Picky Piggies: March 2019

When you think of gelato Messina is perhaps the first thing that comes to mind. However, Messina's Creative Department is something a little unfamiliar to many people. This is not scoops of Messina gelato on a plate. Rather it's a gelato degustation bringing an unusual dinning experience that's never seen before. It's a sweet journey using bold flavours and creative combinations that challenge your taste buds.

The degustation includes 7 dessert courses with (non-alcoholic) drinks pairing. With only one table in the room, the atmosphere does get a little intimate, but at the same time this allows a more genuine interaction with the chefs.

While the dishes are being prepared diners are welcome to have a tour in the kitchen and watch how each dish is made.

When the dishes are presented, the chef patiently tells a brief story about each dish.

Beetroot & Purple Shiso Granita

This was surely an impressive way to start the night. I mean how cool is it to have a bowl carved out of ice! When we heard how the chefs did it we began to have more appreciation for the effort that goes into creating each dish.

A water balloon is frozen overnight and then shaped with a blowtorch before being dipped in liquid nitrogen. The beetroot powder melts as it hits the moisture in your mouth to form a granita. The shiso cuts through and helps tie in the olive oil and vinegar. This was a powerful appetiser masterfully employing bitter, savoury, sour and sweet flavours in one dish.

Olive Oil & Sansho Pepper Sorbet; Apple Sparkling

The subtly peppery sweetness of the sorbet was highlighted by the contrasting bitter sweet tamarillo and the sour tomato jelly to leave a fruity impression. The drink pairing was a spiced sparkling apple juice, which tastes somewhat similar to apple cider vinegar.

Rhubarb Umeshu Sorbet; Kumquat Kombucha

The sorbet sat on a bed of savoury ricotta mousse, which paired well with the sweetness of the rhubarb. This tasted almost like a very gourmet version of rhubarb yoghurt. Kumquat kombucha was the drink pairing. Mr Piggy is a fan of homemade kombuchas, and this was one to remember. It had a distinctive bushy fragrance, a hint of pickled chilly water, and a faint Kumquat smell.

Horseradish & Dill Oil Sherbet

You can taste a hint of horseradish in the sherbet. Together with the crunchy shaved asparagus, tossed in Kombu butter, this was an earthy dish.

Kiwi & Chili

Adding to the theatre, we were instructed by the chef to brush a dab of herb oil on the glass. The kiwi juice tasted very smooth initially and was followed by a nice kick of chili.

Smoked Koji Gelato; Seedlip Spice 94

To say this is a complex dish would be a gross understatement. Kudos to the chefs for coming up with a recipe involving so many elements that combine together so aesthetically pleasing - the dish resembles a bird's nest - and so full of umami.

The smoked koji gelato was complemented by a 63c yolk, semi-dried enoki mushroom, pickled shiitake cubes, sherry PX, and shiitake and black tea broth. The koji, fermented rice typically used in the fermentation process of sake, miso and soy sauce, gave it a nice savouriness. A gooey icy salted yolk is perhaps to best way to describe the flavour of the dish.

Bagna Cauda & Cured Egg Yolk Gelato; 4 Years Aged Plum

The only savoury dish of the night. Whilst we knew what we were getting ourselves into, this was certainly a much welcome intermission from the sweetness of the prior dishes. The foie gras ravioli had an al dente skin, and explodes in the mouth oozing warm runny foie gras.

I know what you must be thinking... is that a boiled egg at the back? No, that is the Bagna cauda gelato. Bagna cauda is an Italian dip featuring garlic and anchovies. The garlic and anchovies really come through in this gelato, an interesting idea to round out the Italian inspired dish.

Dulce De Leche Gelato

OK, is this a joke? Did they just put a passion fruit on the plate? We've been to several dessert places where they try to mimic fruits, but Messina smashed it out of the park with this one! Whilst we were disappointed not to get the Instaworthy Porcini or Strawberry, we are glad to get this one as the finale.

We thought it was a chocolate shell, but actually it was an extremely thin black sugar shell, which gave it a distinct caramelised bitter sweetness. This paired well with the dulce de leche gelato, yoghurt and licorice mousse and passion fruit reduction.

DIY Mocktail

Something to get our hands dirty and sticky sweet. This was our favourite drink of the night, featuring honey comb, coconut, lemon and verjus. Who would have thought such a combination would be winning? Give it a little shake and this turned out to be a velvety full-bodied fruity concoction.

Petit Fours - Okonomiyaki

A tiny savoury bite of potato to restore some sanity!

...and a little present from the chefs (some more of the dulce) to take home😋

This was certainly a once in a lifetime experience... or perhaps twice? We may be back! Putting up a 7 course dessert degustation is no easy job for the chefs (...or the diners). It was a job well done, the 7 dishes all featured different elements and different themes, and were enjoyable as standalone desserts. The chefs here made mission impossible possible!

Enjoying such a degustation comes at a high price, and we don't mean the damage to your wallet ($130) but more your tummy. Having 7 desserts in a row (and 6 mocktails) does take a toll on the tummy, and gives you a savoury craving afterwards.

Food: 9/10
Service: 10/10
Atmosphere: 8/10

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