Hot Dish Review

How many white chicks would get excited about red beans and jelly candies? Not many. But when I read about the new Asian dessert place called SunO Dessert in the Sunday Paper, I was practically giddy! Ten minutes later, I was there.

Shaved ice, in original, strawberry, chocolate, or mango flavor, is the main component of SunO’s desserts, which are then flavored with syrups, fruit toppings, dry toppings, and jellies to create endless variations. Creamy, chewy, crunchy, slimey, and even grainy or salty come together to create a dessert that is uniquely Asian. Like the Thai Jewels at Spice Market, the varying textures are weird and delicious at the same time.

On my visit I tried to recreate my favorite Vietnamese dessert since SunO uses many similar components….original flavor (vanilla) shaved ice with condensed milk as my syrup, topped with red beans, lychee fruit and “rice cake”, the round gummy candies called mochi at the many new-fangled yogurt shops in town. The container was enormous but the product is light as air, costing me $5.50.

Vietnamese desserts with red beans are traditionally made with crushed ice and coconut milk. Shaved ice, however, is dry. That’s why many of their options have several syrups. I ended up requesting extra condensed milk on mine.

Many of the crazy concoctions on the menu are clearly Americanized, like the Dirt o’Oreo made with vanilla shaved ice, Oreo crumbs, crushed nuts, chocolate syrup, condensed milk, and gummy worms.

SunO also makes many of the same combos in crepes shaped like cones. Flavored, sweetened teas are offered as well as a mysterious thing called a Wheel Pie. It looks like half a bagel, either vanilla or green tea flavored, filled with vanilla or chocolate custard or red beans. I’ll be having one on my next visit!

In true Asian form, the writing and English translations on the website are pretty funny. It reminds me of a catalog I received when I was designing clothes that had items like panties made into the form of a rose called “The Joy of Panties in Flowers”. Classic.

The confusion, however, is not so funny when trying to decipher the nutritional information. There are 98 calories per 112 grams. Nowhere does it state how many grams are in the different sizes offered.

There are four locations in Atlanta, the newest on N. Decatur Road near Emory. The space is decorated with giant photos of the desserts, all in day-glow Japanimation color. Seating is limited to the benches along the window sills with no tables but surely they will add more since it just opened.

I do wish they offered coconut milk as a syrup, but anytime I can get an Asian dessert with red beans without venturing twenty miles is a treat!