturally pick the Bounty flavor, but, I enjoyed it. Lots of chocolate flecks throughout for some crunch, and tons of coconut flavor from the desiccated coconut. It really did taste like a Bounty bar, just, as gelato.
I wouldn't naturally pick the Bounty flavor, but, I enjoyed it. Lots of chocolate flecks throughout for some crunch, and tons of coconut flavor from the desiccated coconut. It really did taste like a Bounty bar, just, as gelato.
I liked it, but probably wouldn't order myself.
NONNO CARLO
NONNO CARLO
"Strawberry sorbet with vanilla cream and marsala soaked brioche. Nonno knows best."
I'm not a sorbet girl, so I wasn't into the fruity strawberry sorbet base, and the chunks of brioche really were just soggy cake randomly in my gelato. This isn't one I'd ever pick, and certainly wasn't for me.
I didn't get a photo of this, as it was at an event, and the organizers cut into it before I had the chance to capture it nicely.
Let me describe it though. It is a decent size cake, serving ~10 people, a square shape, and, from the outside, just coated in chocolate ganache. We choose to serve it from fridge not freezer, left out for a little while before serving, both techniques are recommended by Messina.
It was a very good cake.
The caramel mousse was sweet and a great texture, truly a mousse. The caramel sponge was just a thin layer, and although I'm not a cake girl, it was nice to have for the soft texture.
I *loved* the peanut milk chocolate crunch in the center. Awesome texture, but also, peanut butter and chocolate are a fantastic match. I'd love to just eat that crunch by the spoonful, perhaps topped with a little whipped cream! The peanut butter cremeux was also most welcome, again, more peanut, and yet another creamy element. Same with the "milk chocolate glaze", smooth, creamy, and complimentary flavors.
This all came together fantastically well, and I'd gladly have another, larger!, slice.
I tried ... at least 6 flavors on the day I finally selected this. I really wanted to get a new flavor, to like something different, but in the end, I went for two of my reliable favorites: pandan coconut and milk choc with choc peanut fudge. I was pleased with my choices. Sometimes, reliable and consistent is best!
PANDAN & COCONUT
"Pandan & Coconut sorbet. Pandan is a green asian leaf used in Asian cooking."
I am not a sorbet girl. I really am not. Honestly, this may be the only sorbet I actually like (and certainly the only one I order, even when there are tons of gelato choices!).
What I like about this is how balanced it is. The coconut is not too strong, it is not too sweet, and the pandan not only adds color obviously, but also just a really nice subtle flavor. I really find this enjoyable, and far creamier than any other sorbet. I'd believe it was gelato, honestly.
MILK CHOC with CHOC PEANUT FUDGE
"Milk chocolate gelato lathered in choc peanut fudge (all Messina chocolate is made in-house)."
Hidden under the scoop of pretty pandan & coconut is my other, long time, absolutely favorite flavor: milk choc with choc peanut fudge. I just adore this.
The milk chocolate is rich, the base is incredibly creamy, and the fudge is more like brownie batter, thick, gooey, deeper chocolate flavor. I just love this so much. I wish it had crunch from some chunks of peanuts too, but, still, this is a great flavor.
I also love how this one melts, it just gets perfectly melty, and if it melts too fast, I just drink it like a milkshake, and I am not sad.
COCONUT & LYCHEE
"Coconut milk gelato with lychee fruit - this was the first ever flavour we ever made from scratch."
This was too sweet for me, but, kinda refreshing for a gelato. If you like strong sweet lychee flavors and can imagine it by the scoop, you'd like this. I'd certainly want to pair it with something else.
This was pretty good, sweet, but not too sweet, and I liked the crunch. I wanted more larger chunks of macadamia however.
I almost liked this one. Not too sweet, lots of texture and crunch, but, it tasted too much like pistachio. Which I realize is a funny thing to say, but, really, I wasn't in the mood for pistachio. If you are, Messina also makes a classic pistachio flavor, green in color, smooth, no nuts integrated throughout.
