Note: I was invited to visit Spilt Milk Bar in Dickson, however all opinions are my own.
Spilt Milk Bar is originally from Orange, NSW, and opened its second store in Dickson, Canberra, back in November 2020. I remember really looking forward to it opening after seeing some amazing flavours (like hojicha!) on their Instagram page. I’ve visited a few times since its opening.
So why open in Canberra? I’m told Spilt Milk Bar want to keep their business to the rural areas and Canberra is the big smoke of the rural towns. There are no plans to open in Sydney, Melbourne or the other big cities. They also wanted to keep that family community feel and Dickson was the right spot for them.
Spilt Milk Bar sources its ingredients from Australia whenever possible – such as milk from Little Big Dairy, and strawberries (for the beautiful strawberries and cream gelato – one of my favourites!) from Borenore Berry Farm. Pistachios and hazelnuts are locally sourced and crushed to make the gelato – no pastes are used.
When you walk in, you’ll notice the flavours spelt out in scrabble-like tiles on the back wall. Split into gelatos and sorbets, there are the staple flavours that are there permanently like milk chocolate, pistachio, salted caramel and spilt milk (great for the little ones) on the left of the board. To the right, you’ll find the latest flavours – some are special/seasonal such as the hot cross bun, Easter egg smash, and jaffa gelato flavours, the fig sorbet and a new coconut and black sesame sorbet.
When I visited the shop for a tour behind the scenes, one of the gelato master makers was putting together the hot cross bun gelato before churning. This flavour is a collaboration with our local Three Mills Bakery’s hot cross buns. I had to try it out and it did not disappoint. Tasting exactly like a traditional hot cross bun without the risk of a dry bun or too much fruit. It would be a great option for those that prefer the fruitless buns. The manager tells me on day 1 of introducing the hot cross bun gelato in Dickson, a customer bought 4 litres which was most of their stock!
You can sample the flavours before you buy. The salted caramel gelato is used with local Pepe Saya cultured butter. I’m not a fan of salted caramel but this is rich in flavour, well-balanced and has that buttery goodness to it. The dark chocolate sorbet was created for those that love sorbet but didn’t want just fruit choices. It’s surprisingly creamy for a sorbet minus any dairy. It could be that refreshing hit to cleanse the palate after a dinner in Dickson.
You might also notice the running chocolate on tap behind the counter. It’s a chocolate and hazelnut combination and you can add it to your gelato/sorbet for an extra $1.
There’s also a salty pretzel crunch that can be added for an extra 50 cents.
Mr FPJ got a scoop of honeycomb gelato in a cone with the liquid chocolate drizzled inside the cone as well as the pretzel crunch covering the chocolate.
The manager tells me they have hacks too. If you’re into ferrero chocolate , he suggests a scoop of hazelnut gelato, a scoop of nutella gelato, topped with Valrhona chocolate and pretzel crunch. This sounded so appealing and that’s exactly what I got. Such a great combination!
I received a complimentary tub to go and could choose 3 flavours, so I chose the special seasonal flavours. Hot cross bun was a must! Plus nougat party (tastes a bit like a mars bar) and the coconut black sesame. I’m told the black sesame seeds are from Japan and love how it’s not too strong a flavour. The coconut helps give a bit more freshness and it’s just beautifully light with that toasted sesame seed adding nuttiness and depth. All the tubs are also gift wrapped adding a nice personal touch. If you take one of their tubs home, it’s recommended that you eat it all within 2-3 days so that it stays creamy. That’s an easy target for me!
The team are happy to accept flavour suggestions, however it’s up to co-owner Sarah Quigley and the team in Orange to test it out and decide on whether it’s good enough to be released in their shop.
Spilt Milk Bar are soon launching home delivery but initially to a few select suburbs close to Dickson. The Orange store is introducing drone delivery, so we might see that in Canberra sometime in the near future too.
A big thanks to Spilt Milk Bar for the tour and invitation to sample your products!
Spilt Milk Bar
Unit 70/2 Cape St, Dickson ACT
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