Just in time for summer in 2022, local gelato purveyor Pidapipo blessed us with the opening of Pidapipo Laboratorio, a fabulously fun and Willy Wonka-esque destination for dessert devotees. Coming a long way from its pop-up Test Lab on Faraday Street in 2013, Pidapipo’s Laboratio pays homage to its radical roots, leading the way in ice cream innovation with a healthy dose of collaborations, limited-edition flavours and artisan chocolates to go round.
In short, if your sweet tooth isn't afraid of a funky new flavour experiment you'll be like a kid in a candy shop here. Collab highlights in the last twelve months include a partnership with Tom Sarafian to create a Lebanese ashta gelato with sliced Iranian pistachios; Natalie Paull (of Beatrix Bakes fame) to create a Peach Alabama gelato cake; the Fishbowl team to create an exciting range of gelato mochi; and more recently, celebrated Aussie chef Dan Hong to create a salty sweet assortment of flavours for the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival 2024 program.
One of the leaders of the gelato revolution in Melbourne, the brand has stayed true to its ethos of experimentation over the years, and it's a strategy that's clearly paying off as Pidapipo has just celebrated its tenth birthday. Congrats Pidapipo! Expect an exclusive gelato menu celebrating local produce and specialty flavours, and a behind-the-scenes look at co-founder and chef Lisa Valmorbida as she develops and tests limited-edition flavours like white chocolate with pink peppercorn, and goats' yoghurt with saffron.
The rooftop space is used by Valmorbida to cultivate unique ingredients like lemon myrtle and wild strawberries, and to collaborate with local suppliers, including a partnership with urban beekeeper Honey Fingers to install custom beehives. The Laboratorio is also be home to the brand’s range of artisinal chocolate, all made in a world-class temperature-controlled room. There are chocolate treats available to purchase, as well as snacks like scorched almonds, truffles and pecan caramel. There’s even an exclusive range of gelato cakes on offer, capturing the true essence of Italian flavours such as the Neapolitan Bombe Alaska and Rocher cakes.
Pidapipo collaborated with Studio Ongarato for the design of the space – it's tastefully futuristic with a '70s Italian flare, featuring plenty of windows to showcase the true theatrics of all the behind-the-scenes action.
"The Laboratorio is a unique destination – a Willy Wonka place where gelato is made, and new creations are invented," says creative director, Fabio Ongarato. "It's Milan glamour meets '70s north Italian industrialists and factories."
Though it's a theatrical and somewhat unorthodox way to do ice cream, at its core the Laboratorio is still steeped in tradition. Opening the kitchen up and letting people gather, create, connect and eat is, after all, quintessentially Italian.