Pagoto Gelato and Waffle House - Marrickville, Sydney

Baklava as gelato?  The ever present water melon in increasingly seen in Australian trendy use, as part of an offered flavour.  Pavlova as an Aussie touch.  Low rise seats to attract children, sitting to watch a side street.  An impressive variety of choices.  Open in the evenings.   A touch of Mediterranean shared with Italians - mascarpone, nutella.  Truly Greek wonders like Ouzo, Galaktoboureko  and Karoumbiedies.   And oh yes,  more Aussie favourites - salted caramel, mocha, white chocolate and peanut butter!  Thirty-six flavour choices in all.

Presentation, colour and taste.

Katerina Magoulias and Chris Felemegas are the business partners behind this exciting entry to the gelato field.   I understand the challenge they faced was not another similar store.  Gelatos are the speciality of Europe, despite the early involvement of Asian backed chains.  The coffee trade is maturing and yet its market and consumer spending is growing.  How does one lift up the gelato game in this part of the world?

On my very first visit to Pagoto's, I chose the pavlova with the almond based Kourambiedies.   Traditional to contrast with Greek and the exotic.   There was a balance.  I savoured the deep flavours that each gelato represented.  Marrickville is going steady as a food hub and so this post meal treat has come in very handy for diners and a night out.

The Pagoto woman

In Marrickville, Pagoto is beside a lane leading to Mitre 10 - from outside the place may be unassuming but once you get inside the gelato and waffle place, there are many wonders to explore.

Greek styled gelato  to me tastes lighter and more flavourful when compared to other varieties.  It is not over the top sweet, but what I appreciated was the texture and use of clever ingredients.

The heaviest flavour I reckon is the chocolate ice cream with crushed peanuts, chocolate sauce and chocolate flakes.  The sweetest to me is the lemon and icing sugar gelato.   In between is the combination of banana, crushed macadamia nuts and caramel sauce.  I am attracted by the garnishings that Pagoto thinks up to serve with the primary flavour.

Waffles come with a good array of accompaniments - avocado, berries and ricotta.  I particularly have a soft spot for the option with walnuts, honey, cinnamon and ricotta on my waffle.

I noticed that there are flavours at Pagoto not found anywhere else in Australia.   This may be its advantageous differentiating factor.  When dropping by in the late afternoon, there were many small kids, families and adults having an enjoyable time.  I enjoyed the customer engagement evident at the Marrickville outlet.  The place is not overly spacious but maybe just right.   Having waffles as another choice is an interesting idea, it makes kids want to sit down and soak in their experience.  Then there is also frozen yogurt and traditional ice cream.

Oh ya, you can have your Freddocino and iced coffee as well....next I must try the ginger and caramelised fig gelato!


Pagoto Sydney is located at 301 Victoria Road, Marrickville NSW.
Telephone:  61401 724  686
Opening hours;  From 12 noon every day, till 1030pm from Mondays to Thursdays and closes later from Fridays to Sundays.
In Sydney, you can also check the Pagoto pop up carts at Circular Quay and Bondi Beach Walkway.


Pagoto Melbourne is located at Oakleigh.
There are pop up carts in five distinct areas - Swanston Street; Etihad Stadium  Boardwalk at 750 Bourke Street; Royal Exhibition Building at Nicholson Street, Carlton;  Melbourne Showgrounds at Epsom Road, Flemington; and in Port Melbourne, at the Beaconsfield Parade Beach Walkway.

Pagoto Brisbane is located at Mount Gravatt.





 

Gelateria Giapo, Haute Ice Cream & Gelato - Auckland

The lively engaging and customer focused  staff member  of Giapo we were so fortunate to meet at the Gelateria - and she is from Sicily.  Photo credit - Ms S K Teoh.

Welcoming, wonderful and wow in flavours and presentation!  As someone remarked, "When you have a Giapo ice cream, you just won't know where to start!".

The cones can be bigger than what you normally get at ice cream parlours, but this rather unique place comes alive with a great selection of ice creams and gelato.  Each flavour and combination in Giapo comes with eye catching names.  I had the Christchurch Hazelnut, my fellow gelato cult members chose two with Avocado and another one with an Italian twist.  And that was the more simple name...CH.

All very New Zealand.  And Italian. Giapo also has flavours inspired from the South Pacific neighbours and of course, the iconic Hokey Pokey.  You can have your gelato and ice cream in cups as well but the waffle cones are quality and yummy eaten by themselves.  I can still recall flavours like Yogurt with Goji Berry and the Organic Winter Sangria Sorbet - and they can change every day.

Check out the Aotearoa Garden, hey are they leaves freshly plucked from a  garden on the top?  I just adored my solid chocolate cone placed solidly on my serving - and they even give you a helpful little spoon with your cone.

Giapo delights are not overly rich but full of flavour, with interesting combinations that tease the senses.  Chef and patron of Giapo, Mr. Giapo Grazioli, has a gem of a gelateria.  Giapo is a strong believer and supporter of local produce.  Massey university has a research paper on Gaipo.s business success.

