Gelateria La Romana dal 1947 (Salzburg, AUSTRIA) ★★★☆☆

We have one last mission to accomplish before leaving Salzburg for our next destination — Augsburg.

Situated on Linzer Gasse, a vibrant, historic pedestrian street in the heart of Salzburg, Gelateria La Romana dal 1947 is an artisanal gelateria celebrated for its exceptionally smooth textures and traditional recipes originating from Rimini, Italy.

At 11am, the gelateria had just barely opened, so it wasn’t surprising that there was no one else around.

Some of the signature flavors here include their rich Pesto di pistacchio, Crema dal 1947, and the traditional Stracciatella Grand Cru.

Little nugget went with two scoops of gelato on a cup, including their signature Crema dal 1947 — essentially vanilla with lemon peel and strawberry.

Gelato brioche (€7.5) — We didn’t have breakfast this morning, so I was in need of something heavier. This came with three scoops of gelato, and I decided to go with Crema dal 1947, Pesto di pistacchio, and salted caramel.

I thought it would taste a bit like an ice-cream sandwich, but I was wrong. The gelato actually acted more like a big slab of butter inside the brioche. Interesting mouthfeel, but not exactly what I had imagined. If the brioche had been slightly toasted, I think it would’ve tasted even better. Of course, the gelato would melt much faster too — a double-edged sword.

Crepes with gelato (€8) — Jelloman had the crepes with gelato, and she reported back that it was nothing special. She thought the Nutella was a little too overpowering for the gelato.

Our last mission in Salzburg was to climb the stairs to Aussicht Kapuzinerberg Nord, a vantage point with stunning, postcard-like views of Salzburg and Salzburg Castle (Festung Hohensalzburg).

With sore feet and rain pouring down, I thought we wouldn’t make it. In fact, a couple of ladies we met along the way told us they decided to give up midway.

We stopped for a breather halfway up…

But our perseverance finally paid off. The view from up here was truly magnificent, overlooking the entire town of Salzburg and there it was — the castle, just like we have seen on the postcards.

Food Rating: 6/10

Price: €€€

Address: Linzer Gasse 3, 5020 Salzburg, Austria

Tel: +43 662 243376

Website: https://www.gelateriaromana.com/75-gelateria-salzburg.php

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 9:00pm (Mon - Thu), 11:00am - 10:00pm (Fri - Sun)

G.ELM (Minamiawaji, JAPAN) ★★★★☆

One of the top ice-cream shops in Minamiawaji besides Verde Tenero is G.ELM by the waters. We got the chance to check it out up close and personal because it’s just a stone’s throw from our hotel.

At 9:55 am, five minutes before G.ELM officially opened, there was already a small lineup waiting in front. That’s a good sign, I assume. 

I quickly got to the end of the line, and it didn’t take long before they started serving. 

Like most neighborhood ice-cream shops, they don’t offer too many flavors. Just a dozen or so, most of them in bright, colorful tones, perfect for the summer.

A spacious dine-in area for an ice-cream shop is always a luxury. Having one this big — priceless.

Black sesame & sweet potato (350 yen) — One thing I noticed about the texture of their scoops before even taking a lick was how incredibly creamy they looked. My mom is a sucker for anything with sweet potato, and she gave it her thumbs up the whole way.

Matcha ice-cream monaka (300 yen) — I read online that one of their signature items was their housemade monaka, so this was a no-brainer for me.

The matcha ice cream had rich, deep flavors just the way it should be while the monaka stayed relatively light. The contrast in textures was a really nice touch alongside the creamy ice cream.

One heart-warming moment happened when the owner handed me my three ice-cream cups and monaka. I realized I wouldn’t be able to manage all three at once because I was still on a call asking for help. At that exact moment, one of the female servers offered to help carry them to our car.

We didn’t communicate in English at all, but somehow our minds were totally in sync. Her kindness didn’t go unnoticed and of course, I thanked her for helping on the spot. I bet something like that would never happen to me in Hong Kong.

