‘the hidden gems you need help discovering’
Pidapipo
PISTACHIO GELATO
Pidapipo is inarguably the best gelateria in Melbourne (it truly is!). Pidapipo is a small brother-sister run business currently active in 2 stores in Melbourne - one on Lygon St, Carlton and the second on Chapel St, Windsor. They have built quite a reputation for their gelato, as clearly visible from the permanent line of customers outside their door. But don’t worry this line moves surprisingly fast and the soft gelato that awaits is totally worth it. The huge scoop of soft, melting gelato for $4.50 is quite the bargain, given the quality of the ice cream. My absolute favourite will always be the pistachio, which has a creamy, surprisingly un-overwhelming but sharp pistachio flavour.
Queen Victoria Market
AMERICAN DOUGHNUT KITCHEN
This ancient doughnut store, selling warm gooey jam-filled doughnuts out of an equally ancient food truck is practically a Melbourne artifact. No, I’m not even kidding, apparently, it’s been there since 1950! The food truck is permanently parked in the middle of queen victoria market (just beyond the organic section) and is very easy to spot. If the attractive blue and white food truck doesn’t catch your attention, the queue of people waiting outside certainly will! With a doughnut at $1.20 and a bag of 5 for $6.00, this traditional doughnut kitchen can hardly keep up with it’s demanding customers. These doughnuts are a treat for all ages so make sure you grab some (or 5) before venturing into the busy aisles of Queen Victoria Market.
The Sundae Market
STICKY TOFFEE SUNDAE
Now, this is a special find and you can thank me later for filling you in on this little secret. In the midst of the crowded aisles and smoke filled food stalls of the Queen Victoria Night Market, stands ‘The Sundae Market’. It looks like a regular authentic sundae stall with about 5-6 different sundae flavours but their ABSOLUTE HIDDEN GEM is the sticky toffee sundae (at $12.00). This sundae has scoops of soft vanilla bean ice-cream melting into a base of sticky date pudding, topped with warm caramel syrup and whipped cream. I first had this on a cold winter night, but it’s so so good it WARMS you up from the inside. Serious. Must. have.
P.S. Check whether the Night Market is on before coming!
Cheese Tea
CHEESE STRAWBERRY DELIGHT
Tea and cheese??? Huh? Yup, that was my initial reaction too. This is the latest trending Asian tea - challenging its’ predecessor -bubble tea. It’s essentially various types of tea (fruity, fragrant and so so colourful) topped with a creamy layer of ‘cheese’. This ‘cheese’ layer is apparently a result of cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk and whipping cream. As unhealthy as this sounds the layer of cheese topping is quite small so I dare say it’s okay to have once or twice a month (if you can manage to stay away). Cheese tea is definitely not a Melbourne delicacy but I put it on this list because there’s finally a few worthy cheese tea places in the CBD. So today I’d like to recommend OriTea, in the far end of Chinatown with its chill vibe and the best cheese tea in Melbourne yet.
Metta recommends: Cheese Strawberry Delight at $6.50
Lentil As Anything
SPECIAL MENTION
I love, love, love this place and what it stands for. It’s not exactly a dessert place but it’s even better. Lentil as anything is a pay-as-you-feel, not-for-profit vegan and vegetarian restaurant. Their menu changes almost daily but there’s always about 3 choices for the main course and then 1-2 dessert choices. It’s situated on the outskirts of the CBD, next to aCoventry in Abbotsford. Most of the staff work voluntarily (unpaid) and customers can pay as much cash as they have on hand or however much they feel the meal was worth (we normally pay $15.00 - $20.00). The food here is incredible. The sticky toffee pudding I once had the luxury of tasting here was one of the BEST things I’ve had in my life! This is an extremely strange concept that I completely support so check them out if you ever get the chance.
So yeah, that’s just a few Melbourne secrets I’ve learned over the last year, I hope it gives you something adventurous to do on a boring day or something tourist-y to do on a trip to Melbourne!
Lots of love,
Nethmi
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