Watching staff at Kariton Sorbetes scoop gelato out of glass-topped pozzetti cabinets, it’s clear: dessert isn’t always simple. Take the turon, a banana gelato with muscovado butterscotch, chunks of jackfruit and caramelised spring roll pastry, or the champorado, a cocoa and roasted-rice gelato with fish sauce “salted” caramel. There’s nothing simple about Kariton, the adored Melbourne ice-creamery that opens its first Sydney outpost in Burwood’s Chinatown today.

Then there’s the colourful, textural halo-halo. Translating to “mix-mix” in Tagalog, it’s made here with a brown-sugar slushie instead of shaved ice, and topped with 10 house-made elements, including pandan jelly, leche flan cream and ube halaya (purple yam jam).

“We don’t want to complicate what we do for people, but in essence it’s a chef-driven experience of dessert,” John Rivera tells Broadsheet. The chef, formerly of Lume and Sunda, co-owns Kariton with Minh Duong (ex-Maha) and Michael Mabuti. “Minh and I have been in fine dining for a combined 25 years. We’re distilling all that down into a scoop of ice-cream.”

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Rivera and Duong started Kariton as a home-delivery service in Melbourne in 2020. Today there are three Melbourne locations, plus the new Burwood Road shop. The partners often thought opening in Sydney would be a good move – “You turn your head in Sydney and you find a Filipino,” Rivera says, laughing – but it was a pop-up at Sydney Cebu Lechon’s old Newtown digs that sealed the deal.

“We did a pop-up with Will [Mahusay, owner of Sydney Cebu Lechon] and we thought we’d sell a few tubs and go home. We brought 600 tubs; 500 were sold by pre-order and the other 100 went in a single day. We looked at each other and realised Sydney is a good option.”

The Burwood shop launches with 16 flavours: 14 are signature and two are specials that will rotate fortnightly. The original Kariton focused on Filipino flavours, but this new menu incorporates classic ingredients from neighbours across Asia. “Our following has grown, so we’ve expanded the menu. We’ve got Vietnamese coffee custard, Milo dinosaur, pandan kaya for the Malaysians, ube halaya, and hojicha cheesecake with hojicha chocolate chunks.”

There’s also taho, a nostalgic Filipino dessert traditionally made from silken tofu, tapioca pearls and syrup. Kariton’s version is made with tofu soft serve, soy milk panna cotta and tapioca, that’s then doused in a warm oolong syrup – and it’s completely vegan.

Anyone who’s stopped in at the Melbourne shops will find Burwood’s futuristic yet rough-around-the-edges aesthetic familiar. Wood and exposed brick contrast with stainless steel fixtures, and neon lights shine overhead. “We want people to feel at ease. The shop is homely and comfortable. I think in that grittiness you find the elegance of our culture.”

Kariton is part of a Filipino food community that’s growing quickly across Sydney and Australia. Recent local openings include Marrickville’s Tita, Campsie’s Smoky Cravings, and Mahusay’s Sydney Cebu Lechon, now based in Blacktown. Rivera says it’s a long time coming. “Our parents’ generation was more insular. As kids we were taught to assimilate and fit in. But now we’ve found our own voice. Our generation has a desire to find and express who we are.”

Kariton Sorbetes
173 Burwood Road, Burwood

Hours:
Daily 12.30pm–10pm

karitonsorbetes.com
@kariton.au