Ice cream! You scream! We all scream for ice cream! It is always nice to discover a hidden gelato…read moregem in the city / country you are visiting in. Auckland New Zealand is no different. It was nice and delicious. Traveling and seeing the sights builds an appetite for sure. I was roaming around Auckland's wharf district one Sunday afternoon in late September 2018 and decided to stop by and have a sweet treat before leaving the area via Uber. With that said, I arrived here at Melt - by New Zealand's Naturals. I initially thought that it may have been a clothing store, but it turned out to be a nice casual ice cream shop. It was nice to have ice cream during my short time in Auckland's viaduct and happy to have been here. And so, I was interested and decided to check this place out and it went rather well. Must be different in the United States than in New Zealand, since I tried to order a takeaway pint, but Melt did not have such a product or a container for such a monstrosity. I ended up getting a two scoop chocolate ice cream delight and ended up eating it in the shop before i called an Uber out of the area. I arrived here around 6pm and I the ambiance felt is basically a ice cream parlor we have in the States. Similar just it's New Zealand. It was a nice place. Come try Melt on your next visit to Auckland. The overall experience here at Melt by New Zealand was good yet satisfying at the same time. I usually don't hunt down ice cream stores while on vacation, but it was nice to have that ability when that craving hits daily. Just like coffee people, but for ice cream. I spent about an hour here from start to finish. 5 minutes for the purchase and 55 for the enjoyment of aforementioned eating of ice cream. The ice cream shop is quaint and quite trendy, but nice and the ambiance was kid friendly. They had a cute seating area, which kind of reminds me of a preschool set up and I sat on those small little chairs. Melt by New Zealand Naturals is located at 137 Quay Street in Auckland's wharf district. They accept major credit cards, which is always a good thing as well as cash. For parking though, I do see parking in back of the shop, but it can be for other businesses. Not sure about parking for Melt, but find a space and come by to get your ice cream fix! Best bet to get an Uber here or take public transportation. Or if you are like me, I was on foot in the area and basically saw this place. Decided I needed an ice cream fix, I headed on in. Best decision of the day! Ice cream like this is awesome and Melt by New Zealand Naturals seems to make authentic home made stuff that's just a blessing for us travelers who want something after a day of roaming the city. Locals too! For the most part though, I enjoyed myself here at Melt by New Zealand Naturals. It was one of my last foodie stops while in Auckland. Needless to say that having ice cream in your life is the best thing ever. Most places do have the basic flavors you see anywhere in the west. Even in New Zealand, I'm sure basic chocolate is a must do for everyone. I ended up with a double scoop chocolate that was roughly $6. The prices here are pretty good and competitive to other places. It was a good place to hang out and rest your feet while indulging in your favorite flavors of deliciousness. Chocolate here is amazing and wish you were here to enjoy it with me. 4.0 stars for the overall experience. 4.0 stars for the ambiance and casual vibe. 4.5 stars for the ice cream. Support local! B

In addition to their selection of ice cream and froyo, they had a game on each table which was cool!read more

This is my go-to place for New Zealand-made birthday presents and little gifts to take to dinner…read moreparties. They have an amazing selection of beautiful handmade chocolates in the cabinet, gourmet ice cream, fudge, sweets, and gorgeous tins and boxes. Plus they make specialty chocolates for occasions like Christmas, Valentine's, and Easter. If you only try one thing, go for the salted caramel from the cabinet - it's a creamy, rich caramel coated in chocolate with a couple of tiny grains of sea salt on top. I was skeptical before I tasted it but now it's my favourite. Also amazing is the Russian fudge sold by the bag or in individual pieces. As a bonus, the staff are as sweet as the chocolates they sell!

I went in here for the first time today and was very impressed by their vast selection of…read morechocolates and other sweet treats. They had a great selection of Easter Eggs and loads of delicious looking chocolates displayed in a glass counter (the coconut creams and chocolate coconut rough looked particularly appealing) for around $2 each. The girl behind the counter was lovely and asked me how my day was going and offered me a free sample of the caramel chocolate. It's definitely one of those stores where you buy for other people and not for yourself. Items in here are really special and certainly not your everyday Snickers! However, if you're in the market for fancy chocolates like this, I think the Chocolate Boutique in Parnell is better. They have a more varied selection of posh chocs under the counter and have the added bonus of hot chocolates and desserts on the eat-in menu too.

