Someone should run a Toronto food tour for Asian desserts.
It would be a manageable walk; along Yonge between Sheppard Avenue and just
north of Empress Walk are at least ten options. There’s Japanese cheesecakes,
Taiwanese shaved ice, and now Hong Kong style desserts as Richmond Hill’s Full
House Desserts opened a second location in the city.
Like the other establishments in the Emerald Tower, it’s a
cozy shop that’s grab-and-go. If you can’t wait, there are plenty of tables in
the food court to indulge in the sweets.
Full House Desserts offers a variety of confections that are
popular in Hong Kong. Their Full House sago ($7.49) is a take on the mango pomelo sago made popular by HK’s Lei
Garden. The tropical base consists of
blended mango enriched with coconut milk and evaporated milk. Small pearls of
boiled sago are added, which thickens the base and creates a smooth and
slippery texture to the tongue.
Still rather fluid, cubes of mango and pomelo slivers are added into the milky mixture. Unfortnately, mango
can be a hit or miss fruit. When you’re in Thailand, they’re simply amazing,
but in Canada they simply don’t carry the same panache. Some pieces were sweet and
tender while others hard and chewy, not every bite is as great as the last.
The pomelo (a
sweeter grapefruit) in the sago makes it even tangier. It’s definitely
refreshing, if you’re in the mood for something tropical and light during the
summer months. The sago is almost like a chunky smoothie or an acai bowl, for
me it’s not rich enough to classify as dessert.
The mango pancake ($8.99 for two) works better as a sweet. Despite
the name, it’s really a stuffed crepe than a pancake, each delicious light
pillow filled with mango chunks and tons of lightly sweetened whipped cream.
The crepe is so airy and delicate that it barely resists being touched… to get
it soundly out of the container and onto a plate, a cake lifter is suggested.
You may think two is made for sharing, but the palm-sized
pancakes are so tasty and light that you can easily devour them both. A durian
version ($10.99) is also available for those that are adventurous and want
something really authentic.
I also enjoyed the new black sticky rice with coconut juice
($5.99), especially if you give it time. When eating it fresh from the store,
the dessert is very nutty and even has a savoury taste (despite not being
salty). A night in the fridge really helps develop it into a dessert: as it
gets colder the sweetness intensifies; and the rice soaks up more of the
coconut milk and begins to thicken the liquid.
Layers of silky tofu is mixed throughout and against the slightly
chewy sticky rice makes for a great contrast. If only I had vanilla ice cream,
a small scoop of that added on top would have perfected the sweet. Black sticky
rice à la Mode, here we come!
The dishes aren’t very sweet, in typical Hong Kong fashion.
After all, one of the biggest compliments for desserts in the city is when
people comment that it’s good… because it’s not too sweet.
Perhaps it’s better to praise HK desserts for combining
ingredients that aren’t generally thought of as sinfully indulgent, into
concoctions can still satisfy a sweet tooth, without feeling heavy. After all,
it’s easy to make chocolate, butter, and cream into something tasty, but who
would have thought that rice, tofu, and coconut milk can be equally as good?
How To Find Them
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 4750 Yonge Street
Address: 4750 Yonge Street
Website: https://www.fullhousedesserts.ca
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