Gelato & Coffee, best gelato in Lille!

I've spent the last month in Lille, staying at my cousin's and interning at Grand Lille TV and Direct Matin (newspaper) during the day. I would have never thought that in this rainy, yet charming, city, that I would taste the best gelato I have ever had in my life.

Yes, before you ask, I have been to Italy! And yes, I savoured some of the best ice cream I have had in the gorgeous cities of Milan, Rome, and Venice, eating around two gelatos a day! Yet, to my surprise it is the little, privately- owned shop of Gelato & Coffee in Lille that from today onwards I will call the best gelato of my life.

I had the luck of meeting Corrado Barberis (the owner) himself. Piedmontese of origin, he worked in the economy in Italy. However, after following his wife to Lille and realising the lack of truly delicious gelato in Lille, he decided to form himself as a gelato maker. Starting the business three years ago, but only selling to restaurants at the beginning, he worked during the night to make the best gelato he possibly could, and sold the ice cream during the day. "When making gelato, if you want to make the best, you cannot take shortcuts, patience is key," he advises. One year ago, he opened his lavender-themed, beautifully decorated shop on rue Basse. Having worked night and day, he now has an employee (Karine) that works in the shop, and another in the laboratory making ice-cream. Although the weather does not always encourage people to go for ice cream, Gelato & Coffee has a lovely upstairs room for shelter, and now also supplies around a dozen restaurants with their heavenly ice cream.

All hand-made, Gelato & Coffee has many different types of gelato, from salty chocolate, to melon sorbet, to tiramisu, which alternate depending on the season, and the maker's creativeness. But the best of all in my opinion is the pistachio. I do not usually go for pistachio, however, attempting to be adventurous, and following Corrado's advice, I had a try. In a crunchy cone, the gelato was light, yet tasty, and unbelievably delicious. On a separate note, the cappuccinos are very good too!

This little ice cream stop brightened my day, and whether it is raining, cloudy, or sunny, I highly recommend any passerby in Lille to taste Gelato & Coffee's exquisite products!

http://www.gelatoandcoffee.com/index.asp
Gelato & Coffee will soon be opening in Le Touquet!