Meet Fresh - Chinatown, Sydney

When it comes to cold desserts, there is no such thing as the weather being too cold to have such a delight. Especially, if the desserts are from Meet Fresh. If you fancy hot desserts or drinks, they have it too. Let me start by giving you reasons why you should visit Meet Fresh:

1. The desserts and drinks are amazingly good and unique.

2. Desserts are made from fresh and natural ingredients.

3. They ensure that they serve you the best and healthiest handmade desserts.

Taiwan is where the Meet Fresh magic started. Mr and Mrs Fu wanted to provide customers with handmade desserts handled with love and care. This was how Meet Fresh was born with now more than 100 stores and it continues to expand. Meet Fresh in Chinatown, Sydney is a casual dessert house located corner of Dixon and Goulburn Street, right next to Mamak. I have visited Meet Fresh twice in the past and had to queue on both occasions. That's how popular and great this place is. This time around was extra special. Aside from not having to queue up, I was able to sample some of their best desserts with some super cool fellow Food Bloggers like Thang (Noodlies), Simon (The heart of food), Betty a.k.a. Sugarpuffi (Sugar's Sweet Blog) and Julie (I dream in chocolate). Also, a special thanks to Kat for making this all happen.

Here is a list of all the desserts and drinks that we were privileged with to try:

Desserts

Taro Balls  No. 7 (Taro mash+Honey Beans +Pearls) - cold dessert

Taro Balls No. 3 (Red Beans+ Peanuts+Pearls) - hot dessert

Signature Herbal Jelly (Taro Balls) - cold dessert

Tofu Pudding with Lotus Seeds - cold dessert

Supreme Mango with Milky Crushed Ice

Drinks

Camelia Tea (hot) – Newly launched

Lemon Winter melon Tea (cold)

Herbal Ice with Whipped Cream (cold)

Honey Lemonade (cold)

Mountain Green Tea (cold)

Soda Tea Float Series – Mango and Yaleto

All the drinks were refreshingly amazing, but it was the lemon winter melon tea that captured my attention. It is citrusy with subtle sweetness. The winter melon gives the traditional lemon iced tea a more fruity twist.

My favourites out of all the awesome desserts would be the Supreme Mango and Taro No. 7. I have thing for desserts with crushed ice. It has something to do with the crushed ice being a good absorbing medium for juices, syrups and liquids present in its ingredients. The coolness also adds to the refreshing factor of the dessert.

supreme mango with milky crushed iced

Upon my first taste of the supreme mango with milky crushed iced, I felt like I was transported from winter to summer. This dessert is very tropical indeed with mango pieces and a scoop of luscious ice cream over crushed ice with milk. It was an instant hit for me and my taste buds.

taro balls no. 7 dessert

OH YEAH! Says my taste buds to the taro balls no. 7 dessert which had textures and taste that lures you into having more and more spoonfuls of it. Crushed iced beautifully accompanied with taro and sweet potato balls, taro mash, honey beans and black pearls. What beautifully holds it all together is a sweet syrup poured into the crushed ice. It is awesome as it is but I prefer to add a little bit of milk to it.

Signature Herbal Jelly (Taro Balls) - cold dessert

Tofu Pudding with Lotus Seeds - cold dessert

Taro Balls No. 3 (Red Beans+ Peanuts+Pearls) - hot dessert

Meet fresh is a dessert place I see myself returning to again and again. The combinations of flavours are insanely good with the use of fresh ingredients. The servings are generous and the service is fast. The desserts at Meet Fresh was very yummy for my tummy! How’s yours?

Meet Fresh

13 Goulburn Street

Haymarket NSW 2000

(02) 8339 1031

Open:

Mon-Thu, Sun 11am-12am

Fri-Sat 11am-1am

Mother Chu's Taiwanese Gourmet

There is so much comfort food out there waiting to be explored and devoured. Winter time is the perfect time. Warm noodle soups and congee are definitely in season! So which eatery did we choose? We decided to go to Mother Chu's!

Miso Scott and I visited this established eatery in the Chinatown area during our Friday lunch break. Normally, one would expect a queue and big crowd over at Mother Chu's Taiwanese Gourmet. We were lucky enough to get there early for lunch and were seated straight away.

Even with all the tough competition around, Mother Chu's was able to withstand the heat in the Chinatown food arena for many years. That is all due to their tasty food, reasonable servings, cheap prices and fast service.

Taiwanese style b.b.q. pork noodle soup ($8)

The Taiwanese style b.b.q. pork noodle soup was topped with comforting roast b.b.q. pork slices. The egg noodles were cooked al dente. The broth was very soothing and flavourful.

pork ribs in black bean sauce ($10.50)

Upon noticing the pork ribs in black bean sauce in the menu, we ordered it without hesitation. The pork ribs were breaded, fried and stir fried with mixed vegetables and finished with black bean sauce.

congee with pork and preserved egg ($7.50)

My favourite had to be the congee with pork and preserved egg. The texture was perfect to my liking. It was not too gluey in texture. The taste was up to congee standard. It was also topped with chopped shallots which enhanced its flavour.

pork flaky pastry ($2.50 each)

Miso Scott came up with the best way to describe the pork flaky pastry. It tasted like a better version of a sausage roll. The herbs in the pork gave it character.

iced lemon tea

To wash it all down,  I finished it off with an iced lemon tea.

I will have to give their dumplings a go on my next visit. Next time you are in the Sydney Chinatown area and you are after good Taiwanese gourmet comfort food, give Mother Chu's a try!

My lunch at Mother Chu's Taiwanese Gourmet was very yummy for my tummy! How's yours?

Mother Chu’s Taiwanese Gourmet

88-86 Dixon St

Sydney NSW 2000

(02) 9211 0288