Update: I had this again in March, when someone ordered Messina for the office as catering, and had tons left over. I liked it, strong pistachio flavor, sweet but balanced by the nuttiness, and I just loved all the crunchy bits in it.
BLACK FOREST (March 2020 Special)
"Chocolate fondant gelato with kirsch cream, cherry jam and kirsch soaked chocolate sponge."
This was good! Very rich, very creamy, deep dark chocolate, and fruity boozy flavors.
ODE TO ZENO (March 2020 Special0
"Rosewater gelato with crushed pistachios, whipped cream and rosewater soaked brioche. "
Hello, Persian flavors! A lovely sweet rosewater gelato base, and the pistachio was the right compliment, I loved the crunch from the nuts.
I'm not a sorbet girl, so I wasn't into the fruity strawberry sorbet base, and the chunks of brioche really were just soggy cake randomly in my gelato. This isn't one I'd ever pick, and certainly wasn't for me.
[ No photo ]
The Slab Trans Cake. $68.
"This cake can be eaten from the fridge or the freezer. caramel mousse. caramel sponge. peanut milk chocolate crunch. peanut butter cremeux. finished with milk chocolate glaze and Messina print chocolate square."I didn't get a photo of this, as it was at an event, and the organizers cut into it before I had the chance to capture it nicely.
Let me describe it though. It is a decent size cake, serving ~10 people, a square shape, and, from the outside, just coated in chocolate ganache. We choose to serve it from fridge not freezer, left out for a little while before serving, both techniques are recommended by Messina.
It was a very good cake.
The caramel mousse was sweet and a great texture, truly a mousse. The caramel sponge was just a thin layer, and although I'm not a cake girl, it was nice to have for the soft texture.
I *loved* the peanut milk chocolate crunch in the center. Awesome texture, but also, peanut butter and chocolate are a fantastic match. I'd love to just eat that crunch by the spoonful, perhaps topped with a little whipped cream! The peanut butter cremeux was also most welcome, again, more peanut, and yet another creamy element. Same with the "milk chocolate glaze", smooth, creamy, and complimentary flavors.
This all came together fantastically well, and I'd gladly have another, larger!, slice.
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| 2 Scoop: Pandan & Coconut Sorbet, Milk Choc with Choc Peanut Fudge Gelato. (Jan 2019) |
PANDAN & COCONUT
"Pandan & Coconut sorbet. Pandan is a green asian leaf used in Asian cooking."
I am not a sorbet girl. I really am not. Honestly, this may be the only sorbet I actually like (and certainly the only one I order, even when there are tons of gelato choices!).
What I like about this is how balanced it is. The coconut is not too strong, it is not too sweet, and the pandan not only adds color obviously, but also just a really nice subtle flavor. I really find this enjoyable, and far creamier than any other sorbet. I'd believe it was gelato, honestly.
MILK CHOC with CHOC PEANUT FUDGE
"Milk chocolate gelato lathered in choc peanut fudge (all Messina chocolate is made in-house)."
Hidden under the scoop of pretty pandan & coconut is my other, long time, absolutely favorite flavor: milk choc with choc peanut fudge. I just adore this.
The milk chocolate is rich, the base is incredibly creamy, and the fudge is more like brownie batter, thick, gooey, deeper chocolate flavor. I just love this so much. I wish it had crunch from some chunks of peanuts too, but, still, this is a great flavor.
I also love how this one melts, it just gets perfectly melty, and if it melts too fast, I just drink it like a milkshake, and I am not sad.
[ Other flavors sampled ]
"Coconut milk gelato with lychee fruit - this was the first ever flavour we ever made from scratch."
This was too sweet for me, but, kinda refreshing for a gelato. If you like strong sweet lychee flavors and can imagine it by the scoop, you'd like this. I'd certainly want to pair it with something else.
FAIRY BREAD (November 2018 Special).
"Toast and butter gelato with 100's & 1000's crunch."
I really enjoyed this one. I didn't necessarily notice "toast" nor "butter" in there, but, the gelato base was good, creamy, and I adored the sweet and crunch from the very generous amount of 100's and 1000's.
FINGER BUN (January 2019 Special).
