A sneak peek at Pidapipo Laboratorio, the futuristic new dessert playground opening in Fitzroy

Pidapipo, the cult gelato shop that started in Carlton nine years ago, is days away from opening a new flagship store and test kitchen on Brunswick Street, Fitzroy.

Behind the former bank's grungy brown-brick facade is a futuristic-looking space where chocolate is tempered, new gelato flavours are developed and a brand-new range of Italian sweets and cakes are created, including warm brioche rolls, ready to be filled with scoops of gelato.

"We wanted people to feel like they're walking into the kitchen and that they're seeing things from start to finish. They're part of the process," she says.

For the first time Pidapipo will be dabbling in desserts, including tempering the brand's own chocolate, a new passion of Valmorbida's. She's worked on a bespoke chocolate using Dominican Republic cacao, with sugar and fat content that's just right for making both gelato and chocolate bars, pralines and truffles.

It also flows through four chocolate taps that dispense gelato toppings, including the brand-new gianduja (choc-hazelnut). Chocolate-dipped palmiers and bomboloni filled with gianduja will also feature.

With staff in head-to-toe white uniforms, Laboratorio feels as if Willy Wonka's factory has been dropped in the middle of Fitzroy.

Passersby will see into the kitchen through three large windows, while inside you can watch chocolate being made in a mirrored room and towering cakes such as Neapolitan Bombe Alaska being iced, or be among the first to try one of eight new gelato flavours.

"It takes a really long time to pit 1000 cherries, but that's the kind of thing we'll be doing out of the space," says Valmorbida.

The centrepiece of the minimalist shop (Pidapipo's fourth) is an illuminated ceiling that bathes the space in a revolving palette of warm oranges, deep reds and greens, changing the mood.

Stainless steel, glass and electronic menu boards where the day's offerings will be listed play into the lab feel. A handful of seats line the perimeter, and there are tables on Brunswick Street. The venue's rooftop will be home to Honey Fingers beehives and a garden for strawberries and figs plus lemon myrtle and other native ingredients.

"We're all about tradition and keeping the history alive but also reinventing that tradition. That's why we kept the outside of the building the way it was. We love the contrast of the old and the new," Valmorbida says.

Open from December 2 at 5pm, then daily noon-11pm

429-431 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, pidapipo.com