Fluffy Torpedo’s Third Ice-Cream Shop Delivers Eight New Flavours With a Dash of Whimsy

“We don’t ever want Fluffy to just be known as the crazy ice-cream store,” Fluffy Torpedo co-owner Cherry Rainflower tells Broadsheet. “We always want people to not have expectations, or not be able to expect what’s coming next.”

Beginning in Fitzroy with sour strap-embellished floors before opening a second location on Sydney Road with a swimming pool-inspired affair of blue and white tiles and seats hand-welded by co-owner Adam Semple, the shop has managed to successfully evade being boxed in. Now, the duo has unveiled their third venue: a wood-panelled Richmond iteration, which Rainflower says feels “a little more serious”.

Warm timber lines the walls and makes up tiered seating along one side of the room, while a venetian blind exhibits the menu. The result is a calming space that passers-by have mistaken for a wellness centre. But luckily for lovers of Fluffy Torpedo’s inherent whimsy, “serious” holds less weight for Rainflower and Semple than it does for most. 

“The ethos of our Fluffy stores is that we like them to be interactive and creative and playful,” says Rainflower. As proof, a small timber slide borders the built-in seating and a bright orange spring rocker shaped as a fox encourages playfulness in all age groups.

“We want people to really enjoy themselves in the space,” she says. “Don’t be afraid of touching things, asking questions, or letting your curiosity and imagination and interest wander throughout the space. Sometimes there’s a very restricted feeling as you step into a hospitality venue. But we want people to feel comfortable to go down the slide, or sit on the spring rocker, or just release your inhibitions a little bit.”

The ice-creamery’s original flavours will all be available, meaning you can grab a scoop of the Vegemite and white chocolate, or milk ice-cream swirled with peach sorbet. But the store’s larger footprint means there is space for eight additional flavours, which are currently being devised.

“There’s going to be an MSG salted caramel, and fruit toast sourdough is another,” says Rainflower. There will also be an “Adam flavour” of salted plum, bitters and duck fat, with “salty crispy bits”. “We would have been eating some delicious duck somewhere and he would have been like, ‘Oh, let's make a duck flavour!’” she laughs. The other five flavours are yet to be revealed. 

Looking forward, the team hopes to open a Melbourne CBD and Carlton store in the next year to year and a half, and they still have their sights set on opening in New South Wales and in their home state of Western Australia down the line.

Fluffy Torpedo
454 Church Street, Richmond
No phone

Hours:
Daily midday–10pm

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