I’ve blogged about dessert maestro Pierre Roelofs before – more precisely, about how disappointed I was to miss out on his brief sojourn presenting dessert evenings at chocolate shop Monsieur Truffe last year.
If you were as disappointed as I was, here’s some good news! Pierre has popped up at cute-as-a-button Cafe Rosamond for dessert only evenings every Thursday (7-11pm) until further notice. Seat yourself in a candlelit nook and choose one, two or three courses of dessert ($20, $30 and $40 respectively) and/or try a rave-worthy tube ($9).
The menu will change every week and on opening night we had three very creative courses shared between two people:
Coffee meringue, dark chocolate grains, fresh pineapple, dehydrated pineapple, pasta filled with marscapone, gold leaf and micro-leaves. I found this dish to be very humorous – the interesting textures and surprising flavours made me laugh out loud!
A cube of pear pound cake orbiting honey couscous, yoghurt foam hiding a nugget of pure pear sorbet and topped with toasted millet for a bit of savoury crunch. The idea was to dip the cake into the foam, but really there’s no rules.
Quince with sharp vodka jelly and vanilla done a myriad of ways – creamy, crunchy, cold, silken. I thought the quince was a bit bland, I would have liked to see the pear make another appearance to lift the flavours.
Now for the fun bit! Open-ended test tubes filled with layers of musky rose jelly, pistachio jelly, peach jelly and sprinkled with crumbled cream. It reminded me of the ‘Drink Me’ potion made by Heston Blumenthal for his Alice in Wonderland themed Victorian feast, and it had the same element of wonder for me. A highly recommended experience!
Last but not least, you can continue the Pierre Roelofs delight at home with his Instant Pudding Series ($10). Basically you empty the sachet into a saucepan, add cold milk, bring to boil and stand for one minute – how easy is that? First one in the series is a chocolate and coconut pudding (flavours will change every week) and I can’t wait to try it.
A final tip – Cafe Rosamond is small and doesn’t take bookings so time your visit carefully. When we arrived at around 9pm we managed to get a spot but by the time we left at 9:45pm the queues had congregated outside.
To read about breakfasts at Cafe Rosamond, click here.
- Dessert evenings with Pierre Roelofs, Cafe Rosamond, +
Oh I was just reading about this somewhere last week! This looks amazing! Do you need to make a booking or is there enough seating to waltz on in? :]
.-= Ashley´s last blog ..Asian Tapas at Pan Asian =-.
Hi Ashley
Unfortunately they don’t take bookings and the place is small – there are five tables and small bench seating for about four people. I suggest getting there earlier in the evening to ensure you don’t have to wait too long.
Jetsetting Joyce
so, so yummy. I think the 3rd plate was guava and vanilla. I loved the vanilla ricey stuff and the vanilla ice cream was perfection. And how good were the tubes?!
Hi mmmichelle
Guava? I didn’t take notes but thought I heard quince when Pierre introduced it. Never mind – still would have enjoyed more pear :–) Yes next time I think I’ll just head straight for the tubes
Jetsetting Joyce
That was guava.. I had an interesting discussion with Pierre on that last dessert:)
Just wanted to say that I’m new to Melbourne and have been really enjoying your blog. I really like how you treat your subject – not too urban hipster, just the right sense of adventure and curiousity. Bravo!
Hi Cato
Welcome to the blog and thanks for your kind words. Hope you find it an interesting and useful read – all feedback/suggestions welcome!
Jetsetting Joyce
Oh wow I had read about the evenings at Monsieur Truffe and was spewing I missed them. This is great news – I LOVE dessert!
.-= Esz´s last blog .. =-.
Hi Esz
Get in quick! I think Pierre is there for an undefined period depending on popularity and viability…so make sure you don’t miss out. As I said before, they don’t take reservations so I’d suggest arriving before 9pm.
Jetsetting Joyce
Looks amazing! I had it in my diary that they were starting that – but missed out last night.
Love, love, love desserts so will be visiting asap!
Your photos look great too!
.-= Emily´s last blog .. =-.
Thanks Emily.
Had a bit of trouble with the dark lighting for the photographs as we sat in the corner – so a tip if you want light sit at the table closest to the door. Not as comfy but better photos
Jetsetting Joyce
omg joyce, i am suffering serious food envy! chef needs to open a branch in london.
love miranda
ps. hope all’s well with you and other half. have enjoyed seeing pictures of you guys from your wedding!
Hi Miranda
Thanks for your comment and good wishes. Aw, I’m sure you’d be able to find restaurants in London that go beyond with their desserts. Otherwise there’s always the Fat Duck! I’ll suggest to Pierre that he takes a holiday in London and opens up a pop up restaurant :–)
Jetsetting Joyce
where oh where can we buy the instant pudding mixes (other than the cafe). i tried the chocolate and coconut pudding recently and it was wonderful. a must have for winter! can anyone tell me where i can find these glorious sachets?
the puddings are only available at rosamond. mmmmm
I went last night for a romantic evening. Oh my, what a treat. Still gushing, in fact. It was all so special.
They’ve got a new pudding too – a frangipane. Might see if I can squeeze in another visit. Wonder how long the dessert nights will run? Would you happen to know?
.-= Gem´s last blog .. =-.
hey gem- the dessert nights are a permanent fixture at rosamond. a new menu each week. it is yummy isn’t it! did you try the frangipane pudding? how was it?
Hi Michelle
That’s good news that the desserts are going to be permanent! Will the menu and pudding flavours still change weekly?
Jetsetting Joyce
hey joyce- the menu and tube still changes each and every week. such a yummy parsnip and salty licorice dish this past week.
the puddings stay around a little longer, there are two in the series so far.
really great write up in the melbourne mag (the age) last week. did you see? you should be taking pics for the mag!
michelle
Hi Michelle
Thanks for the info – parsnip and salty licorice sounds very intriguing! I did see the Melbourne Mag write-up, they must have gone on the same day as me but with much better lighting! Thanks for the compliment anyway
Jetsetting Joyce
Now, these images are killing me and my diet! I can’t seem to focus on controlling what i eat if i frequently see these delicious things!
Belinda of Garage Door Repair Shop
The food looks delicious! I might have peep in this restaurant soon, as the price of $30 is not that expensive. Look’s good for a romantic dinner, has anyone been there with there girlfriend ?
James from Garage Doors abc