Blacklight Dessert Lab Is Coming To VIVID

Blacklight Dessert Lab Is Coming To VIVID

Darling Square will light up taste buds during Vivid Sydney with an installation By Motti & Smith and Belle Laide Events that will blur the lines between food, art and architecture.

For three weeks – from Friday 24 May to Saturday 15 June – Darling Square will be home to Blacklight, an illuminated and multi-sensory dessert bar led by Gelato Messina.

Ever wondered what our Dr Evil's Magic Mushroom cake looks like when it glows in the dark? Head down to Darling Square during VIVID to visit our immersive Blacklight Dessert Lab.

Blurring the lines between food, art and architecture, the luminous shipping container will house our Messina Dessert Lab for three weeks, opening for trade between 24th May - 15th June, 6pm - 11pm each night. Brisbane based artist Leans has decked out our hub with a multi-dimensional neon light installation.

We've made two glowing core Messina products which will be available every night:

DULCE-DE-LIGHTED – Layers of milk crumb, dulce de leche gelato, milk sponge and cream topped with warm strawberry cinnamon anglaise and glow in the dark strawberry powder

DR. EVIL'S POISIONED MINI MUSHROOM – Chocolate gelato, peanut butter cookies, feuilletine grass and dulce de leche mini mushroom finished with glow in the dark chocolate

But the fun doesn't end there. We're also partnering with three fellow Darling Square newcomers – Bubble Nini, Edition Coffee Roasters and a new concept by Devon Cafe.

We'll be opening in the new CBD Darling Square development in August, along with our Dessert Lab partners.

They're all glowed up and will be taking it in turns to join us in the Blacklight Dessert Lab.

The first week (24th May - 2nd June) will see Bubble Nini making two custom ultraviolet bubble teas:

THE SUN AND THE MOON – Messina milk infused with Taiwanese Sun Moon Lake black tea, handmade glow in the dark strawberry pearls and herbal jellies

IT TAKE TWO TO MANGO – Jasmine green tea with fresh orange, passionfruit, apple, coconut jelly, glow in the dark mango pearls and Messina mango sorbet

The second week (3rd - 9th June) brings Edition Coffee Roasters and their delicious MISO HUNGRY – Messina coffee gelato (made with Edition Brazil Daterra) and chewy miso caramel, sandwiched between Edition's miso dark choc cookies, dipped in glowing dark chocolate.

The final week will see us collaborating with DOPA by Devon Cafe, who're making two deliciously sweet, Asian inspired drink:

MATCHA MADE IN HEAVEN – Messina matcha jersey milk latte with a scoop of matcha gelato, topped with matcha cream and matcha crumbs

YUZUADE – Messina yuzu sorbet, yuzu syrup, coconut jellies and tonic water

Make sure you drop in for a snoop and a sweet treat, and don't forget your camera.

RSVP and follow updates

Blog posts

  1. Read more: Bobbys x Messina
    Bobbys x Messina

    Bobbys x Messina

    Get ready Cronulla, we are making waves ahead of our exciting new store opening! You can sign up here to be the first to know when we open our doo...
    Read more
  2. Read more: Queen Victoria Markets
    Queen Victoria Markets

    Queen Victoria Markets

    Melbourne, your Wednesday nights just got an upgrade! We are making our mark at the Queen Victoria Markets (QVM) with a dessert lineup so good, i...
    Read more
  3. Read more: Messina Reusable Cups
    Messina Reusable Cups

    Messina Reusable Cups

    We’re delighted to announce that from Monday 2nd December reusable cups are now welcome in all our stores*! If you’ve been eating with us for a...
    Read more