Roji Monster Ice Cream opened in Burwood mid-February 2019 to much fanfare with queue control and a good 30 minutes wait still in place over a month later when we visited in late March. Originating in Taiwan, the shop specialises in monster-shaped shaved ice inspired by Japanese flavours.
The interior is brightly lit with wooden detailing, much like a Japanese cafe, with a dedicated corner lined with tatami mats. We were lucky enough to be seated at one of these tables. Removing our shoes (and placing them in a cabinet, with slippers for picking up our orders) is required for customers in the tatami area.
There are 4 standard flavours for the shaved ice (milk, French cocoa, matcha and black sesame, all $14.00) with an additional seasonal flavour on occasion ($14.00+). All shaved ice comes with the choice of two toppings from an impressive list that includes shiratama dango, hōjicha and matcha jelly, mini dorayaki, osthmanthus and sakura jelly, as well as a dizzying variety of interesting jam combinations.
There’s a $10.00 minimum spend per person, so a couple could need to order a drink to reach the threshold.
This is the Matcha Shaved Ice ($14.00) with shiratama dango and red bean paste + fig and Earl Grey jam.
The vegetal notes from the matcha is very prominent and easily mask any hint of dairy in the ice cream. That said, it gave it an enjoyable creaminess with the thick layers of shaved ice. The dango has the perfect texture, being just tender and chewy enough, as is the red bean paste which retains a good amount of chunky texture to avoid being too smooth. The jam delivered an intense hit of caramelised fig that dominates any hint of Earl Grey.
This is the Black Sesame Shaved Ice ($14.00) with shiratama dango and red bean paste + honey and osmanthus jelly.
The black sesame shaved ice is smooth and creamy with a healthy nutty black sesame flavour that also came through as specks of black in the otherwise grey monster. We’re fans of the red bean and shiratama dango, but the honey osmanthus jelly tastes like a jelly made with floral honey without much distinctive osmanthus flavour.
This is the Cold Brew Gyokuro ($7.50), which comes with complementary trail mix.
While the gyokuro was the bright golden green colour I expected, it tasted oversteeped with slightly astringent and bitter notes interfering with the brothy, umami notes, which were much more mellow with a less viscous mouthfeel than I’d expected. That said, it surprised me that the pot of gyokuro was priced the same as the pot of hōjicha. We weren’t too impressed with the hōjicha either as it tasted odd, recalling a weak puer tea.
Roji Monster Ice Cream offers a new concept for shaved ice with interesting sides in a cosy environment that we’d enjoy returning to try again in the future when the queues die down.
Roji Monster Ice Cream is located at Shop 2, 51 Burwood Rd, Burwood NSW 2134.