Colour, shape, how it all looks count here as well as the inherent taste. And then wait for the toppings!  These are generous encrusted top-of-the-cake literally over the top bonuses.  These counter against the higher prices charged but I reckon you get value in return.

Service is fast and I was amazed by the efforts the staff go to decorate the tops of the already delicious offerings.  With a smile, the lovely two female staff (one from Sicily)  take us through their extensive menu.  Children and the elderly would be captivated - anyone is!  They even offer drinking water when customers sit down, watching the goings on along Queen Street.  The bus stops right infant of Giapo, go for this!  I would take ice cream in the Kiwi winter at Giapo's - don't even think of summer.  

Visiting Giapo's is more than an experience, it can be the whole package in engagement, palate satisfaction and enjoyment.  Gelateria are often small but it is  pleasure to reward yourself especially on a cold day outside. Flavours can change daily as well.

Giapo Haute Ice  Cream & Gelato is located at 279 Queen Street, Auckland CBD near the Civic Theatre.  Located in front of a bus stop, teeming numbers of students and tourists.

Opening Hours: Every day after noon, weeknights close 1030pm and weekends 1130pm.

Telephone: 65 9 5503677

 

Austi Beach Cafe - Austinmer NSW

The cafe is synonymous with summer time gelato and sorbets.

The staff member who sat us down was friendly and proactive.  I took up on her offer of the PH Balance drink, it was helpful for my budding cold. She could rattle off useful updates on dishes and items available.  I have perceived that this Austi Beach Cafe is the place to go to for summer time gelato in the Illawarra Coast, apart from the one at Panorama House, Cold Rock  and Patisccerie Massimo Papa.  However on our most recent visit,  it was imprudent to go for the cold stuff on a rather classic winter's day on the coast south of Sydney.

Austi does have an interesting food menu though. I have seen so many pulled pork offerings around the Wollongong, Melbourne and Sydney areas - so I gave the pulled lamb on toast sandwich a definite go.  I loved it, with the taste, texture and overall flavours pleasing my palate.  The ocean waves were crashing outside just across the road and fellow lunchers were huddled near the over head heater.  The drinks menu are pretty much what you expect from a beach side suburb - crushes, milk shakes, fresh juices, coffee, milkshakes and teas. 

As it is also a Gelateria, the choices in this respect are more colourful and varied.  I noticed there was an Affogato a Cafe, comprising of a shot of espresso over two scoops of the gelato flavours and topped by a wafer.  A dessert to also try is the Mandarin flavoured pudding, drizzled with honey and full of chocolate as well.

Open for dinner time on weekends, recommendations are to try the Toulouse Sausage and the king prawn Linguini, after entrees of crab and corn Croquettes or the Boston Bay mussels with fried bread.  The Cafe is normally open for breakfast, brunch and lunch. It can be a favourite stop for visitors from outside the Wollongong area on holidays and weekends.  The lunch menu is available only from noon.  Austin also caters for packaged menus.

Austin Beach Cafe is located at 104 Lawrence Hargrave Drive opposite the beach in Austinmer NSW.  It is a leisurely fifteen minute drive north from Wollongong city centre, or around 30 minutes south from Waterfall, a southern suburb of greater Sydney.Telephone 02 4268 5680The owners also operate the Point Cafe in Bulli NSW which bakes the sweet stuff for the Austi Beach.

Vehicle parking is best aimed for the Council provided parking beside the beach.

I adored this pulled pork over sourdough with veg.

The Cow and the Moon Artisan Gelato - Enmore NSW

There are aromatic gelatos in many places dotted across Australian conurbations, thanks to southern European expertise, offering alternatives to mainstream Australian ice cream from the UK and Asian varieties with a rather startling choice of exotic flavours.  So what is so different about this sorbet and gelato bar at the corner of London Street and Enmore Road in the suburb of Enmore, perhaps a less well known cousin of sprawling nearby Newtown.  The Lord and Lady of The Cow and the Moon - John and Wendy Crowle - hailed from the NSW South Coast, a bakery past and has a love affair with Italy.  John has a fantastic philosophy about his business - and it shows, with sentiment and deja vu invoked in the hearts of the customers, families, children and baby boomers. And son Sam specialises in his single origin coffees.  And his sister Olivia is cheerful.

I had eyed going to sample the coconut flavoured gelato for some time now. It won an award.  Next is to test the pistachio, which always provides the strengths and any shortcomings of any gelato maker. And then I could not resist hazelnut roche. Were they going to be too creamy or thin? Oh why did I not get the salted caramel - okay, maybe next time!  Gelato is best consumed fresh, like seafood.

I found the pistachio with a vivid colour, smooth texture and with a pure taste - not overwhelming, perhaps a bit too creamy for me but overall with  a fresh attitude and with a less fatty sensation on my lips.  Gelato is European in origin, so I am a bit wary of tropical flavours with them - when I dipped into my coconut, it was not gritty, it had just the right  intensity for a difficult flavour and it was not over tyne top.  In Italian, gelato literally means frozen but I did not get my mouth or tongue frozen - merely awakened, teased and satisfied.  I have a weakness for hazelnut, so I knew I was going to be positively prejudiced with my hazelnut roche choice.  The hazelnut flavours were not powered by sweetness but stood their ground.