I kinda get the impression that Auckland in recent times is getting more sophisticated and will…read moreeventually rival the likes of Melbourne and Sydney. You only have to look around the Britomart precinct to see what I mean. And it is shops like Colestown Chocolates which are very much at the heart of all this - not just selling any old chocolate but selling designer chocolate aimed at people with a serious sweet tooth. There are a few of these specilaity chocolate shops in Auckland but this is arguably the best. Not only does the chocolate taste good but the flavour combinations are postively inspired - eg passion fruit and grand marnier. Or how about pistachio and lemon nougat? Trust me they taste as good as they sound. It's not a massive shop on Queen Street but they have some nifty types of chocolate bars and if you can't make it into the CBD, you can buy it online. I also understand you can get this chocolate from some of the speciality food stores like Nosh.

I was elated when The Sweetest Little Chocolate Shop opened a new store in Sylvia Park. Not only…read morewas it much closer to home, but personally, it was bigger and better- its a modern take on the charming, original Midcity Arcade store. The service is friendly, patient and very knowledgeable; because of this I can never leave without a box of ten chocolates and a bag of their delicious Russian caramel fudge. The staff really make it an experience and because of this, I've become a regular here. You'll be dying to try all the flavours they provide, and its an extensive list. For someone who already knows what they're after or they're short on time, they do provide a range of pre-packed candies, chocolates and bars to suit any need. My favourites include the almond rocher, coconut snowball truffle and the roasted almond honey truffle- all to die for! Take a few flavours home with you to try- you really won't be disappointed.

We all have that one friend that constantly checks into places on Facebook. Most of the time it…read moreannoys the living crap out of me but once in a while I get to know about cool places that I can enjoy too.One of those places is the sweetest little chocolate shop. My love for chocolate is intense, I crave it and whenever I have it I want more. So when I decided to go to the sweetest little chocolate shop I went nuts and then sat down and enjoyed myself. After a day of power shopping thats all a girl needs, some chocolate.

If you go to Mission Bay and do not notice a long line outside Kiwi Yo then there is something…read morewrong with you! I never knew Kiwi Yo was there but curiosity got the best of me and I found myself standing in the line. Although the lines are long I can guarantee that after less than five minutes you will be serving up a storm. When you get to the front of the line there is always a friendly staff member who will ask "have you been here before", if your answer is yes you proceed and if your answer is no, you will receive some fro yo education. All one has to do is grab a cup, big or small (I recommend the big one) head to the ice cream looking machines and create your own amazing creation. There is no limit on on how much you can serve neither is there someone grilling you about your servings. If you are not too sure about the flavors you can taste the flavor before serving it into your cup. After that you head to the lolly, nut and sauce area. In this section you are welcome to mix custard, jelly babies, marshmallows and walnuts. This is all to add an oomph factor to your already jazzed up cup. After that is all done, you can walkover to the counter and pay, whats awesome is that you don't pay based on your cup size so do not be scared to grab the largest cup when entering!

Came here when it was early on after it's opening. Thought the idea of a self-serve frozen yogurt…read morewas great and had to try it, since I'd never seen anything of the like before. I think it's nice because you can choose any of the ten flavours (single or mixed into a creative concotion!) and then how much exactly you can eat- not too much and not too little and then dish any of the toppings you like and how much you like. Not just frozen yogurts but also sorbets! Great range of fruit, nuts, lollies and sauces on offer. The pricing is great because you pay for what you self-serve since it's done by weight. The whole experience is quite fun. Especially cool YoBooth with the photo booth! A big fan of the location- perfect for summer! Can grab a Kiwi Yo and go down to the water or the green area! Must try, definitely in summer!

