Four To Try: The Best New Soft Serve in Melbourne

Soft serve is having a moment. In New York, cronut creator Dominique Ansel is dipping swirls in melted butter. In Melbourne, sourdough specialists, burger joints and more are elevating the nostalgic treat with high-quality dairy and unexpected toppings.

Nimbus, CBD

Soft-serve pop-up Nimbus opened at Midtown Plaza on Bourke Street in February. Where typical soft serve is around three-to-six-per-cent milk fat, here founder Dennis Chan makes a Hokkaido-style version that’s around 18 per cent milk fat, leading to an extra creamy and velvety texture. There are two flavours, each served in a handmade langue de chat biscuit cone. Fior de latte is made in-house using Jersey milk and cream from Sunbury. It’s also used as the base for changing specials. For the second flavour, Nimbus rotates between a Uji matcha soft serve, and a black sesame number made using roasted black sesame paste. The pop-up will close on Sunday April 19.

Seoul Tiger 1988, CBD

In addition to making excellent Korean-inspired burgers, the Baguette Studios team’s new shop Seoul Tiger 1988 also has exceptional buttermilk soft serve. The house-made soft serve is layered with the venue’s own toppings and sauces. Mainstays include the strawberry pavlova with strawberry compote, strawberry sauce, vanilla meringue, and the Tiger Sundae with peanut brittle, crispy feuilletine, dark chocolate chips and dulce de leche. They’re served alongside monthly specials. Currently, there’s an affogato-like matcha sundae where soft serve is topped with freshly whisked Uji matcha. 

Garfield, Carlton

Jamie Valmorbida’s new pizzeria Garfield is right next to his sister Lisa Valmorbida’s gelateria Pidapipo (which Jamie also co-owns). The two businesses have collaborated on soft serve, available at Garfield, with flavours that change regularly. For April, there is a chocolate and roasted hazelnut Bacio soft serve.

Baker Bleu, South Yarra

Baker Bleu has grown from a single store selling a handful of different loaves to one of Melbourne’s most beloved sourdough bakeries. But the South Yarra location, right by the Royal Botanic Gardens, also has soft serve available as part of an affogato or in a cup loaded with house-made toppings. There’ll only be one soft-serve flavour at a time, allowing the team to get creative with the bakery’s standard items. The current special is a hot cross bun riff. Soft serve infused with raisins, orange, ginger and warm spices is swirled into a cup and topped with spiced crumble, salted caramel and candied orange.

Additional reporting by Pauline De Leon, Quincy Malesovas and Jackie Zhou.