Location can help. It is easier to find vehicle parking in Enmore - and there is the Enmore Theatre with a variety of gigs and acts that attract the very demographic who may want a pre or post performance place to sit down in or just hang around.  I noticed that the menu can be simple and limited - just coffee and the cold stuff - but that may be its most attractive point. Oh yes, it can get complicated when children look at the variety and may want more than they can consume, especially with accompanying dotting parents. The smile on a child's face pressed against the glass is echoed by the ambiance of the cafe and the easy going manner of the staff, especially Sam.  People can hang around casually waiting for takeaway or just a cone of sorbet - and they feel as if they are in their neighbourhood joint on a lazy weekend arvo.  If all the tables are taken up, hey we can hang on the street and perhaps take the opportunity to view the wall graffiti on nearby lanes.

I must say the coffee blend served lived up to match the gelatos.  My cuppacino was bold but offered a striking flavour. It had body, just the optimal froth on top and a wholesomeness in the cup.  Some competitors have good gelato but less than awesome coffee, but not here.

The name can say it all - the Cow indeed takes each visitor to this cafe to the Moon.

Oh yes, the coffee brings out the gelato, and vice-versa.

N2 Extreme Gelato, Chinatown Sydney

It looks like a shady chemistry lab. It feels like an underground cavern. It exudes some mystery.  How does liquid nitrogen add to the flavours of gelato?  I am reminded of Dr Who, I recall my high school moments and I notice the chalk on the blackboard. Word of mouth has fed much into my ears and if I am in uni, I would consider this cool, very cool. Overhead lights add to the allure, bright coloured spots and items provide some surprising touches.  It may also feel like the garage school boys hang out. Already operating in both Melbourne and Sydney, I reckon this business model can do well in Asian cities in Singapore, Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai and Taipei.  What, you may ask, another hyped up gelato joint?  It can do well in warm climes instead of the rather cold day when I checked out N2.

To me, it looked like kitchen cake mixers (yes they are Kitchen Aids) but then there was a serious effort of adding this gas like thing on to the mixing bowl.  Ah ha, the UK chef Heston may have had a hand in all these.  The thought did cross my mind that handling nitrogen is not in the same league as preparing juices or ice cream smuck.  It is a more risky league.  I tried the avocado mix. Staff were friendly, the smiling Caucasian guy in the white coat and the naturally beaming Asian lass helping him. I did find the gelato on the thick side but then it was flavourful, did not have icy sheen as some of the competitors dish up and there was quality. Perhaps two can share one order, especially if you visit after a meal.  There is so much choice in flavours and combinations and I do recommend the plain old pandan, cocolichee sorbet, fig and yogurt and the pork floss gelato.  Many commented that the flavours are skewed towards Asian tastes and upbringing, but I suggest to every one to let go, feel the wind and be adventurous.

The venue at One Dixon Street encourages inter mingling whilst also providing funky corners to wait, stare and consume.  N2 is one of the more refreshing gelato and customer hub concepts played out in reality - and the obvious demographic market target is the 13 to 30 year olds.  I may have forgotten my chemistry element symbols but N2 is obviously nitrogen. It is a credit to founder Min Chai's imagination and flair that N2 Extreme Gelato exists - and this is another real life story of a trained accountant going beyond the figures to create a business.  There are extreme queues at certain hours but uni students find it fun, they catch up without having to make over complex appointments.

Gelato Messina, The Star Sydney

Drew had introduced me to this unique delight, Messina gelato made in the best traditions of Sicily, home of the classic movie Cinema Paradiso and the origin of many immigrants to Australia in the fifties and sixties.

Famiglia Palumbo started his business in Darlinghurst’s Victoria Street near the entrance to the Kings Cross precinct of Sydney. There I was, with Drew, ravishing a cone or two as it approached midnight. I am not sure whether it was the secret delight of enjoying ourselves in the city centre late on a Sunday night that added to the high sensation of taking in beautifully made gelato.

Gelato Messina has since opened another outlet, in the refurbished Star near Darling Harbour. (picture above) The range here is perhaps less, but there are always the reliable combinations of Italian nougat and tiramisu, chocolate and raspberry sorbet, coffee and hazelnut plus pandan coconut and passion fruit. I am told there is now a range of monoporzione ( or Italian for “single portion” ) with names like Bity Bity and Mini Me, but I was too preoccupied with the gelato to notice on my most recent visit. This is in addition to their ever popular gelato cakes.

Janie and Lai were with me on this visit to t Star outlet, and Janie did find the Messina version too creamy, having expressed a preference for the gelato from Dolcesimmo in Sydney’s Haberfield.

The Darlinghurst outlet is open from noon till 1130pm every day, whilst The Star branch operates from 11am to 11pm. My impressions on the Messina Gelato outlet at Sydney’s Star are:

Atmosphere: Informal and Cool.

Location: Touristy.

Taste: Refreshing and Nice.

People Engagement: Friendly and Focused.

Service: Patient and Ready.

Best Time to Visit: Late at Night.

My Fav Dish Experienced: Coconut, Lychee and Mango Sorbet

Would I Return? : Yes.