Ice, ice baby

Pure Gelato is a great way to beat the heat
Ottawa XPress

Article By: Colleen Johnson
Photo By: Ben Welland

As spring gives way to summer’s sweltering heat, you’ll need to find ways to cool off. Gelato is easily one of the tastiest ways to combat rising temperatures. With about four-dozen flavours to choose from, Elgin Street’s Pure Gelato offers up some of the best Italian gelato around town.

I recently stopped by Pure Gelato for a taste of both their sweet treats and their lesser-known savoury eats. Apart from the abundant dessert options, this eatery also has a number of tasty panini, soups, salads and brunch-appropriate crepes. All of these more substantial mains can be had for under a ten spot, making this place relatively inexpensive.

The decor inside Pure Gelato is both slick and playful. Tangerine coloured seating and banquettes play off lime coloured walls and circular mirrored windows, giving the place a bright citrusy appeal. When ordering something that takes a few minutes to make, the staff cheerfully offer to bring it to your table. It’s a nice touch for such a casual environment.

The mortadella panino was jam-packed with spicy eggplant, cheese, roasted red pepper, lettuce and tomato and dressed with a hint of mayo. With a choice between white or brown, these sandwiches are maybe a little bit basic but satisfying nonetheless. My date’s savoury crepe was exceptionally large and filled with scrambled eggs and salty prosciutto. Topped with a drizzle of béchamel sauce and a copious amount of chopped chives, this dish was pretty good despite the eggs being somewhat dry.

The sweet crepe I’d ordered for dessert proved to be much better. The Bacio Kiss crepe was also colossal in size and arrived with three scoops of Bacio gelato, warm chocolate sauce, generous amounts of whipped cream and a smattering of chopped hazelnuts. This dessert was rich and absolutely delicious, but its size makes it a good one to share.

Scoops of gelato can be had in cups or cones starting at just $2.60. The pineapple sorbet is a tropical treat, while the strawberry gelato gets a punch of fresh fruit flavour and has plenty of visible seeds. Other mouthwatering flavours include fig; guava and banana; peanut butter and jam; crème caramel; cinnamon; chocolate marsala; apple pie; and limoncello. There’s even vanilla and chocolate soy to please all you vegan readers.

Pure Gelato
350 Elgin Street
613-237-3799

Mains: $4.50-$9.50