It’s a great feeling when you revisit a place and it is even better than you remember… We were last at Dolce House about 18 months ago. Then – we loved it. Now – oh my goodness!
Tucked away in suburban McKinnon, Dolce House is popular with locals and visitors for its gelato, desserts and totally over-the-top ‘Dolshakes’. Waffles, brownies, cakes, everything is made on the premises, including the gelato.
Order at the corner shopfront, then enjoy your treat in the stylish dining room at the rear, or outside at the footpath tables. There’s also an area upstairs, available to cater for special functions (you need to organise this in advance).
The gelato at Dolce House has always been good, but we were keen to find out what, if anything, had changed. According to Dolce House’s gelatiere (gelato maker), the sugar content of most gelato is around 21% but can be up to 25%. Eating less sugar is clearly a good thing, even for gelato lovers, so he recently reduced the proportion of sugar in Dolce House’s gelato to 14%. Feedback from customers has been positive, with a thumbs-up from Benny who is trying to cut down on his sugar intake.
Another key factor affecting gelato quality is the volume of air incorporated in the mixture by churning. At Dolce House this is kept relatively low, giving a satisfyingly dense gelato, packed with flavour.
Benny chose chocolate paired with blood orange sorbetto. A classic combination, especially for dark chocolate lovers.
My pick was one of my all-time favourites – an excellent passionfruit sorbetto – which I paired with a stunning cassata (the favourite of one of my relatives, who complains that few places have it). Beautiful almond flavour and generously studded with chunks of gorgeous candied fruit, imported from Italy (yes, that would raise the sugar content!).
There are 20 gelato flavours available. Around half are always on the menu – chocolate, lemon, etc, etc – with the rest subject to change. We also sampled lemon and pistachio – both were brilliant.
While the desserts and Dolshakes are truly spectacular, a simple cone or cup of Dolce House’s outstanding gelato is enough to keep us happy. Super friendly service and well worth the trip to McKinnon.
Dolce House
225 Tucker Road
McKinnon Vic 3204
T: (03) 9578 6833
W: www.dolcehouse.com.au
