Azzura Gelati Cafe @ Katong V

we’ve seen a slew of one-​off, hipsteresque ice-​cream places open up — but good gelato isn’t easy to find. enter azzura then, with its mix of traditional flavors and modern iced confections — and I might have just found my new favorite.
azzura’s a family-​run australian company churning out tubs of creamy gelato full of that amazing australian butterfat, and this is their first out-​country outpost — a charming, brightly-​decorated gelato bar at the back of the new katong v shopping mall. the colours remind me of prestat chocolate (it’s got the same bright fuchsias and paisley), and the space is bright and lovely with natural daylight — which very prettily illuminates both the gelato counter and their section on the side selling childrens’ toys.
the counter’s divided into two — trays of colorful gelato on one side, and the other filled with all manner of intriguing desserts. like dark chocolate cups filled with mocha ice cream, for example — which were a great start. small, dark-​but-​creamy chocolate cups filled with subtle coffee gelato, I thought this very adult. not too sweet, and not overpoweringly caffeinated.
a beautiful peach arrived, peach gelato encased in spray-​painted white chocolate (how awesome is food tech these days, eh?) — with a surprise pit inside of ferrero rocher. the peach is light and floral (and more importantly, not artificial), and the white chocolate great quality. don’t try my stunt with trying to cut the ferrero rocher, by the way — it ended up as a flying projectile and gelato on shoes.
our third confection was dark chocolate encasing honey gelato and a rather intriguing honey jam. honey can be rather one-​note and too sweet, but not this one — and that soft centre of creamed honey was full of toffee flavor. really delicious.
of course we couldn’t leave without dibs and dabs of almost every flavor in those trays — from the classic chocolate to more esoteric blossom nougat (a turkish delight-​inspired dessert that really reminded me of bandung). my favorite was the buttered peanut — a buttery (of course), rich flavor almost akin to peanut butter out the jar (one of my favorite activities, and the reason I don’t buy it).
the product here relies a lot on the quality of their delicious, thick, fat-​creamy base — it wraps around your tongue and leaves this silkiness you don’t often get with less impressive ice creams. rather appropriately, they take the path less trodden with subtler, floral notes that allow the base to shine — and which linger rather evocatively.
it’s a silence-​worthy impression, that first mouthful I got. great for families, and also for dessert sit-​downs. they serve up mean cups of tea and coffee, and I hear waffles are on the menu — so really, fantastic.