Blacklight Dessert Lab

Over 23 days of Vivid, Blacklight – an illuminated and multi-sensory dessert bar under the sweet direction of Gelato Messina – will pop-up at Darling Square, near Haymarket.

When you step inside the black cube – which is designed by Belle Laide Events and Motti & Smith – you’ll see colour-changing panels designed by 23-year-old Brisbane-based artist Leans. Messina, Edition Coffee Roasters, Bubble Nini and Dopa by Devon – all retailers at Darling Square’s food and beverage precinct – have collaborated on a series of glow-in-the-dark desserts. Each establishment has created a menu, and four desserts will available each night of the festival.

Messina will be serving Dulce-de-lighted (a three-layer dulce de leche gelato cake) and its Dr Evil’s Magic Mushroom cake, which has had a luminescent makeover for the event.

Bubble Nini’s glowing bubble tea, Sun and the Moon, is made with Messina’s jersey milk, which has been infused with Taiwanese Sun Moon Lake black tea, handmade glow-in-the-dark strawberry pearls and herbal jellies. Its second creation, It Takes Two to Mango, is an infusion of jasmine green tea with fresh orange, passionfruit, apple, coconut jelly and glow-in-the-dark mango pearls, finished with Messina’s mango sorbet.

Edition will serve its take on a mocha, as well as its Miso Hungry gelato sandwich, which sounds pretty crazy: Messina’s coffee gelato and chewy miso caramel sandwiched between miso dark-choc cookies, which have been dipped in glow-in-the-dark chocolate.

The Messina desserts will be available every night of the pop-up. Bubble Nini will be available May 24 to June 2, Edition Coffee Roasters from June 3 to 9, and Dopa by Devon from June 10 to 15.

Open daily from 6pm to 11pm.