The desserts on offer at Meet Fresh are a far cry from the Neapolitan ice-cream with hundreds-and-thousands I'd grown up eating as a kid. I'd recently tried a few different Asian desserts and really liked their sweetness and interesting textures - I just had no idea what to order when confronted with the mind-boggling array of items on offer at Meet Fresh. Although I'd be curious about Meet Fresh for months I was now in totally foreign-dessert waters.
The BFF and I stood bamboozled in front of the menu board for about 5 minutes. In the end we settled on the Meet Fresh Signature Herbal Dessert ($5.50) figuring that as it is their "signature dessert" it must be good. As we're both feeling a bit thirsty after our ramen dinner we also order a Meet Fresh Milk Tea with Pearls ($3.80). Pearls, for those of you not 'in the know' Pearls are little chewy balls of tapioca and I LOVE them.
The Herbal Jelly is like nothing I've ever seen...or eaten before. At first I find the black, sludge-like jelly a little visually off-putting, but once I take my first bite I'm hooked.
The white and orange taro balls are fat and chewy. The herbal jelly is chewy and only slightly sweet and has a slight aniseed flavour. Once we break through the slippery jelly - that's impossible to keep on the spoon due to its wibbly wobbliness - we hit a mound of shaved ice that has no real discernible flavour other than being cool and refreshing. Once we figure out we're supposed to empty the little container of cream into the bowl the ice melts and the dessert received the sugar hit that the BFF was seeking.
Verdict for this Aussie chick? It's weird, wonderful, wobbly and wacky. I cannot wait to get back to Meet Fresh to see what other delights are on offer.
Meet Fresh is at 13 Goulburn Street, Chinatown/Haymarket.
So jealous... so want to go, but always beaten by the long queues!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to eat everything in this post!
I've always been put off by the queues too! There always seems to be a line, so it must be good :P
ReplyDeleteI admire you for trying - and liking! - this. If you haven't grown up with similar tapico/rice flour-based sweets and desserts it wobbly, bouncy and/or chewy textures can be a bit odd to get used to!
ReplyDeleteI still have yet to try this! I think I need to visit soon >_<
ReplyDeleteAha, so that's what everyone's queueing for next to Mamak, I've often seen two lines almost converging! I'll have to try it out!
ReplyDeleteoh i love meet fresh! i can't believe the queues, walked past on fri night and didnt even bother queuing! i am missing my grass jelly and taro balls fix! glad you liked it though :)
ReplyDeleteThe lines here are scary, it actually put us off and scared us to Mamak instead for dessert. Good on you for trying something different and enjoying it too :)
ReplyDeleteSomehow I always read Meat Fresh instead of Meet Fresh and think of it as a butchery instead of a dessert place. But I'll give it a try, eventually.
ReplyDeleteThese desserts always look so fascinating, i am yet to try some.
ReplyDeleteI can't tell you how much I LOVE meet fresh. Have you tried the herbal jelly with whipped cream? It's perfection!
ReplyDeleteI too have been bamboozled by the desserts on offer at meet fresh but have never had the patience to stick with the queue. Good on you for trying it out, you've piqued my curiosity. I can't wait to try it!
ReplyDeleteIt's a really good article and thanks for your sharing. may I ask what the meaning of "sugar hit" is?
ReplyDeleteHi Anon, a sugar hit is when you eat a lot of sugar and you get a 'rush' from all the sugar in your body...you probably feel like you need a sugar hit at work around 3pm when you start feeling sleepy at your desk.
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