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Adozen Adozen is a shop that my friend had wanted to go to for a long time. It was a very popular Instagram shop in the early years, and both the food and the details are done with care.
We were doing a city walk around Carlton, and we happened to walk past. We were tired, so we went in to rest.
The shop is not very big, near Humble Rays. The decoration is minimal and simple, and a casual photo comes out looking good, with a quiet, understated look. There are Doraemon character figurines on the wall.
The Soufflé Itself
The soufflé pancake feels like clouds from the sky kneaded into a bowl. When the fork cuts in, it springs softly back. In the mouth it seems to disappear into nothing, and only a light milky smell is left. It is a word for “airy”. It doesn’t taste of flour either.
It was so soft and milky that the first bite cheered me up. It would be a good place for afternoon tea with a friend, talking slowly for a whole afternoon.
The portions are big, about double what other shops serve. We ordered a lot, so we could not finish everything.
The Soufflé
Pistachio: the nutty smell of pistachio meets the sour sweetness of raspberry. It was fresh and cut the richness, and the more I ate the more I wanted.
Dark chocolate: rich but not too sweet, with a cocoa smell that hit straight away. As a dark chocolate fan, I felt extremely comfortable.
White chocolate and strawberry: a sweet blow. Rich white chocolate and fresh strawberries made my happiness go straight up. It came with strawberry ice cream and a dusting of berry powder, so it looked great too.
Earl Grey: the tea smell stood out. I could bite into crisp butter wafer and honeycomb candy, and I liked it more with every bite.
Mochi Vanilla: a limited-time flavour, and the shape was cute. When I poked it, it wobbled gently, like poking a soft cloud. The taste was vanilla and milk, sweet but not cloying, with a little of the chewiness of mochi rice cake. I ate it with the scoop of ice cream beside it, and it was very comforting.
Honey and Butter: the classic one, and the plating looked generous. There were two thick pieces of soufflé with caramelised banana and crushed nuts. One cut and it was very soft. It was on the sweet side, and after a few bites it started to feel too much. The texture was great, though. The outside was slightly caramelised and the inside was still soft and airy. I think it suits people who really love sweet things.
Chestnut: a must-order. It has fresh chestnut crumbs and handmade chestnut paste, with fluffy pancake and cream. It felt like autumn, and it reminded me of the candied chestnuts in the film Little Forest.
Dubai Chocolate: a limited flavour. It wasn’t too sweet overall, and it came with a scoop of chocolate ice cream.
Fresh Fruit: bouncy and wobbly like a cloud, with a layer of cream poured over it. The fruit was blueberries, strawberries and banana. The strawberries tasted a bit like pickled strawberries, but the blueberries and banana were both good. The house-made cream is slightly sour and slightly sweet, and it is not very sweet, so it went well with the soufflé. The pancake was a little sweet for me, and my friend thought it was just right.
Hojicha: I only found out how good hojicha is after I came to Melbourne. The hojicha cream balanced the sweetness of the plain pancake, and it smelled rich and nutty. There was a scoop of sweet red bean on top, and I’d only taste a little of it, because it was too sweet. Around the outside of the plate there was a ring of black sesame sugar crumbs, which smelled really good. It also came with an extra small hojicha pudding. I’m a big fan of the pudding because it wasn’t sweet at all. It just didn’t have much milky flavour, and the tea taste was stronger.
Pistachio Basque cheesecake: the texture was solid and the cheese flavour was strong. The jam had crushed nuts mixed in. The portion was big and good value, and the friends who like Basque cheesecake approved. The baked cheese layer on top was done really well.
The Drinks
None of the drinks let us down.
Citrus oolong: my top pick. It was slightly sweet, with a little tea fragrance and a slight astringency that cut the richness.
Hojicha chocolate and iced honeycomb latte: both refreshing, and a good match with the soufflé.
Berry coffee: made with handmade berry jam, sparkling water and coffee. The first sip was sour and sweet. After stirring, lots of fine, soft bubbles came up, and the texture was smoother.
Jasmine latte: an iced milk tea. One sip and I could tell it was real cold-brew tea with fresh milk.
Fresh Boom: a fruit tea, and I thought it was good.
Iced americano: really good. The beans weren’t sour, and that won me over. A sip of americano and a bite of pancake made for a nice afternoon tea.
Taking One Home
With so much on the table, we couldn’t finish it all, so I took the fresh fruit one home. I carried it around for a whole evening, and when I got home I was surprised it hadn’t collapsed. The cream hadn’t melted either, which tells me they use plenty of ingredients.
Our Take
It felt like a spa for my tongue. I think it’s the best soufflé in Melbourne. The shop is small, and the opening hours are a bit late.
Address: Adozen Adozen, 188 Queensberry St, Carlton VIC 3053
Another Melbourne dessert stop we reviewed is The Flour, and the rest of our sweet-shop reviews are in the dessert cafes category. More Melbourne ideas are in our things-to-do directory.
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