Just when you think you’ve eaten at every ice cream/gelato in Melbourne, along comes one with a product so unusual that it’s a standout.
Cuppa Turca in High Street Northcote that brings traditional Turkish ice cream (or dondurma) and ice cream showmanship to Melbourne.
Dondurma is not a straightforward scoop in a cup-or-cone. The egg-free ice cream is churned and scraped using a special metal pole regularly so that the result is icy elastic and melts slowly.
In Turkey dondurma is made using salep, a starchy flour extracted from orchids. It can’t be exported – so in Australia, Cuppa Turca’s owner Harun Yalcin has developed a recipe that substitutes salep.
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At Cuppa Turca the dondurma is made fresh daily, with a rotating menu of flavours including vegan options. I suggest you taste test some of the more traditional flavours, including classic mastic, pistachio and halva. On a blind tasting Baby 2.0 chooses pomegranate, this first-ever counter with this fruit.
We are both fascinated by the process of seeing our ice cream stretch and pulled out of the pozzetti.
The ice cream is actually served in a cup or cone after all, or you can have it sandwiched between baklava for a sugar overload.
With their Turkish pastries and sweets Cuppa Turca also serve traditional black tea, apple tea and Turkish coffee unusually brewed over hot sand.
There’s quite a bit of seating at the front and back, with high chairs available and a roomy back area in front of the toilet where you can park a pram/change a nappy.
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HOT Tips:
- pram access;
- high chairs;
- large toilet is at back; and
- limited street parking.
Cuppa Turca 244-288 High St, Northcote 0422 288 161
Tues – Thur 10am – 10pm
Fri 10am -11pm
Weekends 10:30am – 11pm