Gelupo

Being an “adult” can be a tad serious at times. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Don’t wipe your mouth with your sleeve, put your fork in this hand, wait until everyone’s finished before you have seconds, don’t chew with your mouth open. So many rules. Ice cream, on the other hand, doesn't have any. It’s a silly, messy and affectionate food that doesn’t discriminate between the young, the old, and slightly older. Eating it. You can always be a child. It’s far from sophisticated, but no one is too cool for a scoop on a sunny day.

I’m confident that many Londoners know and are loyal to a spot they consider to serve the best ice cream in town. Unfortunately, I didn’t have one. Luckily I caught wind of a gelateria just off the beaten track of Piccadilly Circus that supposedly makes the best gelato in London. Thank you Ed Gamble.

British Chef and restauranter Jacob Kenedy opened Gelupo in 2010 after the success of his first Italian restaurant Bocca Di Lupo, which sits on the opposite side of the street. Jacob grew up under the influence of his food-loving and artistically gifted mother Haidee Becker. Who spent her former years living and falling in love with Italy, its culture and all its cuisine. This had a heavy influence on a young Jacob who focused his culinary passion on Italian cooking. And to this day, Haidee’s artwork is displayed on the walls of his restaurant.

Gelupo ain’t your bog standard gelateria. Its selection of gelato and sorbet changes seasonally. The only three that never budge off the menu are milk chocolate, pistachio and hazelnut. From the acidic citrus tastes of Winter to the sweet and more indulgent flavours of Summer. Gelupo fluctuates, never standing still for more than a few months. Watermelon sorbet and fig leaf gelato can’t wait to come out to play. Both Gelupo’s Italian tastes and principles are refreshing and stay true to the importance of seasons.

I think I am late to the party though. As usual. The queue leaves the store and cascades out onto the street. Clearly popular with both locals and tourists naively verging off Piccadilly Circus, lucky to find a goldmine. I got chatting with a family of three, who have been eating here for years. Licking their gelato and proudly agreeing it to be best for miles.

Three scoops in a cone for me. Milk chocolate sat on top of hazelnut and yoghurt & lemongrass. I’d never tasted the latter. A compatible combination in my eyes. Smooth, creamy and natural tasting. All delicious and in harmony. I was a little boy again, finishing it so quickly just in case someone might tell me I’d had too much. But I am an adult now. So I ordered more. One scoop of Cherry & Ricotta and one of Pistacchio in a small tub.

One scoop costs £4.50, two is £6, three is £7.50 and a 500g tub to take away is £16. I got one of those too. Not bad. Pretty standard prices. Either way, totally worth it. I took the tub filled with coconut, strawberry sherbet and kiwi, gin & elderflower flavours home with me. All were devoured that evening with the help of other spoons.

All in all, Jacob Kenedy’s Gelupo is somewhere you can reliably consume glorious gelato whilst keeping things interesting. Flavours come and go just like London’s weather. But the spot has raised the bar in my eyes for how gelaterias should be run, and his daily made decadent product is a true art form. It seems he inherited more than just his love for food from his mother.

7 Archer Street.