Zed’z Cafe
08 8212 2191
Stall 2, Adelaide Central Market
Adelaide, SA 5000
I didn’t mean to blog about this so soon. I like to sit on my reviews, I’m not sure why. I think it’s called being lazy. But I loved this so much, I not only went back for more, but I also decided it deserved a jump in the queue and it needed to be blogged about… NOW.
You would already have read the title. Laksa Sorbet. For those who don’t know, laksa is a popular spicy noodle soup found in Malaysia and Singapore. There are many different types of Laksa, but that’s not the point of this post, so I won’t go into it. By the by, if you want good laksa in Adelaide, head to Nanyang Cafe (will blog about that soon enough as well, I’ve sat on that review for long enough).
So a savoury, spicy dish, made into a sweet dessert that is also refreshing to boot. What? How? Really?
It made no sense whatsoever in my head. Which meant I had to run down to Central Market and taste it for myself. Praise the lord for social media as I would never have found out otherwise. This sorbet is not made in big batches and is not even advertised on their menuboard. You have to ask for it, and it all feels rather much like a secret drug deal done in a very public place.
Especially because the Cafe selling this crazy sorbet, was a very run-of-the-mill coffee place. Well, it looked that way, anyways. The boy was tugging on my sleeve, signalling to me that this was a crazy idea and that we should run while we could, but I was adamant. I came here for laksa sorbet and I was going to get it even if it turned out to be a joke. Or a codeword for real drugs.
As luck would have it, the chef (who I assume to be the owner as well) was the one manning the counter. I squeaked out “Do you have Laksa Sorbet?” with a wildly beating heart, and he gave me a look. I held my breath, getting ready to run, and then he said “How many?”
Now we are talking, baby!
He then questioned where I had heard of his laksa sorbet, and nodded when I said Twitter. I think I passed the test – Laksa Sorbet here I come!
We settled in with our number and before long a small glass containing a very innocuous-looking sorbet came along. So here’s us, the boy and I, sitting at the edge of our seats, full of skepticism and trepidation, staring at a small glass of sorbet with two mint leaves sticking out of it, neither quite willing to be the one to take the first bite.
Me: “I thought it’d be red”
Boy: “It sure doesn’t look like Laksa.”
Me: *sniffing* “Doesn’t smell like it either.”
Boy: “I’m not tasting that till you do.”
Me: “This is going to suck, right?”
Me: *takes a bite*
Me: “OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG OMG EAT THIS OMG”
And the rest, as they say, is history.
The moral of the story, is to never judge a book by its cover. Because this laksa sorbet was the BOMB. It was tasty, creamy, and oddly enough, it tasted every bit like laksa. It even had a hint of spice. Bizarre!
The boy, who is ever so picky with his food and never adventurous, fell in love with it. We would have licked the glass if we could. There are no words to describe it, but this laksa sorbet was just that – a laksa in sorbet form. We tried to figure out how the chef did it, but we failed. We were too interested in eating it. So Mr Chef, if you read this, care to share your recipe with us? *cheeky grin* Or even a hint?
I truly believe that this is one of those sorbets that you need to taste at least once. I think it works because the sorbet isn’t crazy sweet. It is oddly creamy for a sorbet, but it still retains the refreshing qualities of a sorbet. I brought a friend to try it yesterday, and her skepticism was clear to be seen. In the first mouthful, her skepticism was gone, replaced by the same look of wonder and confused enthrallment that was our own faces not very long ago.
This sorbet needs to be tried to be believed.
And the minute they start selling it by the tub, is the minute I start shelling out money to stock my spare freezer with it. GET IT BEFORE IT’S GONE
