Gelato @ Bar Italia, Gelato Fruity, Gelatissimo and Kopi Bar, Centrepoint

creamy pistachio gelato from Bar Italia

Our hot crazy weather (paired with those stormy nights) seem to demand that we indulge in some icy frozen confection to counteract the heat. Lately there have been a number of gelato places springing up around the Klang Valley and I thought the best way to tackle the sweltering heat would be chilling out with this famous Italian dessert aka gelato (or it should be gelati, as it's known in plural). While this review does not cover all the gelato places in town (I am sure there are more lurking some where), I hope this gives you enough choices to get through this madness of a heatwave we're experiencing.

chocolate hazelnut, the brass handles on the majestic door at Bar Italia, pistachio seen from the top, they use a flat scoop here to get to the gelato just like Italy

Bar Italia's offerings can be found at their rustic looking outlet at Jalan Berangan, the juice bar located at O Gourmet at Bangsar Shopping Centre (BSC) and their sister outlet Vineria, also in BSC. Flavours available are stracciatella (a kind of cream based gelato with chocolate folded within), mango, white chocolate, coffee, fruits, pistachio, nocciola or hazelnut and bacio (dark chocolate with hazelnut) and etc. My favourite has to be their pistachio - creamy with a melt in the mouth texture yet with a not overpowering rich tasting that you can thoroughly enjoy it after a full meal. It is priced around RM8 per scoop, with the gelato piled high above in a cup.

rum and raisin with profiterole flavour gelato from Gelatissimo

Gelatissimo hails from Australia and can be found at The Gardens and 1 Utama Shopping Centre. They serve a mix of gelatos, sorbets and yogurts at their counter. Also available on the menu is affogatto aka espresso with gelato. There seems to be quite a small selection of gelato -ferrero rocher, rum and raisin while most are sorbets like mango . The sorbets are said to 100% fat free, while the gelatos are 90% fat free. I tasted the rum and raisin and felt the taste was not very strong. You can mix a few flavours together in a cone or a cup - one flavour is RM8.90 while two flavours is RM12.90. I liked the phrase on the side of their carton, "he who goes slowly, goes safe and far". The gelato is creamy, not very icy and melts quickly. Similar to Bar Italia, they tend to pile the cup high with gelato.

very berry with durian gelato

Gelato fruity seems to have popped up overnight, taking over the places where Lecka Lecka used to operate from. A crowd favourite (all the outlets always seem packed with people), they have two kinds of gelato, one made with milk and another that is water based that they call sorbet. There are fruit flavours like soursop and durian, and other flavours like black sesame seed, green tea, rum raisin, bacio, chocolate and etc. I tasted their rum raisin that has an artificial taste while the durian was nice - strong but not overpowering smell and taste. I felt the gelatos lacked a creamy after taste. Each order is usually flattened down unlike Bar Italia and Gelatissimo. The stalls also sell fruit juices and toppings for RM1 pre packed. Two scoops of flavour is RM9.80

stout with rum and raisin ice cream, chocolate nuts and strawberry, vanilla oreo and mint chocolate gelatos from Kopi Bar

Last but not least come the alcoholic gelatos made at this small kopitiam place. A variety of flavours (alcoholic and non alcholic) is offered here. The prescence of gelato in their menu is not advertised much or promoted by the staff, so be prepared to ask for the gelato instead.

melting together

Prices are RM3 per scoop and RM5 for two scoops, a steal considering 3 flavours have alcohol within. These are the Stout (Danish Stout mixed with Carlsberg beer), Rum and Raisin (Jamaican rum) and last but not least Kirschwasser (cherry brandy kirsch with mocha swirled). Non alcoholic flavours are chocolate nuts, mint chocolate, strawberry, vanilla oreo. Tastewise, the stout does not have a strong taste but I absolutely loved the rum and raisin as the raisins were well soaked with rum that when bitten into they spurted a little with rum. Our least favourites were the non alcoholic flavours that didn't have much taste. The gelato's texture seems to be icier and extremely creamy tasting, making it so rich tasting you have trouble finishing the gelatos quickly.

So get out there and cool down with a little creamy goodness! More pictures can also be found at the Flickr set.

*A little fact to chew on: gelato is different from ice cream as it contains less fat and less sugar to produce something softer, truly sublime with little formation of ice crystals. Usually whipped in small batches to keep it fresh, it also has less air whipped within, allowing you to enjoy the flavours better.

Bar Italia

29, Jalan Berangan

Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-2144 4499

Gelatissimo

LG-K08, Lower Ground

The Gardens
Mid Valley City

Other outlets are at 1 Utama and Gurney Plaza, Penang

Gelato Fruity

FK-06, Mid Valley Megamall

Other outlets are located at Pavilion KL, 1 Utama, Sungai Wang Plaza, Cheras Selatan Jusco, Suria KLCC and Berjaya Times Square.

Kopi Bar

Lot G106, Ground Floor (just opposite McDonald's)
Centrepoint

Bandar Utama
Petaling Jaya

Tel : 03-7710 6966

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. This review is time sensitive; changes may occur to the place later on that can affect this opinion. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from this place for writing the review.

Tagged with: gelato