N2 Extreme Gelato

329 Brunswick Street 
Fitzroy, VIC 3065

http://n2extremegelato.com.au/

What’s life without a few gimmicks? And what’s gelato without some liquid nitrogen? That’s clearly what the founder of the very aptly named N2 Extreme Gelato asked themselves, because this new gelato bar, hailing from Sydney, does things a little bit differently.

You’ll find no vanilla and cookies and cream here; it’s all about innovation, with fresh new flavours such as French earl grey dulce de leche. But that’s not the most exciting bit. 

The most exciting bit comes after when you make your order (One scoop: $6; Two scoops: You don’t need it!), and then proceed to watch the staff gear up in safety glasses and the liquid nitrogen start flowing. Pouring out a glass of ice cream mixture from the multi-coloured plastic tubs, it goes right into the ice cream machine along with billowing jugs of liquid nitrogen, pumped out from a huge canister. 

Buttered Popcorn ($6, one scoop)

The result is a dense but faultlessly smooth cup of gelato. I had scoffed at the menu that insisted that we don’t need two scoops, but I’m glad Chris had some common sense. Our cup of Buttered Popcorn ($6) was sticky and rich, tasting definitively of corn, complete with little pieces of popcorn mixed in. It was fabulously decadent; I’m glad they don’t believe in the fat free business here.

To completely the quirky-cool feel that is so quintessentially Melbourne, they’ve located N2 inside a sort of a dark warehouse, complete with a long graffiti mural. And forget regular seating – Astroturf on stacks of shipping pallets is where it’s at!

N2 does some of the best Gelato in Melbourne, even if it is miles away from tradition. The fantastically theatrical preparation, as well as unique space, is guaranteed to delight anyone with even a thimble of fun in them.

Rating: 15/20 – ice cream for science!

This rating reflects my personal experience at the time of visit.