Dex2Rose Nitrogen Gelato

Dex2Rose Nitrogen Gelato, as its name suggest, is the new kid on the block, specialising in gelato made fresh to order using liquid nitrogen.

Dex2Rose, pronounced as dex-trose, a form of glucose (ie. sugar) with the alphabet 't' replaced with the number '2' (representing liquid nitrogen abbreviation LN₂) is located in the heart of Melbourne CBD, within Racing Club Lane, a small alleyway off Little Bourke Street.

Owner and head chef Jesse who hails from Singapore, developed a liking to gelato upon his first taste of freshly made liquid nitrogen gelato a few years ago.

Jesse loved his fresh gelato so much that he went on to train under Nick Palumbo of Gelato Messina and months later founded Dex2Rose.

Dex2rose is the sort of place where you are warmly welcomed whenever you choose to drop in, be it for a quick sugar fix or even to sit down and hang out for a couple of hours with your friends.

A lovely, laid back and cosy ambience welcomes you as soon as you enter. They have a few small tables to cater for smaller groups and a big communal table to seat a group of up to 12 comfortably.

The menu changes every fortnight, and Jesse shared on how he spends days and nights with very little sleep, to experiment new flavours.

It was interesting to learn that the chef has to keep a clean palette to ensure that the flavours are right when tastings are done.

I have a pretty clean palette, considering I don't smoke, drink or eat a lot of spicy food, so hey Jesse, I'm up for tastings! :P

There are currently 8 flavours available, and Jesse hopes to expand the number of flavours over time. Out of the 8 that week, we were lucky enough to sample 5 different flavours.

My absolute favourite that night was the "Lazy Dinner" - a combination of entree, main and dessert rolled into one.

The subtle hint of sage, combined with burnt butter and finished off with caramel, oh, the result of this combo was just amazing. Drizzled with sticky caramel sauce to boot, what's not to like?

The "Honey Stash" stood out as my second favourite. Made with top quality Italian ingredients, this pistachio and honey gelato surprises you with crunchy, honeyed nut clusters.

Creamy and velvety smooth gelato with a contrasting crunch, yum! I'm not too sure about the crowned raspberry cream though.

I personally thought it'd be better without the cream, but that's because I personally don't like cream.

Next up was "It's a MATCH Ah!" which I really really enjoyed. But let me put it this way, you'll love this if you love your matcha strong. Jesse pointed out that some might find the matcha flavour a little too strong for their liking, but to me, it was perfect.

I could not get enough of the crunchy sugared peanut powder which added on a contrasting texture to the smooth gelato. I hope they bring it back! *big puppy eyes*

As for those who appreciates an alcoholic treat, the "Pink Flamingo" would be a good flavour for you to try. This Peach and Rose moscato sorbet, topped with rosewater coconut cream will not leave you pink in the face but it sure was very refreshing, and went down a treat.

For those who aren't big fans of creamy ice cream or gelato (how could you though?), the sorbets would be your go-to-option. ;)

Last but not least, the "Rockkaido" which really screamed "TRY ME!" when I first perused the menu, however it did not quite taste like how I expected it to.

Whilst the texture was consistently smooth, the flavour was not quite my cup of tea as I found the Hokkaido milk powder to be a tad overpowering.

All in all, I found the five flavours we sampled to be consistent in texture; the gelati creamy and smooth, and the sorbets smooth, not too icy, and certainly light and refreshing.

I also really appreciate that none of the flavours were too rich, nor too sweet. You'd be able to finish a whole cup of gelato by yourself without feeling jelak, or unpleasantly satiated.

For those with dietary requirements, fret not! You'd be able to enjoy a treat too as Jesse ensures that he has a few options which are either vegan, gluten-free (GF) or/and dairy-free (DF) to cater to your needs.

For those just wanting a drink, how about some beer nitrobrew coffee? Yeap,  you read that right. This is the nitrogen-charged-coffee, being dispensed right out of a beer tap yo!

The result? Smooth, full-bodied coffee, infused with apple (granny smith and royal gala), strawberry and Tahitian vanilla bean, complete with a layer of creamy, foamy head. It's also naturally sweetened, so there's no need for sugar.

Oh, it was surprisingly refreshing! I'd have a nitrobrew coffee over beer, anytime. ;)

I'll be honest and say we were not entirely sure of what to expect upon receiving the invitation for a tasting, but at the end of the evening, we were blown away by Jesse's passion for gelato and his take on the innovative and creative flavours that Dex2Rose has to offer.

Pictured sourced from Dex2Rose's Facebook page

They've got a great team there; Jesse and his team are really friendly and always served with a smile. I love that Jesse is very open to suggestions and feedback, which to me, is the best way forward.

Dex2Rose is open everyday, from 12pm daily until late. If you're not sure of where to go after dinner on a Friday night, or if you need a chill out place during the weekend, and craving a little treat, pop in to Dex2rose to have some nitrobrew coffee and gelato.

Just like we did, several weeks after the tasting, when I learnt that Dex2Rose introduced a new menu. A couple of the flavours intrigued me so The Boyfriend and I returned again, this time on our own dollar.

This is the modified version of Peanut Butter Capp as I opted to have mine without freshly whipped cream. It's a cappuccino gelato, with smashed Reese mini peanut butter cups, drizzled with chocolate sauce.

I had hoped for the espresso flavour to stand out a little more, but the peanut butteryness was quite overpowering. Still delicious though!

The Original Mr. Grey sits in the background; Earl Grey tea and Italian hazelnut gelato, with bits and pieces of hazelnut churned through. The Boyfriend really enjoyed it, and I bet you would too, if you like earl grey and hazelnut, as they make a great pair.

Again, we loved how smooth and creamy the gelati were! You will definitely find us at Dex2Rose again, and again. ;)

Disclaimer: The Boyfriend and I were invited for a tasting, but returned again last week on our own dollar.