St Louis House of Fine Ice Cream and Dessert

Adelaide is not a stranger to a good dessert bar – a trend which has not developed with such force in other cities like Melbourne and London. Whether you are looking for a retro café like Spats, or something a little bit more European like Onyx, there is something in Adelaide for any occasion.

St Louis House of Fine Icecream and Dessert is the latest dessert bar to join Dessert Story in Adelaide’s food mecca –  Gouger Street.  If you venture to this establishment at peak times  no doubt you will be greeted with crammed tables full of hungry diners devouring waffles, sundaes and cakes. The staff run around like firefighters trying to put out the blaze; at times it feels very haphazard, but let’s get on to the important thing – the desserts.

The venue itself is fairly small with nearly 20 covers on the inside and 26 on the outside. It has a slightly Parisian sleek feel to it with its white tiled walls, vintage bookcase and stylish timber furnishings. The service area itself is a crammed, narrow space which isn’t helped by the hordes of hungry sweet tooths fighting for dining in and takeaway space.

The menu isn’t one for the indecisive –  full of an indulgent mix of traditional and innovative dessert creations which are sure to whisper countless  sweet nothings to your inner sweet tooth. Think sumptuous crepes oozing with dulche de leche, salted caramel ice cream sundaes and  warm chocolate brownies topped with heavy lashings of cream and caramelised bananas.

After much deliberation, I couldn’t go past ordering the Sweet Amalia Chocolate Journey ($14.90) – a heavenly platter of  chocolate inspired treats.

The chocolate cookie sandwich was disappointingly hard and tasteless with a coarse dry texture which didn’t harmonise well with the creamy chocolate ice cream. I would have preferred the large gooey Subway style cookie to sink my teeth into, without risking breaking them.

The chocolate salted caramel gateaux had a delightfully light and buttery pastry which encased an indulgent rich chocolate filling with a naughty layer of salted caramel at the bottom.

My favourite part of the dessert was the chocolate ice cream cone which had a velvety creamy texture offset by grainy bitter notes of dark chocolate. Apparently the owner has had over 15 years’ experience in the ice cream industry, so it’s no surprise he has mastered the art so skilfully.

My friend ordered the affogato which was beautifully presented in an elegant stemmed glass with a generous dollop of creamy vanilla ice cream drowned unceremoniously in a strong shot of espresso.

Overall St Louis is a great place to come for a treat after dinner. But for the price tag, the absence of table service seems a little steep. Come here for the sweets but not the service.

Food: 7/10

Service: 6/10

Atmosphere: 7/10

19 Gouger St Adelaide, SA 5000