Back to our roots - Taiwanese dessert bonanza

 Dessert stand in a night market in Taipei

You would think that immediately after my return from my home town Taiwan, and having had a gastronomical indulgence while I was there, I wouldn't be in a hurry to sample more of the same in Sydney.... you thunk wrong my friends! In fact, it made me miss the tofu desserts, shaved ice, desserts of various jellies and legumes and things you normally consider as savoury only, but sweet. So Taiwanese (and other Asian) desserts it is!

Lucky for us Taiwanese gluttons, Meet Fresh opened in Sydney a couple of years ago. It's a specifically Taiwanese dessert chain offering classic desserts like sweet silken tofu and taro balls, with a variety of toppings from red beans to 'honey beans', not to mention grass jelly - very much an acquired taste as it has an unappealing appearance.

Let me start with the least visually appealing sweet of the day - warm grass jelly, basically a bowl of black. And it is a thick, half set jelly, highly unlikely that anyone would order it if they didn't grow up with it. Grass jelly in summer is enjoyed cool and helps calm and chill, but consumed warm it helps with the respiratory tracts, protecting it from the winter chills. Sure it looks hideous.... get over it!

Red bean and green tea is now a stock-standard, vanilla ice cream of "Asian dessert" flavours. Again green tea and matcha (powdered green tea) is an acquired taste, and has slightly confronting appearance, but has now become more widely accepted.

Why oh why do Asian desserts have to look and sound scary? Here a first time Asian dessertee braves the black glutinous rice dessert with taro. And what did he think of it? He LOVED it! It is a rich, almost nutty, dessert with a great texture, another fabulous winter warmer.

And the classic "Taro ball" - made of mashed up taro with starch to form a chewy ball, cooked in a sweet syrup base and served with a selection of sweet taro, or red bean, or sweetened lima beans. A dessert and a meal at the same time.

Despite the temptation that is ice kachang, we only really desired something warm - Roti from Mamak! It's a lovely fine pastry that can be taken sweet or savoury. Of course we had a sweet version - pandan sugar and coconut - aromatic, syrupy sweet, and warm ~~~

Apologies but we could not bear to indulge in Passionflower ice cream, for it was cold and windy...black sesame ice cream will have to wait another time!!