Everyone has heard of Milse. Now famous for the long queues outside the little shop, I can still…read moreremember the first time I stepped inside. Now taking it into their own hands, husband and wife duo Brian and Roselle Campbell have created Sweet Cuisine pop-ups as real time crowd funding for their own dessert shop. I met them and interviewed them earlier this year and they are just the sweetest and most talented team. Clooney had always been on my radar for special occasions but other places had always gotten in the way. When word got out that we would get to dine at the flash Belle Epoque room downstairs with the open kitchen, all my excuses seemed irrelevant. It was the first time Sweet Cuisine had a communal dining format with a long table seating only 18 people. At the beginning, most people talked within their groups but being opposite interesting strangers, it was easy to start conversations. I went with fellow foodie and blogger Amy from My Dining Journey and we found out we were right next to amazing chefs and bakers. Convenient right? Turns out it was all planned with the thoughtful intentions of Brian and Roselle. Haha! Talk about knowing your customers well :) First course: Granny smith apple, feijoa, Heilala vanilla and ginger. Once I got over the initial thought that the egglets were not white chocolate, it was even harder to get over how cute they were. As a first course, I loved how light it was and almost teasing because soon everyone was scraping their eggs to get to that beautiful ginger which lay at the bottom. The combination of granny smith, vanilla and feijoa was a winner. Second course: Pineapple, passionfruit, coconut, banana and dulcey. It had the look of a beautiful Milse dessert but it didn't have the dark imprint of the overshadowing HIP group. I LOVED the small moichi-like balls on the side. Luckily the red chocolate ball was already halved. The rest of us just had to exercise our demolition skills as we tried to calmly break the case without sending shards across the table to our new friends. Third course: Figs, quince, honey, chestnut and oats This is where the flavours got interesting and complex. I'm not a fig person so I wasn't sure where my tastebuds would take me. If it was a normal degustation, I would consider this the mains. It was quite filling from the oats. The conversation took a funny turn with someone tentatively asking whether we were meant to eat the skin on figs. Even as "self acclaimed foodies" we didn't have a straight answer! Most people though, ended up eating the whole thing. Even I enjoyed it, although I couldn't expect any less coming from the Campbell kitchen! Fourth course: Valrhona chocolate, blackcurrant, coffee and hazelnut. Oh my. Totally the climax of the night. Not only stunning to look at, I was so inspired by the different textures that Brian had created on the dish. From the marshmallow to the mini magnum, my thoughts were only affirmed by the "oh wow"s around the table as everyone tucked into it. It was a pleasure watching Brian and his team at work. There was a calm aura as they lovingly put the desserts together. All the dishes were so clever and I know I left more inspired. As I came home to finish my marking, I knew I didn't make a mistake in breaking out of my nana mode. Starting off the week sweet was an uplifting start to the week. And knowing that macarons and cookies would be my morning tea for the next day kept the smile on my face. Even if I had accidentally squashed them in my bag (sorry Roselle!). Keep an eye out for their next pop-up! There's always something interesting about each one and they're popping up at restaurants like Orphan's Kitchen, Meredith's and Ima Deli. And if you haven't already seen it, here's the interview with Brian Campbell if you didn't catch it the last time.

