Dolce & Salato Pasticceria is an Italian patisserie, bakery and cafe that opened up in Civic today. I’ve been patiently waiting for this place to open and have been watching the shop (formerly Gelato Joe’s) transform into a glamorous looking cafe.
Located on the corner of Bunda Street and Garema Place (near Koko Blacks), one of the first things you notice are the big French bi-fold glass doors and arched windows that open up to display the cafe’s selection of gelato.
The cafe has made use of the outdoor space, placing 12 tables underneath sun umbrellas which are all surrounded by lush green hedges. That simple idea brightens up the whole corner and makes it really stand out. I was impressed. (Photo sourced from Dolce & Salato facebook page).
Inside, there is a long glass display counter with a shiny white coffee machine on one end. Too late in the day for me to try out their coffee though.
A shelf of baked breads also lies behind the front counter.
The pastries and cakes include eclairs, profiteroles, chocolates, tarts, croissants, biscuits, whole sacher tortes and more.
I decided to try the chocolate eclair ($3.50 or 2 for $5), and a scoop of the ferrero rocher gelato ($5) in a cup. Being opening day, there weren’t any labels or prices against any of the items. My server didn’t know where the plates were kept either but I was happy with the white take-away containers (styled like the French doors with a see-through window on the top of the box).
On this hot 33 degree day, the gelato was finished in minutes. Light and not too creamy, it tasted near to the real thing.
The eclair was filled with lots of thick chocolate cream. It certainly satisfied my chocolate craving.
On the other side of the cafe lies a huge wood-fired oven. I like the clean and smart use of black and white as the theme colours of the cafe. Wait staff look professional in their crisp black and white uniforms. Even the linoleum lining the floors with a cool geometric pattern looks good. Overall, a classic look that won’t date.
Love the quirky teacup lighting fixtures hanging from the ceiling.
One of the wait staff informed me that Dolce & Salato are open 7 days a week and serve breakfast every day (kitchen closes at 2.30pm). They also plan to be open until 9.30pm-10pm every night. That means plenty of time during the week to go check the place out for yourself.
Note: At the moment they are taking cash only.
Foodgasm 7.5/10