"Brioche gelato with whipped cream, raspberry puree and coconut icing. We don’t want none unless you got finger buns, hun."
This one was too sweet and fruity for me. I also didn't really find coconut icing, nor whipped cream. And the base didn't taste like brioche exactly. Not my thing, mostly due to the raspberry puree.
HOKEY POKEY
"Fior di latte gelato with chocolate covered honeycomb."
This was sweeter than I wanted, due to the honeycomb, which added big pockets of, well, honey.
MACADAMIA CRUNCH
"Caramelised white chocolate and macadamia gelato with macadamia crunch."
FINGER BUN (January 2019 Special).
"Brioche gelato with whipped cream, raspberry puree and coconut icing. We don’t want none unless you got finger buns, hun."
This one was too sweet and fruity for me. I also didn't really find coconut icing, nor whipped cream. And the base didn't taste like brioche exactly. Not my thing, mostly due to the raspberry puree.
HOKEY POKEY
"Fior di latte gelato with chocolate covered honeycomb."
This was sweeter than I wanted, due to the honeycomb, which added big pockets of, well, honey.
MACADAMIA CRUNCH
"Caramelised white chocolate and macadamia gelato with macadamia crunch."
This was pretty good, sweet, but not too sweet, and I liked the crunch. I wanted more larger chunks of macadamia however.
PEANUT BUTTER FLORENTINE (November 2018 & January 2019 Special).
"Peanut butter gelato with chocolate coated peanut praline. It’s peanut butter florentine! Peanut butter florentine!"
This was pretty delicious. Peanut flavored base, smooth and creamy, bit bits of the praline in it. Definitely one worth getting.
I had it again in January, and again enjoyed it. Very peanut forward, and I loved the crunch.
I had it again in January, and again enjoyed it. Very peanut forward, and I loved the crunch.
PISTACHIO PRALINE
"Fior di latte gelato with white chocolate and pistachio fudge and pistachio praline."
"Fior di latte gelato with white chocolate and pistachio fudge and pistachio praline."
I almost liked this one. Not too sweet, lots of texture and crunch, but, it tasted too much like pistachio. Which I realize is a funny thing to say, but, really, I wasn't in the mood for pistachio. If you are, Messina also makes a classic pistachio flavor, green in color, smooth, no nuts integrated throughout.
Update: I had this again in March, when someone ordered Messina for the office as catering, and had tons left over. I liked it, strong pistachio flavor, sweet but balanced by the nuttiness, and I just loved all the crunchy bits in it.
BLACK FOREST (March 2020 Special)
"Chocolate fondant gelato with kirsch cream, cherry jam and kirsch soaked chocolate sponge."
This was good! Very rich, very creamy, deep dark chocolate, and fruity boozy flavors.
ODE TO ZENO (March 2020 Special0
"Rosewater gelato with crushed pistachios, whipped cream and rosewater soaked brioche. "
Hello, Persian flavors! A lovely sweet rosewater gelato base, and the pistachio was the right compliment, I loved the crunch from the nuts.
Sweeter and not really my flavors of choice, but, if you like rosewater and pistachio, this would be a winner.
Update Review, January 2016 Visit
As you know, I used to love Gelato Messina, and I've reviewed it several times before. Go start with those reviews if you haven't read them before ...
On this visit though, I dunno, I just wasn't into any of the flavors.
On this visit though, I dunno, I just wasn't into any of the flavors.
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| Small Choc Mint. |
Another visit, I did the thing I always say not to do. I got this flavor without tasting it first. That isn't to say that I didn't taste flavors, I tried at least 5 or 6, and just didn't like any. I felt bad, so I finally just picked this, assuming that a mint chocolate chip was a safe bet.
And, it was fine, although not very minty. I guess it was creamy, and it did have nice chunks of chocolate, but, maybe I'm just over gelato? I didn't enjoy it much at all, and I didn't enjoy the 5 or so other flavors I tried before settling on this either.
I did like Ojan's Milk Chocolate with Choc Peanut Fudge though ... that really is the best flavor. I need to just stick with it.
