When I leave with three cups of gelato (ube halaya, leche flan and keso), a woman on a bike stops to ask me why so many people are queuing up in front of the store. "For gelato," I reply. "Really, just gelato?" she quips back, unimpressed. Before I could say anything, somebody in the queue has already told her: "It's not JUST gelato. It's the best gelato. And made by two of Melbourne's best chefs!"
I don't know if that was enough to convince the woman, but there are for sure a whole lot of people rejoicing at the opening of Kariton Sorbetes first store. One of the big success stories of the pandemic, of John Rivera and Minh Duong caught people's attention with funky flavours like keso, a cheddar and bourbon-vanilla gelato that's garnished with roasted cashews, lashings of cheddar and crushed Filipino SkyFlakes crackers. The gelato was initially only available in tubs for delivery, but now you can get it in store, which has been attracting die-hard fans and newbies alike.
Kariton Sorbetes (kariton means 'cart' in Tagalog and sorbetes is a Filipino ice-cream typically sold on the streets) is located on Leeds St in the inner-western suburb of Footscray, not too far from where Rivera and Duong grew up.
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Riversa tells SBS Food, "Back then, Footscray had a bad reputation. You know, you don't go there past a certain time of night. But now it's really starting to become a really cool and hip place. Our generation is kind of taking over and creating a much better place to live and work.
He says they feel "super connected" to the suburb. "We're looking at it like, 'let's show the world what a couple of guys from the Western suburbs can do'."
, the store subtly evokes the Philippines with its colourful glass wall and rattan panelling.
Fans of the first hour will be happy to know that Kariton Sorbetes still has a strong Filipino focus, but also that Rivera and Duong (and their new partner, Michael Mabuti) are taking their business further. "We wanted for it to translate throughout Southeast Asia. With Minh being Vietnamese, and the majority of our clientele being Indonesian, Singaporean, Chinese, Malaysian; we have the possibility of allowing the 'cart' to travel the world and explore different flavours and cultures", explains Rivera.
It's not JUST gelato. It's the best gelato. And made by two of Melbourne's best chefs!
Their regular offering has around 10 freshly churned gelato flavours picked from . Some are a mainstay, like the popular ube halaya, which is an ube gelato with ube jam (ube is a purple yam native to the Philippines), preserved blackberry and (caramelised coconut curds).
"We have people walking into the shop asking for five litres at a time. We're definitely known for the 'purple stuff'. Non-Filipinos will come in and say, 'I want the purple one' without actually knowing what it is. But they'll have it, which is amazing. It's a great icebreaker," says Rivera.
Tip: Both Rivera and Minh recommend trying the underrated proot shake, a young coconut sorbet glazed with jasmine gel and peppered with preserved tropical fruit like longan and rambutan. While it may seem less out-there than their other flavours, they promise it's light and refreshing.
One or two soft-serves (like a tofu soft-serve with boba pearls and oolong syrup) and two to three specials (like the Malaysian-inspired Milo gelato with malted milk chocolate ganache and Milo honeycomb) also feature daily.
The gelato is made with local , and comes in cups, cones, tubs or milk buns. The last is inspired by how Rivera's dad and "the oldies in the Philippines and Asia" eat their ice cream, between slices of bread.
Don't miss the hand-held treat, which is Kariton Sorbetes' take on Australian ice-cream classics like Golden Gaytime and Maxibon. Sign us up for the YemaBon, a salted duck-egg biscuit filled with malted milk gelato and miso egg yolk jam that's dipped in caramelised white chocolate.
The two chefs have plenty more ideas they'd like to concretise, from a chicken and waffles gelato to a big Ferrero Rocher ice-cream cake.
And after conquering Melbourne's west, the trio behind Kariton Sorbetes has set its sight east. The team is thinking of Box Hill or Doncaster for a second store, and maybe even taking over Sydney later on.
Wed–Thu: 2–9 pm
Fri: 2–10 pm
Sat: 12–10 pm
Sun: 2–9 pm
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