NORTH
Sundae School Ice-Creamery’s chef-created wondersare now available far beyond the original Caulfield North shop. A quaint little space with bay windows in a Fitzroy North shopping strip is the perfect setting for the artisanal creations of former fine-dining chef Karina Serex,who serves just 10 flavours at a time in a frequently changing cabinet.
Lemon creamsicle is a happy accident created by churning lemon sorbet with vanilla one day,while orange sherbet is a buttermilk-based flavour that’s egg-free,refreshing and tart. There’s also a vegan iced-coffee sorbet,blueberry cheesecake,and cardamom with burnt honey and pistachio. Sundaes and spiders are also available.
Open Wed-Fri 2pm-9.30pm,Sat-Sun noon-9.30pm
344 Queens Parade,Fitzroy North,@sundaeschoolicecreamery
EAST
Camberwell cafeFordham’s Milk Bar has opened an ice-cream shop next door. The space – previously used to make the cafe’s pastry – is now a bright,vintage-inspired shop with timber and whitewashed finishes serving eight flavours,all made with Riverina Fresh milk. Choose from strawberry cheesecake,tiramisu,hazelnut,mango sorbet and more. On Sunday nights,the cafe serves $20 pizzas from its backyard pizza oven.
Open Mon-Tue 7am-4pm,Wed-Sun 7am-9pm
118 Fordham Avenue,Camberwell,fordhamsmilkbar.com.au
WEST
Biancolattehas gone from a single roaming gelato cart to three shops in 11 years. Its latest is a petite space in Yarraville where gleaming silver pozzetti hide 18 flavours,many of them traditional Italian favourites. Rich pistachio,blood orange sorbet,and stracciatella (vanilla with chocolate flakes) are complemented by more contemporary scoops such as cold-brew coffee,Basque cheesecake and coconut chocolate.
The gelato is rivalled by cannoli filled with ricotta in flavours of Belgian chocolate,pistachio and honey-almond. Everything,from fillings to shells,is made in-house by Biancolatte’s Sicilian pastry chef.
Open Tue-Thu 3pm-9pm,Fri 3pm-10pm,Sat 1pm-10pm,Sun 1pm-8.30pm
17 Ballarat Street,Yarraville,biancolatte.com.au
PLUS
In December,it’ll be 10 years sincePidapiposcooped its first cup of gelato made from whole fruits,nuts and dairy,with no syrups or ingredients made in a laboratory. It raised the bar for gelato across the city.
True to form,the gelateria’s 10-year celebrations include a showstopper of a cake created withBeatrix Bakes’ Natalie Paull:a riff on Beatrix’s Peach Alabama sponge cake. The log-shaped,sponge-encased gelato version ($120,serves 12) gives nothing away until the first slice is cut,revealing a stunning cross-section of mascarpone-zabaglione gelato and poached peach sorbetto.
It’s already available for preorder,and will be available at all stores (CBD,Carlton,Windsor and Fitzroy) from December 7 to 31. Or join the queue for a free slice from 5pm on Wednesday,December 6 at 429-431 Brunswick Street,Fitzroy.
pidapipo.com