Other flavors I tried:
- Banana Split: "Banana and caramel gelato with chocolate chips, crushed peanuts and whipped cream." Tasting notes: I somehow didn't taste any of the signature components ... no chocolate chips, no peanuts, and definitely no whipped cream. I did taste banana. I guess a sample just wasn't big enough to do this one justice?
- Pannacotta with Fig Jam and Amaretti Biscuit: "Pannacotta gelato base". Tasting notes: The fig was really strong in this, I didn't taste 'pannacotta', not that I know what that would taste like anyway. Fig was really all I really detected.
- Nutcase: "Peanut and coconut gelato with candied cashews, roasted coconut and sesame seeds." Tasting notes: This had too much going on. Lots of bits in it, all competing with each other, rather than complimenting.
- Return of the Mac: "Macadamia and milk chocolate gelato annihilated with white chocolate and macadamia cookies." Tasting notes: This was Levi's pick, and I had a bite. It was totally crazy, annihilated was the right word, it was loaded up with huge chunks of cookies. Not bad. Crazypants.
- Wagon Wheel: "Shortcrust gelato with marshmallows, raspberry puree and choc chips." Tasting notes: I accidentally tried this one, when I meant to ask for another flavor. I know I don't really like Wagon Wheels anyway, and this was just too fruity for me with generous raspberry puree.
- Pavlova: "Vanilla gelato with raspberry and passionfruit puree and baked meringue". Tasting notes: This was way, way too sweet. The passionfruit was overwhelming. Bits of baked, crunchy meringue inside was strange.
Update Review, May 2015 Visit
No visit to Sydney is complete without at least one stop at Messina for gelato. On my recent visit, it wasn't summer any longer, but, we still couldn't resist the temptation of delicious gelato.
Wait, do you not know about Messina? In that case, I suggest you go read the review from my Jan/Feb 2015 visit below, and then return here, since I'm skipping all the general details this time around.
On this visit, one of the specials on the week was "Messina's Momofukup". OMG. This sounded like basically the best thing ever: "Cereal Milk gelato smashed with Momofuku crack pie". For the unfamiliar, this is referring to the two famous creations from Momofuku Milk Bar in New York: the cereal milk and the crack pie.
Cereal milk is basically the sweet milk left after you eat a bowl of sweet cereal, and they have made it into soft serve ice cream at the Milk Bar. Its crazy sweet, but amazing. But even more amazing is the Crack Pie, honestly, the most addicting pie I've ever tasted. Very aptly named. Both insanely delicious on their own, and I could only imagine how amazing this combination could be.
I smartly asked to sample it rather than just diving in to getting a scoop, and I'm glad I did. It turned out to just be too sweet. I expected sweet, but, this was just too much. I guess some things are better individually!
It didn't really matter that the Momofukup wasn't a winner, as Ojan had eyes only for the Chocolate Peanut Butter. I did want to try something new, but, I liked it previously myself, so I went along with his decision, and opted to just share with him.
Sadly, it lost its magic on me. The gelato was fine, but it didn't melt in quite the creamy way I remembered. Maybe that is just because it wasn't a warm day? But the bigger issue, is that it seemed just like chocolate, I didn't really pick up any peanut butter. The magic of chocolate peanut butter flavor is, well, the combination.
Wait, do you not know about Messina? In that case, I suggest you go read the review from my Jan/Feb 2015 visit below, and then return here, since I'm skipping all the general details this time around.
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| Specials Board. |
Cereal milk is basically the sweet milk left after you eat a bowl of sweet cereal, and they have made it into soft serve ice cream at the Milk Bar. Its crazy sweet, but amazing. But even more amazing is the Crack Pie, honestly, the most addicting pie I've ever tasted. Very aptly named. Both insanely delicious on their own, and I could only imagine how amazing this combination could be.
I smartly asked to sample it rather than just diving in to getting a scoop, and I'm glad I did. It turned out to just be too sweet. I expected sweet, but, this was just too much. I guess some things are better individually!
