fritz gelato, prahran market

After our martial arts training on the weekends, a group of us often end up hanging out in the courtyard of Prahran Market. In summer, for me, that means getting the delightful award-winning frozen concoctions from Fritz Gelato. This invariably garners envious attention from my compatriots, usually with a few succumbing and trotting off to get their own.

The gelati here are made with fresh, organic ingredients, and shies away from artificial flavours and colours. As such, the flavours available can vary according to the season. Festive ones also pop up occasionally. At the moment, as we edge towards Christmas, I received their newsletter informing me of a Plum Pudding ice cream. I'm not even a big fan of plum pudding, but the next time I went to get my gelati fix, my curiosity got the better of me and I opted for a scoop of that, along with a scoop of an oldie but goodie, Very Vanilla.

If you like plum pudding, you'll probably like Fritz Gelato's version, as it does taste rather like the real thing with spice, rum, candied fruits, and even a subtle touch of doughiness. The vanilla is a solid choice, one that I've had before, and I like it because it's, well, very vanilla, and in a good way.

alliteration alert: Plum Pudding and Very Vanilla

As much as I appreciate Fritz Gelato's rich and creamy gelati, I'd probably say I like their refreshing fruit gelati even better. I discovered their beautiful Blood Orange earlier this year and was instantly won over by its authentic flavour and silky-smooth texture. Then there's Forest Berry, a luscious new revelation for me. Intense with the natural sweet-tangy taste of berries, this, too, will be making its way to my rotation list. And that deep reddish-purple colour is just sensational.

Blood Orange and Forest Berry sitting in a tree...

There doesn't seem to be many write-ups on Fritz Gelato, but all the ones I've seen, upon a quick search, are greatly positive. Most recently, Mel from Hot or Not rated it as Hot.

Other notes: Fritz Gelato was founded by Andrea Fritz, a Swiss immigrant. The first Australian store opened in South Melbourne in the 1960s, followed by stores in Richmond and St Kilda, though I've only tried the stall at Prahran Market. Take-home tubs are available. They also do organic donuts, which I like very much as well.