Food Rating: 6.7/10

Price: ￥￥

Address: 1530 Fukurako, Minamiawaji, Hyogo, 656-0501, Japan

Tel: +81 (0)799-50-2332

Website: https://gelm-icecream.com/

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 4:30pm (Fri - Tue)

Kotohira Terrace ことひらテラス (Kotohira, JAPAN) ★★★☆☆

We’re making one crucial stop before heading towards Awaji Island (淡路島) this afternoon. Kotohiragu Shrine (金刀比羅宮), also known as Konpira-san, is Shikoku’s most popular Shinto shrine complex and it stands halfway up Mount Zozu in Kagawa Prefecture. Reaching it is considered a sacred pilgrimage, famously requiring an arduous climb up a massive stone staircase. 

Even though we had a few shrines planned for this trip, Kotohiragu Shrine was the only one left standing on our itinerary, mostly because both the elderlies and the little nugget simply couldn’t bear the heat or the staircase climb. But at least, I thought we could conquer the toughest one of all in the prefecture together (at least that was the original plan).

After parking our car close to Konpira Omotesando, where we found cafes and souvenir shops lining both sides of the pedestrian street, we started walking up toward the shrine.

This was when I began losing my team one member after another. One by one, they fell behind until I was the only one left when I finally reached the entrance, 785 stone steps away from the Main Shrine (御本宮).

At around 36 degrees, there were moments when I seriously thought about giving up but giving up isn’t in my dictionary.

So I kept chunking the climb — step by step, breath by breath — until I finally arrived at the Main Shrine (御本宮主殿), after climbing all 785 stone steps. Located 251 meters above sea level, it houses the main pavilion and even features a wide observation deck overlooking the Sanuki Plain.

There’s also the Inner Shrine (奧社), the true summit, which requires an additional 583 steps bringing the total to 1,368 stone steps but I had enough exercise for the day already. It was time to take the 785 steps back to the Konpira Omotesando.

And soon, I realized what my team had been doing while I was busy climbing. 

They were enjoying soft serve ice cream on beds of shaved ice flavored with soda at Kotohira Terrace (琴平露臺), right on Konpira Omotesando.

I could use one of these chairs to rest my sore feet.

That was quite an exercise under the heat. I’m glad I did it. Now, it’s time to get started on our 1.5-hour drive to Minamiawaji. 

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 716-5 Kotohira, Nakatado, Kagawa, 766-0001, Japan

Tel: +81 (0)877-75-0001

Opening Hours: 10:30am - 3:30pm (Mon - Fri), 11:30am - 4:30pm (Sat - Sun)

Azabuya 麻布屋 COCO Park (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

It was a good sign to see little nugget back on his feet this week. Man, the last two weeks after his surgery had been a nightmare for him and everyone concerned. I’m sure his wounds hurt like hell. His facial expression said it all.

So this Shenzhen trip was long overdue. He told me he felt like he hadn’t been here in ages. The fact was, it had only been less than three weeks.

After a long stroll through One Avenue (卓悦中心), we were ready to head back to COCO Park to wrap up our trip. Just before a quick supper, little nugget spotted Azabuya (麻布屋), a Japanese café that also doubles as an ice-cream parlour. His eyes immediately lit up when he saw the ice-cream bar.

Weeks ago, he was holding my hand very lightly, telling me how painful he’d been in the hospital after the surgery. Today, he was holding my hand firmly, asking me to get him a scoop of ice cream. I immediately said no, telling him he shouldn’t get just one scoop. He needs three. 🤣🤣

I have to admit, Shenzhen is a lousy place to look for a truly nice scoop of gelato. The cookie-and-cream wasn’t bad, but the lychee and peach ones both had too much sharp sweetness and acidity. It definitely served the purpose — thirst-quenching on a hot summer day but it didn’t wow me with the creamy texture I expected.

No complaints from this fella, though… obviously.

