Miss Fruits H.K. Desserts
4071 Shelbourne Street
Gordon Head
Saanich, BC
(250) 477-3337

J: There’s a trendy dessert shop in Gordon Head that may be borrowing a lot of sweet ideas from Hong Kong. I have never seen the like of this place in Victoria before and I certainly welcome it.

This suburb is a fitting location since it’s known as hub for Asian residents. The first thing I noticed in this establishment’s decor are the bright yellow painted walls, the tight-fitting chairs and the photos on the walls. I don’t think they were built to hold my big ass.

E: I’m surprised James didn’t hit anything … no wait, he did play bumper shoot as we navigated the tables to our seat. I laughed and the staff giggled.

Since opening a few years ago, it’s become quite the spot for local Asian youth. One of my female friends love coming here and I’d frequent this place more if it wasn’t for the fact I’m careful in how much sweets I eat during a single month. This place is worth visiting to sate a sweet tooth!

Mind you, I’ve always thought the desserts I tasted when I visited Japan were far more innovative and this operation has changed my mind. For a while, I thought it’s hard to beat a bunny eared donut. But over in Hong Kong, there’s plenty of interesting delights too. Miss Fruits H.K. Desserts is importing those ideas over everyone to enjoy!

J: Transporting those ideas is a win for the patrons (especially for people who can’t fit in their chairs). They have a small but manageable menu with a few extras written quite artistically in chalk on their sandwich board. Those menu options are called their “hidden items”. Their menu is quite pleasing to the eye, much as their desserts. The Macau cake ($6.25) and the curry fish balls ($4.00) looked interesting and sounded delicious.

E: The fish balls are certainly an acquired taste. By itself, they taste like any other fish paste type product, but when paired with a hot sauce and served warm, the taste is unique. A bit of sweetness could have helped (after all, this shop is tailored for the sweet tooth). Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce is used for a dip.

As for their other desserts, I’m not surprised that Island Farms ice cream is served here. I feel that’s okay. The foundation for how this place works is to build new flavours using traditional ingredients, whether that’s Asian or not. Hopefully they will add a few new items on their list, because there’s plenty more that can be made when I considering what my grandparents made for me as sweets to nibble on when growing up.

At least, in what I found here at H.K., I’m particularly fond of the Macau cake, which uses ground up Oreo cookies to create the illusion of “dirt.” Let’s just say when I returned on another day, I even did take-out to tease my pets at home, namely Toothless (from How to Train Your Dragon), at my delights. The better presentation happens when you dine here at this establishment, when they get a chance to show you how it’s meant to look instead of being put in a styrofoam cup.

J: The dusting on top of the cake was what I would taste in most bakeries or store-bought but the ice cream is mixed in-house. And it wasn’t overly sweet. It had this nice creamy taste but without all the sugar. If you have a low tolerance for sugar treats than the Macau cake may be for you. But for a neat visual idea, Ed’s Plant Pot cake takes the cake (send bad joke complaints to me).

E: The mint leaf was like a sprout in the bowl and it made for great presentation. I can only imagine how this dish can be kicked up a notch if a dandelion leaf was put on top. Yes, certain flowers are edible.

I even wondered how this cake would taste with a few roasted meal worms for an added presentation. That would gross people out who are not into eating bugs, but I’m not above it having tasted crickets and grasshoppers before.

J: The owners have great taste. I managed to spot their ride outside decorated in Doraemon. No if only they could present a dessert that would include one of Japan’s famous felines.

3½ Blokes out of 5