Sofu’s Tofu Gelato Is Silky, Surprising and Not Too Sweet

“Not too sweet” is the classic compliment for Asian desserts. For Sharon Sia and husband Albert Maung it became a mission when setting up Sofu, their new gelato shop where the ice-cream is made with tofu.

“We really like gelato, but the gelato in Brisbane is a little bit too sweet for us,” says Sia. “Using tofu, it harmonises well with other ingredients because it’s such a beautiful and delicate taste.”

The pair first encountered silken tofu ice-cream on a trip through Asia, where the frozen treat has been turning heads and drawing queues from Seoul to Singapore. Although the idea of making ice-cream with tofu in place of dairy goes back to a US patent from 1922, the origins of the current craze are harder to pin down. It may have begun in the coastal South Korean city of Gangneung, famous for its velvety soft sundubu tofu, which locals often showcase in soft serve and gelato.

Regardless of where tofu gelato came from, “it’s become such a big part of the modern dessert scene in Asia”, according to Sia. And yet it’s still a rarity in Australia. Asian-influenced ice-cream spots interstate, like Kori and Kariton Sorbetes, offer some scoops made with tofu, but Sofu is the first dedicated tofu gelato shop in the country.

The gelato is all made in-house, with the churning station doubling as the display cabinet, so you can see which flavours are ready to serve and which need more time.

There are seven kinds on offer, including five flavours intended to be more approachable: original tofu, matcha, black sesame, oolong milk tea, and pandan coconut. “We’re trying to introduce a new concept to Brisbane, so we wanted flavours people are familiar with,” she says. The two less familiar options rely on Asian desserts yet to break through here: sweet corn and purple sweet potato. The key ingredient for the latter was so hard to find the couple almost gave up, but they managed to track down a supplier of suitable purple sweet potatoes.

Tofu gives the ice-cream a silky, fluffier texture somewhere in between typical gelato and soft serve. It’s served in tapered cups that hold a single generous scoop, but you can add a flavoured waffle cone as a topping: black sesame or pleasantly savoury thyme.

Despite the use of tofu in the base, most of Sofu’s gelato also contains dairy products. The original, pandan and black sesame flavours are vegan, relying on plant-based milk and cream instead.

Alongside a matcha latte, there’s a series of specialty coffee and tea drinks themed around weather forecasts. Sunrise combines espresso with sweet corn, while Morning Mist is matcha beneath a kinako (roasted soybean powder) cloud. There’s also an affogato, in which the gelato of your choice is scooped into a cup before a deep well is made in the centre and filled with either espresso or freshly made matcha.

The narrow shop beside Golden Avenue is another addition to the growing crowd of venues around the intersection of Edward and Mary streets. And like its Anyday neighbour, Sofu keeps its lights on later than usual for that corner of the city. Seats are at a premium inside, but the shop’s proximity to the botanic gardens is the ace up its sleeve. “People will pick up a gelato and then walk to the gardens,” Sia says.

The couple took a hands-on approach to the fit-out, documented on Sofu’s Instagram. A ruptured water pipe caused some delays, as did Sia and Maung’s determination to make their first venue perfect. “It took us two weeks to find the timber for the menu board,” she says. “And even then, we kept sanding and coating it again every day until we were happy with it.”

Sofu
1/53 Edward Street, Brisbane
No phone

Hours:
Tue to Thu 11.30am–10pm
Fri & Sat 11.30am–10.30pm
Sun 11.30am–10pm

@sofugelato