Food Rating: 5/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: Shop 107, Level 1 COCO Park, 268 Fuhua Road 3rd, Futian, Shenzhen, China

深圳市福田区福华三路268号星河COCO Park 北区一楼L1-107

Closest Metro Station: Shopping Park (購物公園)

Tel: +86 18948785655

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 10:00pm (Sun - Thu), 10:00am - 10:30pm (Fri - Sat)

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/1e/QvNk

Island Gelato Shenzhen Bay MixC 深圳灣萬象城店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

Little nugget and I have been patiently waiting for the first branch of Island Gelato in Shenzhen to be fully up and running at Shenzhen Bay MixC (深圳灣萬象城).

Founded in 2014, Island Gelato an award-winning gelato shop, originated in Auckland, New Zealand, and has multiple locations across Auckland. Since its soft opening at the luxurious mall last November, the shop had been selling beverages only — without any actual gelato.

Happy times at last! They were finally serving scoops of their signature gelato now. Little nugget couldn't wait.

Little one is a bit of a purist when it comes to gelato indulgence. Despite the more vibrant, contemporary flavors on offer, he still went with his usual vanilla and strawberry. I told him he really needs to be a little more adventurous sometimes!

I like this place a little more than Il Laboratorio del gelato, another gelateria a few blocks down from Island Gelato which was more focused on classic Italian flavors.

Food Rating: 5.9/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: Shop B187, Zone B, B1F Shenzhen Bay MixC, 3213 Keyuan South Road, Nanshan district, Guangzhou, China

深圳市南山区粤海街道海珠社区科苑南路3213号深圳湾万象城2期B区负1层B187号

Closest Metro Station: Houhai (后海)

Tel: +86 19068084375

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 10:00pm (Sun - Thu), 10:00am - 10:30pm (Fri - Sat)

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/91/SEnM

Il Laboratorio del gelato Shenzhen Bay MixC 深圳灣萬象城店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★☆☆☆

We had a lot of food today (again), and with our bellies totally stuffed, we took a slow walk towards Houhai Station (后海站). Little nugget had been browsing left and right the whole time, and it didn’t take long for him to spot something that caught his eye — a gelato shop from New York City.

It was a pretty warm day, so I could totally understand his need for something thirst-quenching. When we stumbled upon Il Laboratorio del Gelato & Caparesh, he made his own choice though I’ll admit his choice of gelato left me scratching my head.

As soon as he found out his favorite vanilla flavor wasn’t available, he went with a scoop of Fuji apple sorbet and toasted coconut gelato (over the NY cheesecake!). I don’t get this!!! 🤔🤔🤔

I thought this was slightly disappointing. The apple sorbet had a bit too much acidity for my liking and the toasted coconut was topped with far too many coconut flakes. Not good.

Food Rating: 5.2/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: Zone B, G/F Shenzhen Bay MixC, 3213 Keyuan South Road, Nanshan district, Guangzhou, China

深圳市南山区粤海街道海珠社区科苑南路3213号深圳湾万象城B区

Closest Metro Station: Houhai (后海)

Tel: +86 19075333387

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 10:00pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/e3/G9kM

Melt Alpine AVIC City 融酥作山 中航城店 (Shenzhen, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

There’s nothing quite like a relaxing oil massage after a sweaty hour of pickleball—especially when you’ve managed to play hard and somehow still look like you’ve been through a battle. Our session was near Huaqiang North (華強北), so naturally we headed to AVIC City (中航城) for post-game recovery — cuz what better way to unwind than pairing sore muscles with the ultimate shopping-complex wander? 😆😆

The oil massage was exactly what the doctor ordered. Warm, soothing, and weirdly satisfying in that “okay, I can breathe again” kind of way. And just as we were settling into that blissful recovery mode, we stumbled upon Melt Alpine (融酥作山) right across from the massage place — it was either fate, or just excellent timing.

Sea salt cheese soft serve (海鹽芝士冰淇淋) — This was delightfully refreshing with a perfect balance of savory and sweet. Most importantly, it wasn’t as cheesy as I first feared. In fact, it tasted lighter, cleaner, and way more enjoyable than I expected.

This is definitely a spot I’ll be revisiting. 

