Passionflower, Sydney

Final Fantasy $14.00
Black sesame and coconut ice creams
accompanied by cool refreshing pieces of black jelly
drowned in a shot of evaporated milk

I remember when the cinema section of George Street was never-ending scaffolding, wooden board footpaths and giant long-abandoned holes in the ground. Now the area is filled with shiny buildings, trendy apartment complexes, and new restaurants and cafes opening til late.

Looking for dessert after dinner, we find ourselves at the Passionflower Cafe on George Street at the base of the Pavilion Plaza. Passionflower has always been a favourite dessert destination with its range of Asian-inspired ice creams: exotic flavours that include durian, sticky rice, lychee & rose petal, black sesame and wasabi (the last one is not as sinus-clearing as it sounds).


Lychee with raspberry mousse $10.00

These days Passionflower is decidedly hip with redesigned funky modern menus and an extended range of eat-in desserts with cute and/or geeky titles like As Good As It Gets and Final Fantasy.


Japanese green tea mousse $10.00

Service is a little distracted and prices can at times seem high, but for the most part, their ice creams are well-made and well-flavoured.


As Good As It Gets $14.50
Jackfruit, durian, taro and coconut ice creams
served with homemade coconut jelly and glutinous balls
with a shot of warm coconut sauce

I dig into As Good As It Gets with great gusto. The durian ice cream is amazing, with its delicious pungency. The glutinous rice balls should be approached with caution. Thick wads of starchy rice flour seem determined to lodge in my throat and go no further. I can understand now why there are so many deaths in Japan from eating mochi rice balls (mainly children and the elderly). And despite the promise on the menu, the shot of coconut sauce is cold, not warm.


Skinny dipping $8.80
Strawberries with melted chocolate

The G-man finds the green tea mousse incredibly sweet but I quite like it, especially its strong matcha flavour. The black sesame ice cream is a winner with its nutty smoky sweetness whilst still smooth in texture.

And I'm not sure that eating strawberries in melted chocolate will help you skinny dip with confidence in future, but if it's all about abandon and having fun, then pass me a strawberry and let me at that chocolate!




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Passionflower
Pavilion Plaza, Shop G1
(opposite George St cinemas)
580 George Street, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9267 0075

Open Monday to Thursday 8am - midnight
Friday 8am - 1am
Saturday 10am - 1am
Sundays and public holidays 10am - midnight

10% surcharge on weekends and public holidays


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