PLACE REVIEW: Dessert Bars

Dessert Bar Crawlin’: Delicious Adventures in Nausea

By Jamie Bowd and Paige Mulholland

As much as we want to deny it, pub crawls are an essential aspect of university culture. Most uni students don’t go three months without tagging along on a pub crawl, with bruises, stories and headaches galore to show for it the next morning.

And it’s no wonder considering every social, sporting and even academic club has an annual pub crawl. It’s a go-to icebreaker.

Increasingly, however, people are looking for an alternative to this long-held, proud tradition. Preferably, an alternative that doesn’t end with staggering down Hindley Street at 3am looking for your shoes – and your dignity.

With the recent popularity of dessert bars in Adelaide, could a Dessert Bar Crawl fit the bill?

Owner of Devour, Quang Nguyen, said local dessert bars’ individuality offer a viable alternative to pub crawls.

“What makes Devour unique is its playfulness. There’s a lot of play and deconstruction.”

Nguyen said it’s the social potential of dessert bars that makes them so popular.

“It’s good to have a place to hang out that isn’t a restaurant or a bar.”

There are some key similarities; all of these places are social, kind of expensive and can leave you throwing up in a gutter.

But in our scientific analysis of the matter (i.e. we went to a bunch of dessert bars and ate things with people), we discovered that there are also important differences.

Our journey began in Prospect, at Devour. With the creative display of unbelievably delicious food, it’s easy to understand why Devour is one of the most critically acclaimed dessert bars in Adelaide.

Devour has a tranquil atmosphere, so if you’re looking for a place to sit and chat without the deafening roar of dubstep, this might be the place for you. (Particularly if you’re partial to well-presented chocolate fondants and peanut butter ice cream.)

Next we headed to Chocolatree in North Adelaide, where we feasted on all things chocolate. With a clatter of cutlery that could almost pass for dance music, Chocolatree’s vibe was much more bustling than Devour’s.

At Chocolatree, the desserts were enjoyable, but the hot chocolate was their real specialty. We would thoroughly recommend the fantastic Butterscotch Blondie.

At this point, we feel that we should also point out that if you’re not sharing your desserts, it’ll probably end badly. Like, seventeen-tequila-shots badly.

The Aviary, in Norwood, was our third and unexpectedly final destination. It was casual with a quirky atmosphere. Unfortunately by this point, certain members of our party were looking a little green so we decided not to continue.

We’re starting to wonder if throwing up is a prerequisite of university social life.

But if one has to hurl it should be because of the mouth-watering flourless chocolate cake or flower pot dirt, which is better than it sounds.

Two important lessons were learned that night. Firstly, unless you’re incredibly lucky (or unlucky, as the case may be), there are limits to how many desserts you can physically consume. Secondly, dessert crawls are fun, and a good way to socialise without alcohol or expensive cab fares.

Realistically, nothing will replace the pub crawl. Heinous t-shirts and two dollar vodka shots will always have a place in our hearts.

Yet for those seeking a more intimate, relaxed, chocolatey atmosphere, we thoroughly recommend Dessert Bar Crawls; your liver will thank you.

Your waistline, however, may not.

Disclaimer: We accept no responsibility for any resulting food comas, diabetes or crimes committed while on a sugar high.