Most of you would have heard of Milse. The amazing dessert bar and patisserie that opened up in…read moreBritomart a few years ago. Serving gelato on sticks, gateaux, chocolates, sweet tarts, plus their stand out macarons, Milse has become a bit of a phenomenon. Because really, who doesn't love chocolate and dessert?!?! The mastermind behind creating all of Milse's desserts is pâtissier, Brian Campbell. He has 15 years' experience working in Michelin star restaurants in the United Kingdom and at award winning restaurants here in New Zealand, at the likes of Kermadec and The French Cafe. Most recently, Brian has left Milse and has started up his own company, namely Sweet Cuisine' A Dessert Pop Up. So far, he and his wife, Roselle Campbell have hosted a dessert night at Fred's Espresso in Ponsonby where they teamed up with Giapo to create ice cream sandwiches, sundaes and drinks and they also had a dessert pop up at Merediths last week. And, a few nights' ago, I attended their second dessert pop up (however this one was special because all the desserts were made using Valrhona chocolate - the best quality chocolate in my opinion, you can buy it here) AND it was held at Sidart in Ponsonby. I have always wanted to dine at Sidart however it is quite expensive - will definitely need to save up one day! Brian and his team used the kitchens at Sidart and for about 20 minutes, my friend and I had the whole restaurant to ourselves, which was a pretty great feeling! The dessert pop up at Sidart involved a 3 course degustation - $45 per person, and an optional 4th course for $9, however sadly we were too full for the 4th course! All the dishes were beautifully presented and almost too pretty to eat! To accompany the desserts, they were also serving sweet Italian dessert wine, sparkling water, teas and coffee. My friend and I decided on a glass of the 'Prunotto Moscato d'Asti 2013′. With aromas of peach and honey, this was the perfect drink for our dessert night. The first dessert was a white chocolate panacotta, made of Ivoire 32% Valrhona chocolate. Surrounding the panacotta were bite-sized raspberries, blueberries and peaches, all topped off with freeze dried raspberries and fresh basil. It was a refreshing way to start the meal and the basil brought out all the flavours. I never thought to use herbs in baking, but I will definitely try it out now! The second course was a sponge like pudding with stewed apricots, hazelnut praline and a sauce inside using Dulcey 35% Valrhona chocolate. While the apricots were delicious, my friend and I could hardly taste the Valrhona chocolate - we felt like the apricots were too overpowering. This could possibly be due to the fact that the chocolate is only 35% - it might have a very subtle flavour. Last but not least, a to.die.for chocolate sphere, made entirely of Guanaja 70% Valrhona chocolate. Dark chocolate being one our favourite foods, my friend and I were amazed by this wonderful creation. Roselle explained the dish in great detail - two mousses, one with hints of tonka beans (vanilla bean substitute), and the other being rich and chocolatey. There was also a chocolate 'soil' surrounding the sphere, consisting of macadamia nuts, nougat and cacao nibs. But Roselle left out one surprise... Yes, popping candy! We were not expecting that at all, and it was truly the most exciting dish I have ever tasted. Every mouthful was full of joy and my friend and I couldn't stop smiling! It was a great night overall, with brilliant and creative desserts, a lovely host and a stunning venue. I cannot wait to see what is next in store for Sweet Cuisine! Note: If you would like some more information, check out Sweet Cuisine's website and Facebook page ("Sweet Cuisine' A Dessert Pop Up by Brian Campbell"), so you can keep up to date!

Imagine a cake layered with crepes and in between those delicious crepes is the richest pastry…read morecream/ butter cream EVER! Well imagine no more and get your tail feather down to Fukurou by the Newmarket train station. So many flavours including a durian bomb (aptly named?) . Coffees, teas and cold drinks avaliable. Fukurou patisserie puts the I dream of genius back in cake making .

This place is fab. Fukurou patisserie are relatively new kids on the block in Newmarket. They offer…read morethe most incredible selection of crepe cakes and/or desserts that are not too sweet surprisingly! There are 8 yummies to choose from: "Say Cheese", "French Vanilla", "Rum Raisin", Coconut Malacca", "Chocolate Trio", "Durian Bomb", "Tiramasu" & "Matcha Adzuki (Japanese green tea)... so WOW. Something for everyone really. You can buy one slice from $6.90 - $7.80 depending on the flavour or the whole cake (12 slices) for $78!!! They are open 6 days (closed on Tuesdays) from 10:30am - 8:30pm. You must go Yelpers. I had the "Tiramasu" by the way; gone in 60 seconds!

All flavors were very good. The texture was soft frozen ice cream - smooth, creamy but not aerated…read moretoo much, and not gummy. The flavors were very interesting and unique. Staff was very friendly and loved the enclosed little seating area.

I do not think I have ever spent this much on ice cream before, but it was well worth it. My…read morefavorite thing here were the ice cream cones. The cones are just so unique, whimsical, and just outright fun. We got the helicopter cone and the picture frame cone. If you are like me, then you might be spending quite a bit of time taking pictures with the cone. I was a little sad when my ice cream started melting so I had to start eating it. My sadness than became joy because the gelato is excellent here. I tried a couple of different flavors and it was so difficult to not just get all of them, but we ended up getting the hokey. The gelato was smooth, creamy, and tasty. This is definitely worth the one time visit if you are in the area. I do not regret spending this much on ice cream at all.