This One Thing: A Starbucks-Inspired Lychee Rose Bingsu From Nimbo in the CBD

I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve visited Nimbo. The hidden Hardware Street dessert shop occupies the same space as, and is run by, the Matcha Mate team – wives Chian Ting and Belle Vy, along with Raya ’s Raymond Tan (who is Ting’s cousin).

I pull it out of my back pocket like a party trick anytime I’m in the city with someone and need a place to go.

They serve standout matcha cookies and loaded mochi brioche toasts, but the highlight in my mind is the Korean shaved-ice dessert, bingsu. There are six flavours on at any time, made with a frozen cow’s milk or non-dairy base that’s loaded into a bingsu machine until it turns into “fluffy ice flakes that should resemble freshly fallen snow”, as Ting describes it.

The team changes up bingsu flavours frequently, but the best I’ve had is the lychee rose creation, which is currently on the menu.

“Raymond was telling me about this Starbucks Thailand exclusive drink [lychee Earl Grey] he had in Thailand. I stole the idea, did some R&D and made it into a bingsu,” says Ting of the dessert.

Here are all the details.

What: Lychee rose bingsu: lychee puree, canned lychee, lychee popping balls, rose oolong ice-cream from I Scream, freeze-dried lychee, edible flowers and dried rose petals.
Cost: $23.50
Where: Nimbo, 119 Hardware Street, Melbourne