[ No Photo ]
Chocolate Peanut Butter
It didn't really matter that the Momofukup wasn't a winner, as Ojan had eyes only for the Chocolate Peanut Butter. I did want to try something new, but, I liked it previously myself, so I went along with his decision, and opted to just share with him.
Sadly, it lost its magic on me. The gelato was fine, but it didn't melt in quite the creamy way I remembered. Maybe that is just because it wasn't a warm day? But the bigger issue, is that it seemed just like chocolate, I didn't really pick up any peanut butter. The magic of chocolate peanut butter flavor is, well, the combination.
Original Review, Dec/Jan 2015 Visits
On my first visit to Sydney, a friend introduced me to Gelato Messina. It was, at the time, the best ice cream-like treat I had ever had. I can’t even count how many times I returned over the course of that stay, or the next visit, or the next. For some reason however, on my recent trip, it took me a full 2 weeks into the trip before I made it to Messina. The weather just wasn’t as warm as I was expecting, and there were too many other things that kept coming up. I don’t know. I have no excuse. I regret it, and won't make this mistake again in the future.
Anyway, Messina. Gelato. Great gelato. They have several locations around Sydney, including the crazy busy one I used to queue up at in Darlinghurst, and now, they even have a shop in the food court area of the Star Casino, right near my office. Score.
Every day they offer about 40 flavors, and each weekday they come up with a new special, available for one week only. Those flavors tend to be far more crazy than the standard offerings. The staff are always far more patient than seems possible, and offer to let you try as many flavors as you need to make up your mind.
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| Milk Chocolate with Chocolate Peanut Fudge, Single. $4. |
When we visited a few days later, and neither of us ordered this flavor, we both regretted it, and vowed to just get it again next time.
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| Gianduia Bianca, Tiny. $3. |
I opted for the gianduia bianca in a moment of pure indecision. For some reason, I wasn't loving any of the flavors I tried that day. And I tried many. I like praline, so, I went for it, even though, I don't normally like hazelnut. Whoops. I panicked, after feeling bad for trying so many flavors and not loving any (I had tried 4 or 5 at this point!). The staff member was ridiculously friendly and told me to try as many as I liked, but I felt bad and just made a decision. A rather poor one.
Anyway, it as very sweet, as both the base, and the praline, were very sweet. It had chunks of hazelnut and very generous chunks of the praline. Certainly well crafted, and I appreciated how much candy they put in it, but it needed something to balance out the sweet. Luckily for me, Ojan ordered the regular gianduia, which was rich was chocoaltey, so I stole a little of his to mellow mine out. It was better this way, but I wouldn't get this flavor again.
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| Unknown. |
My full sampling notes from flavors tried on this trip:
Classics
- Apple Pie: "Real apple gelato with our own house made apple pie throughout". I wanted to love this since I love pie and ice cream, but somehow it was just not interesting, although I admit, it was loaded up with pie for sure.
- Caramelised White Chocolate: This was just very sweet. It didn't taste caramely, nor white chocolatey. One of my least favorites. Perhaps good in combination with something else.
- Gianduia: "Chocolate & hazelnut", Rich and chocolatey, but not as good as chocolate peanut butter fudge. If you want a chocolate one, just go for that!
- Salted Caramel and White Chocolate: "Salted caramel gelato with white chocolate chip." This is their best seller. It was ... yup, salted caramel. Sweet and salty. I think I've moved on past the novelty of salted caramel however, so this was rather lost on me, but everyone else loves it.
Gelato
- Pandan & Coconut Sorbet: I actually really liked this, as I was really into asian flavors, like coconut and pandan, while in Sydney, but I'm not really one for sorbets. Bring on the dairy!
Weekly Specials
- P NUTTY: "Peanut butter gelato with peanut butter cookies and peanut custard." This was actually pretty good, as I love peanut butter, but it was a bit much. Probably great paired with a chocolate or vanilla base as a second scoop.
- FO SHIZZLE: "Caramel custard gelato with candied hazelnuts, raspberry puree and chocolate chips." This was also pretty good, as someone who likes lots of mix-ins, I appreciated all the assorted "stuff" in it.
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