[Review] GIOIA’s Chinatown store for premium Italian gelato

[Written in partnership with GIOIA, but the editorial team had full control over the content.]

Malaysia doesn’t lack gelato choices, however one new child on the block to maintain your eye on is GIOIA.

With its powdery child blue branding giving it that quintessential summery vibe, the model first captured the style buds of patrons at its stunning glasshouse gelateria in Jade Hills.

Now, slightly below a 12 months later, it’s unveiled a brand new double-storey gelateria, this time within the bustling space of Chinatown.

We dropped by to style the products and admire the view, so right here’s what you’ll be able to count on from a go to.

A brand new face in Chinatown

GIOIA Chinatown actually stands out on the road, with its pastel blue facade and chic white awnings beckoning individuals in for a great time.

Inside, rows of home windows let in considerable pure gentle, casting the place in a stunning glow. 

Downstairs is the place you’ll discover traditional locally-loved flavours reminiscent of Musang King, vanilla, coconut and caramelised espresso, and chocolate, in addition to elevated ones like GIOIA’s hibiscus gelato, sea salt and butterfly pea flower, and pistachio. 

However extra on how they style later.

Previous the rows of churning gelatos is a show with sourdough delights, made by GIOIA’s sister model, BakeTouch Microbakery, which you’ll take pleasure in with the gelatos or espresso (brewed in-house).

Additional into the again of the shop is a seating space, however our private favorite spot to dig into our chilly treats was upstairs.

We’ll let the photographs communicate for themselves.

Bringing GIOIA to prospects

On the subject of our chilly treats, we ordered a scoop of every flavour to share.

As talked about earlier, there are traditional flavours like vanilla and chocolate, each of which might undoubtedly please even essentially the most discerning followers. 

If you’d like stronger flavours, undoubtedly attempt the Musang King, which was like biting into the flesh of the fruit itself sans the feel, or the pistachio, which was savoury and nutty and oh-so indulgent.

For one thing extra refreshing and summery, attempt the blended berries gelato, or for those who’re adventurous, why not the hibiscus, sea salt and butterfly pea flower, or coconut and caramelised espresso?

It was actually troublesome to pinpoint our true favourites, but when we went once more, we’d undoubtedly be getting the pistachio, coconut, and Musang King scoops.

Every gelato was melt-in-your-mouth clean and creamy, and we additionally appreciated how they weren’t too candy, permitting the bottom flavours to shine by.

Upstairs can be the place you’ll discover the gold-branded GIOIA+, which is GIOIA’s lineup of solely alcoholic gelatos. 

On the time of our go to, GIOIA+ wasn’t prepared but as a result of it’s launching later this month, however we expect we obtained a teaser of what sorts of alcohol is perhaps within the gelatos based mostly on the bottles lining the home windows.

On the second flooring is even outside balcony seating for individuals who need to courageous Malaysia’s solar and expertise true summer season warmth.

No compromise on high quality

From the skin, it is perhaps simple to dismiss GIOIA as simply one other gelato model. 

However behind it’s Levain Group, a workforce with 40+ years’ expertise of organising different F&B companies, supplying them with menu R&D know-how, superior equipment, and different providers.

All this to say, GIOIA’s founders know what goes into creating a great model.

Co-founders Eric, Pivian, and Carmen have mixed their particular person talent units for GIOIA, constructing a gelato model that doesn’t compromise on high quality elements and equipment.

Examples of this are in how their top-grade pistachios are sourced from Italy, and their machines boast German expertise, permitting GIOIA to serve prospects with solely the perfect they will provide.

Identical to their namesake, “gioia,” which implies “pleasure” in Italian, we will say that these shareable treats will certainly put smiles on faces.

The brand new Chinatown location will allow the proudly homegrown model to additional flourish and make its candy mark on Malaysia’s dessert scene.

• Study extra about GIOIA right here.
• Learn extra Malaysian startup tales right here.

All Photographs Credit score: Vulcan Publish