Overview
When Gelato Messina finally set up shop in Brisbane, the city's ice cream lovers sighed with relief and stocked up on stretchy outfits. Eating your way through Messina's regular rotating sweet treat menu is all well and good — and highly recommended — but the gelato gods' Brissie presence comes bearing more gifts. Every time the city has a food-focused fest, you can bet that they're going to whip up something special.
Messina scooped up a few Christmas delights before they opened their doors, and joined the Fish Lane Festival fun last month; however, now it's Good Food Month time. Just as they do down south, they're jumping in on the action, bringing a four-item custom menu to their first ever Brisbane Night Noodle Markets stall from July 19 to 30.
If it sounds like a good reason to celebrate, it is. In fact, It's Sher-Berth Day. That's the name of Messina's brand new white chocolate-lined cone, which is filled with mango sherbet, vanilla cream and mango jellies, and then dipped in white chocolate. Also in the never-tasted-before camp is the Dragonfruit Banana, aka miso gelato with lychee tapioca, dragonfruit jellies and sweetened coconut Thai milk tea.
Two best-sellers from Sydney and Melbourne will also make their Brissie debut, such as the Great Balls of Fryer (deep-fried coconut and palm sugar gelato with passionfruit caramel and mango pudding), which happens to be the most popular thing from Messina's southern Night Noodle Markets stints. It's joined by Pavin' it L'arge, because everyone should get the chance to eat coconut and pandan sorbet with lychee meringue, yuzu puree and kaya (pandan custard) and raspberry marshmallow.
And in case you were wondering, simple maths tells us that 12 nights and four desserts means you can cycle through each three times. It's going to be a sweet July.
The Night Noodle Markets run from July 19 to 30 at South Bank Cultural Forecourt as part of Good Food Month. Check out our six tastiest events from this year's food-filled program.