~ Curious Charlie ~

Dex2Rose Nitrogen Gelato @ Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Introducing dex2rose, the latest nitrogen gelato bar to enter the scene. Dex2rose is unlike the others, not because it is literally 5 minutes away from my office, but because it's not a take-away place like the others. There are tables for small groups, a lounge, bar stools and a communal table. There's even crates outside, if you prefer to sit in the laneway. They open at noon, but are often open till at least 10pm, making this the perfect place for a late dessert after dinner. By 9pm most places (other than fast food) are closed on a weekday, and food options are limited, there aren't many dessert places open late, say on a Tuesday Night.

Tonight we had a chance to meet Jesse, the owner and chef at Dex2rose which just opened four months ago, on Little Bourke near Hardware Lane, in a lane very close to Shanghai Street Dumplings, who doesn't do dessert.

Always wanting to be his own boss and the chasing the dream of creating gelato and coffee in a cafe environment people would share with friends, and a place where you can chill with a paper, Dex2Rose was created.

What's in a name? Dex2Rose, pronounced as dex-trose, a form of glucose (aka sugar) with the alphabet 't' replaced with the number '2' (representing liquid nitrogen abbreviation LN2).

We had the pleasure of sampling coffee and consuming lots of gelato pre-dinner this evening. It started with coffee, and what looks like a shot. A Double Ristretto, strong and dark. Overtones of Choc and undertone floral notes. Very strong but not bitter, a bold flavour.

Dex2rose doesn't offer just coffee, they also have cold brew!

Cold Brew Coffee – containing up to 67% less acidity than hot brewed coffee, cold brewed coffee is naturally sweeter and more intense without the bitter acids and fatty oils. Best enjoyed neat over ice, but feel free to ask for milk and/or sugar syrup.

Jas loved this, with 30% less caffeine than regular coffee, possessing good strong flavours of coffee but without the acidity and not very bitter, as a strong coffee is. Recommended for those who are lukewarm to coffee, those who don't chase coffee, though enjoy it due to peer pressure. :P

Those are eyes.

We stated with The 'Malt-Teaser' - What do you call a MALT overdose? Delicious. This MALT vitasoy and HORLICKS gelato features MALTESERS generously mixed in, giving you a divine crunch in each mouthful. Comes topped with more Maltesers, whipped cream and OVALTINE crunch for some chocolatey malty goodness

This one reminded me of milo, but without the chocolate, well less choc more malt. Being a malteaser fan I really liked this one. I also still have the majority of those bunnies from easter at home.

Next was the 'Nutty Mrs Brown' - Fiery ginger and sweet brown sugar gelato with crunchy sugar and spice roasted pecans. Topped with scorched Italian meringue.

This one was strong! But if you love ginger this one's for you. Jas loved it, and Jesse makes this with a mix of old and younger ginger, to create the perfect balance between sweet and spicy. I'm not a ginger fan, so would go for something else.

I love apple pie!

'Not Your Granny's Apple Pie'. Chunky apples churned with luscious vanilla gelato, served in a cone with warm apple chunks, velvety cream and lightly dusted with cinnamon sugar. You won't find this deconstructed apple pie in Nan's kitchen, especially when she doesn't have the secret recipe to our home cooked chunky apple filling.

Dex2rose's best seller, and for a reason. When I think autumn I think of pies, and this one's a winner. Jesse takes an apple pie, adds an extra dose of butter, cinnamon and love, and turns it into a gelato! I liked the way it was served, with a cone and unlike most places there's gelato inside the cone!

Peanut in My Rice Bowl - PB's natural savory flavour, accentuated by roasted rice milk imparting a lightly smoked taste to this velvety sorbet. Topped with coffee agar + caramel.

Featuring Korean rice milk, this one's dairy-free, gluten-free and vegan. Topped with a strong coffee jelly, this one's made with agar which is vegetarian as it comes from seaweed. Being American I'm drawn to all things PB, and so we had to try this one. The caramel was bitter in order to balance the sweetness of the PB, with a toffee consistency - but still on the soft side. Jas didn't think this one worked well, and was his less liked of the four. I really liked it, even if I wasn't sure about coffee and pb. I sure love to have that coffee agar in milk tea though!

For those who have issues with dairy I highly recommend this, as we had a sip of the rice milk on its own and it's delicious! I'm off to hunt for it in asian supermarkets next week.

If I had to pick only one I'd pick the apple pie, though I like them all except ginger, it's a personal thing though. Jesse will be offering new flavours every so often, though hopefully the winter classic will be here to stay. In two menu's time there will be pumpkin! And I love pumpkin!

The gelatos comes in two sizes: small and large.

Overall Dex2rose is a hit for us, I'd place it on the same level at N2, both of which are above the copy cat Nitrogen Lab. A place that's in the cbd, close to Bourke St and Flinders, that's open late . What's not to love?

Dex also offers cold brew coffee for those who just want a place to get some great coffee after nine. There aren't many non-franchise coffee places open late that serve good coffee.

Which flavour's your favourite? Where do you go for late night dessert?