Overview
By the time winter's over and Melbourne's temperatures have finally lost their frosty edge, we'll have a brand-new ice cream joint to call our own. And this one's set to be delightfully unconventional.
Landing in Thornbury this spring, Kenny Lover is the nostalgia-fuelled new project from Tom Peasnell (Peaches, Dexter, Cheek), and Henry Sugar's Mike Baker and Daniel Mason, with styling and design by Maria Angelico. It'll be dishing up 70s Australiana vibes, alongside an offering of unusual ice cream and sorbet flavours, sure to stir up some good old-fashioned childlike excitement.
The largely vegan menu features plenty of native flavours like wattleseed and malt, and ginger with Davidson's plum. Even more creativity flows through quirky, yet considered combinations including white chocolate and kalamata olive, watermelon with olive oil, and even an ode to soy sauce.
Tried-and-true classics will sit alongside these contemporary hits – Starward whisky ice cream, anyone? – all freshly churned on the daily. And your inner kid is sure to be stoked about the offer of hot chips for dipping.
Of course, an offering like that deserves a brilliantly bold setting, and Kenny Lover's fit-out doesn't disappoint. After all, this is the work of the same minds behind the pastel oasis that is Peaches. Here, get set for a vision of burnt orange, complete with imported tiles by India Mahdavi and – wait for it – shag pile ceilings. Bring on ice cream season.
Kenny Lover is set to open on Thornbury's High Street from early September.