Food Rating: 5.8/10

Price: ¥¥

Address: Shop 110, Zone A, Level 1 AVIC City Junshang Shopping Centre, Futian, Guangzhou, China

深圳市福田区华富路中航城君尚购物中心A区一层110号

Closest Metro Station: Huaquiangbei (华强北)

Tel: +86 13312926490

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 10:00pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/cf/GThM 

Dossa Gelato Panyu Tee Mall 東山的山 意式手工冰淇淋 番禺天河城店 (Panyu, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

We were going to Panyu Tee Mall (番禺天河城) one final time before taking off to our lunch venue this afternoon.

The plan was to get to the metro station right underneath the mall, but we decided to spend some time checking out a few of the little shops, and that’s when we stumbled upon Dossa Gelato (東山的山 意式手工冰淇淋) in the basement level.

Little nugget simply could not resist.

Three scoops for ¥36. Not bad at all. I thought the vanilla and Oreo milk flavors (the two white ones) were too much alike. I had high hopes for the gooseberry one but that turned out to be pretty average as well. 

He didn't really care as long as they were frosty.

Food Rating: 5/10

Price: ¥¥¥

Address: Shop 1048-1, B1F Panyu Tee Mall, 366 Hanxi Avenue East, Panyu District, Guangzhou, China

广州市番禺区汉溪大道东366号番禺天河城B1层 B1048-1号铺

Closest Metro Station: Nancun Wanbo (南村万博)

Tel: +86 13246840551

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 10:00pm daily

Map: https://j.map.baidu.com/2e/UbaM

Tokachi Milky K11 Musea (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★☆☆

Initially, I didn’t have any New Year’s Eve celebration planned but with my sister leaving in a few weeks, I had a last-minute change of heart. So, I booked a random restaurant at K11 Musea, and we ended up enjoying a lovely family gathering there. That marked the perfect close to a wonderful 2025 and set us up for a remarkable 2026.

Afterwards, we took a stroll and enjoyed some fresh air outside on the promenade.

Back inside the shopping mall, little nugget spotted Tokachi Milky, a soft serve shop from Hokkaido that he had previously discovered in SoHo and decided he wanted one last sweet treat before the year came to an end!

Tokachi Soft Serve ($42) – Old dad just wanted to keep it simple. The soft serve was rich and milky, exactly what you'd expect from Hokkaido. We wouldn’t settle for anything less.

Strawberry dip ($50) – Not long ago over dinner, I gently suggested to little nugget that he consider getting fit and shedding a few pounds in the new year. Obviously, he wasn’t listening.

The soft serve was dipped in a rich, strawberry sauce, and from what I’ve heard from this kid, it was very nice and sweet. Just look at his smile.....

I guess getting fit could wait another day. Now that’s a wrap for 2025. 2026 here we come!!! 

Food Rating: 6/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop 008 & 008A, G/F, K11 Musea, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: East Tsim Sha Tsui

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 9:00pm (Sun - Thu), 11:00am - 10:00pm (Fri - Sat)

Daimyo Soft Cream Daimyo 大名ソフトクリーム 大名店 (Fukuoka, JAPAN) ★★★★☆

At 9pm, with our last night in Fukuoka, most of us (except for mom) simply refused to return to the hotel and sleep early. However, Fukuoka is hardly a city that never sleeps, and with the majority of the shops and restaurants preparing to close for the day (if they weren't already closed), was there anything worthwhile to prolong our night?

I, for one, had one more itch to scratch before this trip ended, so I decided to venture over to Daimyo (大名).

Daimyo Soft Cream (大名ソフトクリーム) is a Japanese soft serve shop I visited when they had a branch at Hakata Station many years ago. Their creamy and silky smooth soft serve made quite an impression on me, and I really wanted a taste of it to close out this journey.

Daimyo's milk soft cream (600 yen) – This was exactly how I remembered it — thick, creamy, and flavorful. I'm glad I can finally cross it off my list.

Unlike most ice-cream shops, this branch of Daimyo Soft Cream offers a spacious dine-in area.

Food Rating: 6.5/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 1-11-4 Daimyo, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka, 810-0041, Japan

Closest Metro Station: Akasaka / Tenjin-minami

Tel: +81 (0)92-791-1594

Website: http://daimyosoftcream.com/

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 9:00pm daily