Messina Dessert Bar

Summer is only a month away, meaning only one thing. Sun? Sand? Sea? Close, but no, dessert.

The answer you were looking for is that the season of frozen desserts is upon us! Ice cream, gelato, fro-yo, sorbet – anything cold you can put in a waffle cone or adorn with all kinds of lollies is something I’m down for. 

Gelato connoisseurs Messina have expanded into a Dessert Bar, conveniently located next door to their original Darlinghurst store – just look for the neon sign.

The make your own Messina sundae bar is a choose-your-own adventure – think adult in a candy store with fancy toppings and additions.

It’s simple, pick your base – cup, cone or carb. Yes, carb – you can pick a crepe, choux puff or doughnut to begin your adventure. Might as well go all out!

Next you pick your gelato; there are two options and they’ll change monthly. We chose between burnt vanilla and Fanta (if you can’t choose, why not have both?)

Finally, you can throw on a few toppings and additions that are just a little bit fancy. These will change monthly, but think wacky foams, gels, meringues and fudges. 

Because I’m a real adult, I decided to make the most ridiculous-looking dessert I possibly could. It’s what any self-respecting grown-up would do. Right?

I was going hard or going home, so I went straight for a doughnut base, laid on some Fanta sorbet (adults still have Fanta, right?), threw in some peanut milk chocolate pieces, white chocolate and hazelnut fudge sauce and topped if off with some fairy floss.

If my dessert was a human, it would probably be a clown called Fizbo, complete with a fuzzy afro. 

My fellow dessert adventurer went for a slightly more traditional waffle cone with burnt vanilla gelato, raspberry meringues and a chocolate dip. 

 I may have (only just slightly) gone overboard with flavours- but confronted with so much choice, what’s a girl to do?

For those overwhelmed by all the adventure options, you can go for one of the suggestive sundaes with appropriately punny titles dreamed up by Messina; perhaps an I Dough Know – a doughnut topped with burnt vanilla gelato, mandarin gel, mandarin tulle, mango foam and butterscotch sauce drizzle [$9.90], or a Carni Candi –  fanta sorbet, redskin custard, strawberries and cream jellies, chocolate dip and fairy floss in a waffle cone [$9.90].

All I can say is, prepare to get messy.