We love catching up with the news from our gelato friends. And the big news from the lovely Jaz at Geloso Gelateria is her latest flavour: salted pistachio gelato.
The Queen Victoria Market is a superb location for this family-run gelateria, backed by four generations of Sicilian gelato-makers. Early each morning Jaz checks out the market stalls for the best seasonal produce. Anything at the peak of ripeness – mangos, strawberries, watermelon, whatever looks good on the day – is turned into gelati, all made daily on-site in small batches.
On weekends, Geloso’s gelato cart – manned by Jaz’s husband, Sam – is stationed by the ATMs in Queen Street. The little green cart has space for just six flavours in its shiny pozzetti. But for the day’s full selection, or for a citrusy granita, head up to Geloso’s stall in F Shed, adorned with gorgeous gelato cone lights. There is a clutch of seats opposite – alternatively, enjoy your gelati while strolling around the market.
Here at Gelido, we love traditional pistachio gelato. It’s a classic – every good gelateria makes one. Which also means that it is an ideal benchmark to assess gelato excellence. Nutty taste from the best pistachios – tick. Silky smooth texture – tick. Khaki colour (definitely no artificial colourings) – tick.
Why tinker with something so perfect? But on the other hand, we know that flavour is greatly enhanced by adding salt. Case in point: the hugely popular salted caramel.
So we had to try Jaz’s new salted pistachio. Our verdict – totally awesome! It is a sophisticated balance between sweet and salt, with the lovely pistachio flavour intensified by the salt.
On a day for indulgence, my cone was loaded with salted pistachio, plus not one, but two sorbetti – dark chocolate and passionfruit. That’s real fruit in the tangy passionfruit sorbetto, with the acidity giving a welcome contrast to the richness of chocolate (definitely one for dark chocolate tragics), finished with a final sweet/salty note from the pistachio gelato.
Benny also opted for a triple scoop, creating a DIY cherry ripe from coconut (his favourite), cherry and (dairy based) chocolate gelati. A great flavour combo.
Gelido was the guest of Geloso.
Geloso crafts some of the best artisan gelati in Melbourne from its tiny stall in the Queen Victoria Market. Geloso’s flavours change every day, so you will need to be lucky to catch the new salted pistachio.
Open on market days (closed Mondays and Wednesdays), and on Wednesday nights during February for the market’s Food Truck Stop.
Geloso Gelateria
Queen Victoria Market
F Shed Shop 5
Queen Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
T: 0427 844 220
W: www.facebook.com/gelosogelateria/