The 2014 Grand Finale of The Gelato World Tour brought the title “World’s Best Gelato” to Australia. The two Gelatiere John and Sam Crowl from the small ice cream parlour and coffee shop Cow & Moon in Newtown, Sydney, convinced jurors that their Mandorla Affogato ice cream was the best on this planet. For us having spent 10 days in the capital of NSW, this place was a must-visit on our bucket list.

cowandmoon4Newtown is an ever-changing neighborhood, as we were told by locals. Strolling along King Street takes us past countless small shops, boutiques, restaurants, bars and artisan coffee shops. The architecture is similar to Oxford street, although less re-furbished I would say. We continue into Enmore Street, walk past the Enmore Theater with Marilyn Manson scheduled to perform the same evening and about 10 hardcore fans cueing at the front door. Cow & Moon is located on 181 Enmore Rd, in a dark brown building with one side of the shop fully open to the street. A few tables outside and inside waiting for guests, admittedly it was a foggy day. The big top banner outdoor as well as the rows of awards and certificates on the inside wall are testimony that this place is used to success. Neither the shop’s exterior nor interior would necessarily suggest that though.

The fridge-display holds a range of ice cream flavours and sorbets, with the winning Almond Affogato in the center. Its a no-brainer that my choice of two kinds included that – we wouldn’t have come all the way from CBD and miss out on this world champion gelato – along with a scoop of Passion Fruit Cream. My better half opts for Vanilla Bean and Strawberry Balsamic. Totally excited we watch the girl behind the counter preparing our cups with my wife’s choice going first. However right at that point we got suspicious, while the girl scoops the vanilla and strawberry flavours, the consistency appears strange. Either not the right serving temperature, not freshly prepared or something else, but unfortunately those two kinds also tasted like they looked when scooping. The consistency unpleasant in the mouth and the taste very much of artificial flavors. After tasting them we didn’t continue eating that cup. But what about the world champion gelato? Both my choices, the Mandorla Affogato and the Passion Fruit Cream looked more creamy and smooth in texture when scooping. That first impression was also confirmed when tasting them. Much smoother on the palate, the wining ice cream had pieces of nuts and strong hints of coffee, the passion fruit cream gelato with a clear taste of the fruit. Although even those two could have been a little creamier in consistency – we are talking about the best ice cream in the world after all – both were enjoyable and good ice creams. There was an obvious difference to the selection in the other cup, for which, without knowing details, we suspect freshness and choice of ingredients were the reasons for the moderate experience.

In summary, the visit to this well decorated Gelateria was sadly below expectations. I believe ice cream varieties in one shop shall not vary that significantly. Although the Mandorla Affogato was nice it was far from mind-blowing (or palate-blowing for that matter). Is Cow & Moon really worth the 25$ taxi ride from Sydney’s CBD?