Sherman's Food Adventures: Doolami Re-visited

Doolami Re-visited

*Permenantly Closed*

For me, revisits to any establishment within a few months of a blog post is as rare as a house being sold in Vancouver for the asking price.  Now, there is precedent for this.  There are times I return because I would like to try more items after my initial visit and/or it was a terrible experience and I get invited back.  However, the most ideal situation is that the place is so awesome, I just can't wait to go back.  This was the case with Doolami as not only did I visit the place twice within a week, I was invited back a month later as part of a tasting hosted by Tina.

When we were all seated and ready to go, the desserts practically covered our table even before we had a chance to dig in (and the incessant picture-taking).  So on the table were Glutinous Rice Balls with peanuts and & sesame seeds, House Special Grass Jelly and Black Sesame & Walnut Paste.  Of the bunch, I liked the rice balls the best possibly due to their simplicity compared to the rest.  Soft, almost fluffy and lightly chewy, the rice balls were not overly sweet.  The aromatics from the peanuts and sesame were appealing. 

We then moved onto their wonderful Shaved Ice series beginning with Strawberry and Mango respectively.  I will gladly go out on a limb and say that Doolami has the best shaved ice in town, period.  They make everything in house and do not use any additives (other than fruit).  Fluffy, light, a bit creamy and only purposefully sweet, the ice in all of the variations were on point. Even though the best strawberries are still over a month away, these were decent albeit on the tangier side (of course they were imported though).  As for the mango, they get their supply from Australia, so they are always fresh, never frozen.  Much like the last time I was here, these were good 

Continuing on with the shaved ice, we moved onto the PapayaPersonally, I'm not a huge fan of ripe papaya as I don't prefer the aromatic pungency.  Let's just say I like the balanced tartness and sweetness of mango more.  With that being said, they did a good job with the ice as there was a muted sweetness that wasn't too "papaya"-tasting if that makes any sense.  Now all of the shaved ice paled in comparison to the Golden Dragon Fruit.  Normally, dragon fruit has the impact of boiled water, but this variety was mouthwatering sweet, bright and refreshing.  At $20.00 per order, this was pure luxury, yet at the same time, well-worth it.

Of course we couldn't have a menu-tasting without sampling their CRA-award winning Mango Sago (which I voted for!).  This had a good consistency where it was just the right viscosity.  It was smooth with a certain airiness while being mildly sweet, natural and fresh-tasting.  Big chunks of fresh mango, tapioca pearls and grapefruit added body and more flavour to the already delicious dessert.  Smelling it before it hit the table, the Durian Sago Cream was even more creamy with purposeful sweetness.  Naturally, it was pungent, but not so much that it was overwhelming.  The deep flavours of the durian really came through though.

As much as the aforementioned desserts are killer, I feel that their natural Ice Cream (with no additives whatsoever) are the real draw at Doolami.  Staying with Durian, we had the ice cream version and it was rich, light and airy with the pungent sweetness associated with the fruit.  Since there don't employ stabilizers, the ice cream melted pretty quickly, so picture-taking had to be quick!  This was exemplified by the Matcha as it was melting faster than the Wicked Witch of the West.  I loved the immediate hit of green tea that gave way to a touch of sweetness, then ended with a mild bitterness that lingered on my tongue.  Again, this was super creamy and light.

Okay, the last one we tried was the Blueberry Lavender, which I had on my last visit (it's the picture from then too...).  I personally detest lavender but they didn't overdo it here so I could actually taste blueberries (which is sometimes hard to do). So far I haven't mentioned the waffle cone bowl and I really should because it was a treat in itself.  Crunchy and easy on the sugar, who doesn't like a bowl they can eat?  In the end, I have to profess that my thoughts are completely biased.  Not because it was a complimentary tasting, rather, it was due to my love for the place.  Quality and commitment in crafting naturally-flavoured desserts ensures that I will be coming back on my own dime.

*All desserts were complimentary*

The Good:
- All natural and fresh ingredients
- Not heavy-handed with the sugar
- Textures are spot on

The Bad:
- For this quality, you will need to visit and ATM        

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