Cutler & Co. – dessert please
57 Gertrude St
Fitzroy, 3065
9419 4888
After a dinner gathering earlier at Royal Siam – at which I was reminded numerous times to not eat too-much so that there would be room for a sweet chapter – we headed to the outskirts of the CBD on the western end of Gertrude street. If not for the cliché fluoro-blue signage, Cutler & Co would be very much camouflaged with the surrounding mismatch of converted workshops and Victorian buildings – I must have passed it many times and not even raised an eyebrow. It is not until you step into the dark void, do you realise this former industrial space is one that speaks of much sleek sophistication and cheekiness. Though the front bar section was fairly empty, the dining partition of the restaurant is very much buzzing with warmth and chatter even for a Wednesday night.
We (and by ‘we’ I actually mean Ms JG – newly titled ‘Al’s-food-chum’ and very well-eaten dining companion) decided on ordering two particular desserts from the menu for our mid-week indulgence.
Violet ice cream, chocolate ganache, sour cherry & clove meringue ($18)
Amongst the smatterings of cherry red, glistening browns and shards of chalky white lay a humble quenelle of pale purple ice cream – violet ice cream! Given this is my first ever serving of violet ice cream I was very stoked – probably worthy of a shriek-of-joy, but you won’t be hearing that from my mouth =P. And it sure deserves it. A spoon of this extremely light – almost sorbet-like – but still silky smooth concoction in the mouth quickly melts into a sweet floral sensation that is divinely refreshing. The delicate and subtle nature of violet married well with the lighter elements of super-fluffy chiffon cake and meringue. Taken alone, each component was mouth-watering in their own right, but I was rather ambivalent over the heavier (somewhat overpowering) flavours of acidity in the sour cherry and rich chocolate ganache.
Quenelle – used to describe the football shape used to serve soft items, commonly sorbets and ice creams.
Chocolate ice cream sandwich, vanilla parfait & salted caramel ($18)
In the centre of the chalky-black round plate, stood a petite cube of buttery yellow and white topped by a chocolate quenelle. The chocolate ice cream was light and creamy, almost mousse-like and was possibly whisky tinted. Hidden beneath the rough crumbed edges of honey comb and dehydrated almond were layers of vanilla parfait sandwiched between dark layers of chocolate, which sat on a base layer of salted caramel.
Verdict: The rich smoothness of the chocolate ice-cream and dense vanilla parfait, thrown against the almost-dangerously bitter chocolate – was a match made in heaven. The crumbs of sweet, nutty crunch and salty-sticky goodness (aka salted caramel) further lifted this dessert – dessert heaven! It was a certainly a perfect marriage of flavours.
To help wash it all down – not that it needed washing down – we also had an Aperol Spritzer, which was a cool blend of citrus flavours and vodka.
Rating: Yummy+2 – the violet ice cream is superbly delicate, and the chocolate ice cream sandwich is to die for! I have absolutely no hesitation with recommending the dessert here – *ahem* only when I’m not planning on going on that day.
You might also like: Il Fornaio (Snickers), Madame Sousou (Choc Fondant), Parisian Patisserie (Almond croissant).
Almost Always Ravenous 
I thought it was kind of funny that the time ya took snapping photos resulted in the choc ice cream melting. =P
i know… i should become more proficient at it ey? =P
Oooh nooo, I didn’t mean it in that way.
Of course ya are proficient. =P
It was just funny how it turned out.
Do you own a book called “will write for food” or something like that?
ooo is this a book that i should have? what’s it about?
About writing about food! You write very well! Do you know that? Or am I the first to tell you?!
oooO, haha thanks!!! now i understand what you meant. i’ve been told a few times i think, but hasn’t quite sank in =P. hehe
they both look amazing!
i am heading there in jan (during the ausopen ic ant wait!) for a sunday lunch so i really cant wait :O)
ooo that’s a nice treat =).
I’ve always wanted to return to C&Co just for that sandwich dessert… as we experienced their degustation menu, that wasn’t part of the deal and I was very annoyed with it (not that the dessert we had was any less amazing)… but hMmMmmmm
Oh my lord, all your dessert blogs just kill me!! So much chocolate! 🙂 Mmmmmmmm.
msihua – well given the bar section, its quite easy to return “just” for dessert =)
ashley – LOL, too much indulging lately =)
I think you should change the name of your blog to ‘I should be fat and obese’.
AHAHAHAHA, too bad =P. I highly doubt that will happen. Even after this whole week of non-stop eating, i haven’t gained any weight.
Does the word ‘Yum’ sum it up? Everything just looks sooo good. I am particularly impressed with the Violet ice-cream and chocolate ganache desert. First of all, the very notion of violet ice-cream – how exotic is that! Then the chocolate ganache and the sour cherries are two flavors that complement each other perfectly and to top it off you have the meringue for the texture and to unify the different tastes on the plate. It looks so delicious that you got me thinking analytically!!! 🙂
haha yupz. i agree about the ganache and sour cherries, but i found them a little overpowering paired with the delicate violet icecream. =) if they came as two separate desserts i’d be more happy haha.
OMG how AWESOME is that ice cream sandwich?! 😀
LOVE LOVE LOVE IT.
Can’t wait to return here to try their a la carte stuff.
ME TOO!!!
How delicious! I loved my desserts here and it looks like there are some new ones too! 😀
with all these dessert places i’m discovering, i’m thinking how on earth did i NOT have a sweet tooth before LOL.
i wanted to try this place last time i was in melbourne but ran out of time. next time! 🙂