Ottavio Gelato and the search for 49 below

This week we had planned to find 49 Below ice cream. 49 Below is a subscription service where you have ice cream delivered to your door. This is brilliant, what can be better than door to door ice cream? The hard part is where can you sample it. It was mentioned than you can get it at Fairfield Branch coffee shop, Nope. On the 49 Below Instagram page, it mentioned that you can get their ice cream at Hide and Seek Coffee in Oak Bay, Nope. Only in coffee drinks, not by itself. So the search goes on. We will just have to get a pint of ice cream delivered.

But right next door to Hide and Seek Coffee is Ottavio. Ottavio is known for its gelato. What is the difference between ice cream and gelato? Lots. But the main difference is gelato uses less cream and more milk. Ice cream is also whipped faster so it contains more air and feels lighter. Gelato is mixed slower so you get less air and more flavour per bite. There is a better description here.

But how does it taste and how does it rank up against the ice cream? Both good and bad.

Flavour: Arianna had the grapefruit (7/10) and blackberry (9/10). The grapefruit flavour was a good idea, but I would say that it was too sour for my taste. But overall it was interesting. Blackberry, on the other hand, was way sweeter and pulled off very well.

Dad had the pistachio and coffee flavours. He said the pistachio was true to the flavour and contained bits of nuts (9/10). The coffee flavour was a little grainy but good (8/10). Mom had the Florentine and really liked it, but didn't give us a rating.

Service/Location: 8/10. It was in Oak Bay so it was easy to get to. The staff was really nice but it was a little confusing that you had to pay before you got the gelato. Parents could also get really good cheese and coffee.

Cone/Presentation: 6/10. The cone itself was pretty and the taste was good, but it fell apart to easily. It was a hassle to eat. We think it was a generic waffle cone. The metal bowls were warm and the gelato melted pretty quickly.

Selection: 9/10. There was all the standards like mango, mixed berries and lemon. But there were also some unique ones like pistachio and Florentine.

We feel bad about the low ratings, Ottavio was really good and we will go again. But it is pretty hard to beat the ice cream awesomeness of Kid Sister.

Next week will still be the quest for 49 Below. But we will probably visit Cold Comfort in Fernwood.