29 April 2013

RivaReno: Gelato, Surry Hills, Sydney (22 Feb 2013)

280/282 Crown Street, Darlinghurst NSW 2010


From Italy with love

‘RivaReno brand was created by two Italian gelato-makers, a former BBC journalist, an Italian lawyer, and a former Italian car executive. The partners formulated the idea, in the city of Bologna, of producing a gelato with uncompromising quality. The name RivaReno is taken from a neighbourhood in Bologna that bears the same name.’

Sydney is lucky to have so many yummy gelato places around and RivaReno has joined the ranks for those in need of a good gelato fix. Being a very visual person the first thing I noticed when entering the clean lined shop was no welcoming display of gelato to tempt you. Thus careful studying of the menu board was required to decide what to have. Keen to try a few I went for the 3 flavours ($7.90) option in a cup which was quite small but thankfully the quality of flavours picked were very good. The speciality flavours all sounded great but I tried New York New York with organic Canadian maple syrup and caramelised pecans. From the classics menu I went for the Cocco with Sri Lankan coconut milk with noticeable shavings of coconut and from the fruit sorbet section the Limone was a stand out with lemon juice from Sicily and the peel of Calabrian lemons. Good flavour and smoothness that hits the mark for a refreshing winner. Looking forward to revisiting to try more of the flavours and hopefully find a few more favourites along the way.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:
PROS: No preservatives, artifical colour or flavourings; Interesting flavours, Nice texture and taste, Clean decor albeit a bit clinical
CONS: Gelato is not on display so you'll have to rely on the menu to decide what to get, Good gelato doesn't come cheap
MUST TRY: Limone, Revisiting to try other flavours
VERDICT: Great spot for a quality gelato fix with interesting flavours to choose
New York New York, Limone, Cocco ($7.90 3 flavours)
SIMON FAVOURITE :-) 













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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

For me I have to say that I loved the Alice flavour. Mlady liked the various chocolate ones!

Anonymous said...

Yes! love the gelato at this place! They have made a few changes to the look of the place (one of the staff told us they still have a few things they want to do but they are doing it bit by bit).
My favourite is the pistachio - so nice.
I actually have to say I didnt find it expensive when you compare it to some other places. For example:
Pompei's in Bondi (5.50 for 1, 7.50 for 2 scoops)
Baskin Robbins (4.90 for 1, 6.90 for 2, 8.90 for 3)
NZ ice cream (5 for 1, 7 for 2, 8.50 for 3)
If you look closely, for the quality they offer they are actually reasonable. In the end even if you can get cheaper ice cream, like everything else you get what you pay for I guess...

Kelly @ MsBrulee said...

Sometimes you pay a lot for crap and at other times something will cost you a few cents and it works great, you just have to find out from reliable sources whether something is worth paying a bit extra for and for a fact I know Rivareno is. I also think the shopfront is quite bare and could benefit from some attractive decor, boy their servings are generous!

Sarah Winehouse said...

I was reluctant to try at first as it looked like a medical blood bank - but I did go and was really impressed with the quality. I've always loved fine gelato from Europe, and this is the closest thing I've tried to it (I even researched Messina, not the same). The dairy quality is higher and better in Europe (and easier to digest) (here cows are injected with growth hormones to make their udders swell up and big etc). So the milk quality is very good at this place.

Simon Leong said...

hi anonymous, i'll have to try next time

hi anonymous, i'm definitely keen to try the pistachio flavour. thanks for the price comparisons.

hi kelly, a bit more warmth in the decor might be nice and more welcoming. i guess they're going for the pure minimal look.

hi sarah, hehe about the medical blood bank. perhaps that's one of the flavours and i didn't see it ;-) i'm looking forward to visiting again that's for sure now that i know how good the quality and flavours are.

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