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Giapo is not merely your ordinary gelato stall. It’s a workshop for ice cream experimentation. Much like Wonka, the inimitable Giapo knows the secret power of unusual concoctions in attracting customers.
He stocks his Queen Street spot with everchanging flavours – one for every taste. But be warned – there’s no plain old hokey pokey or orange choc chip in his freezers. Instead they’re packed full with exotic sounding flavours infused with obscure and unexpected ingredients – from white chocolate & kumara to pumpkin, yams to green tea to blue cheese (haven’t found any snozzberry yet though).
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Giapo himself is a bit of a celebrity – a gastronomic genius who pairs his inventions with an engaging social media strategy and guest flavours with NZ’s A-listers; from Colin Mathura-Jeffree’s banana concoction, to the last week’s Mega ice-stravaganza to launch Kim Dotcom’s newest venture. He’s possibly the most well-marketed ice cream man in the nation.
But beware – there are a few risks. With his experimentations, come some concoctions that are not to everyone’s taste. I learnt this lesson with the infamous and spontaneously-chosen chocolate chilli disaster of 2010. It was hot. So very, very hot. And yet cold, which was confusing. My advice: Try before you buy. The Giapo team is very lenient with multiple taste tests so make use of this.
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In the gluten free stakes, it scores well – cups are the norm, each flavour has a little GF symbol on the screens above, and the staff are well-versed in what’s what. Usually there are a couple of cookie-dough / tiramisu type flavours to avoid, but equally as many viable options.
Finally, price-wise at $5 for one scoop and slightly more for two, it’s pretty standard for the upmarket ice cream world. While the actual ice creams aren’t as creamy as other Auckland spots (Takapuna Beach Cafe takes the cake on this), the quirky and unusual variety of flavour is a treat.
So if you’re looking for a gastronomic adventure in the ice cream department, tell Giapo your wildest flavour. I bet he’s made it already.
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My rating: 8/10
- Quality: 9/10
- Value: 6/10
- GF selection: 8/10
- Service: 7/10
- X-Factor: 8/10
Giapo Ice Cream & Research Kitchen, 279 Queen Street, Auckland, giapo.com, twitter: @giapo
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
