About a year ago we were introduced to Pidapipo, a gelateria from Lisa Valmorbida. In her temporary home of Faraday Street in Carlton, Lisa showed us what real Italian gelato should taste like. She picked up a thing or two during her training at Carpigiani Gelato University (yes, it’s a real thing) in Italy and her year of working on a gelateria in Vicenza.
After six months on Faraday Street, Pidapipo shut its doors and we all thought that we’d had our last taste. But thank the sweet tooth gods, Valmorbida has found a permanent place for her sweet treats just around the corner on Lygon Street. Designed by Melbourne interior architect Rabindra Naidoo, the space has been created into an Italian gelateria from the 50s and 60s. Colours, brass, tiles. You feel like you need a full skirt.
This small space offers up a lot of goodness. 20 flavours including anything from chocolate to watermelon, to hazelnut that tastes like the best Nutella you’ve ever had. Valmorbida only uses the freshest of ingredients. Her ricotta, cinnamon, and fresh honey gelato is a testament to that. The fresh ricotta comes from the cheesemongers at La Formaggeria in St Kilda while the honey is made by the lovely folk at Honey Fingers. If you’re lucky they might even top it with fresh honeycomb.
There is also a chocolate tap. Yes a large tap that just pours out chocolate all day into the tip of the cones for a nice surprise when you take that last bite. For those wanting the real deal you can get a Sicilian brioche roll filled with gelato and our fingers ae crossed some chocolate gets trickled in too.
Friday nights will turn things into a gelato party with DJs including Laila Sakini, Edd Fisher, and DJ Prequel.
Pidapipo
299 Lygon Street, Carlton 3053
(03) 9347 4596
pidapipo.com.au
