L'Arc en Ciel is a patisserie de glace that makes their own gelato, incorporating it into various desserts. 

The patisserie de glace trend has gained steam in Paris and Tokyo. Think Melbourne's Messina, with L'Arc en Ciel offering items like upscale gelato versions of baba au rhum or tiramisu.

The 16-seat space is minimal but classy with a black-and-white scheme, graphics taking after old woodcut art. Floor-to-ceiling front windows open to the street.

All gelato is made on site using fresh fruit and local ingredients as well as nuts and milk powder imported from Italy. Typically, 12 of about 18 rotating flavours are available at a time, and more new flavours are always in development.

The Jardin ($8.50) is indeed a refreshing little garden of flavour.

A pink edible cylinder encases layers of almond dacquoise and vanilla gelato, topped with little frozen domes of strawberry balsamic gelato and basil yogurt gelato as well as frozen raspberries and mini meringues.

Items like this, as well as the mint-mascarpone Holiday! and yuzu-mango Yu/Co 2.0, also come in full-size versions for $45 to $49.50.

The Provence ($8) is essentially a giant high-end macaron gelato sandwich. Soft, chewy, crackly macaron cookies sandwich a centre of sweet, fragrant rosemary honey gelato surrounded by bright grapefruit sorbet and thin slices of apricot.

Upscale sandwich bars ($6) come in varieties like matcha with linzer cookies, chocolate with sable cookies, and mango sandwiched between butter cookies.

A soft serve sundae ($11) comes in a tangy but rich and creamy fior di latte flavour, decorated with more of the little frozen gelato domes, a caramel sauce and a macaron cookie. 

A ring of punchy yuzu, mango, matcha, raspberry, strawberry and chocolate gelatos creates a rainbow effect.

Creations are a collaborative effort between minds behind Duo Patisserie and the staff here, one of whom used to work there as well as in Paris and London. Watch out for items that shockingly don't include gelato like cookies, pound cake and viennoiserie.