While there’s an abundance of bakeries in Eastwood, the dessert options on both the Korean and Chinese side of the railway lines were always subpar – the kind of place you’d reluctantly visit due to the lack of alternatives but nowhere you’d heartily recommend to your friends. That is, until Max Joy Co.
2017
Max Joy Co is situated at the very western end of Rowe Street, opposite the school and away from the busier shops. Their speciality items are ice cream and waffles.
Specifically, these Moffles ($12.00.95, including a scoop of ice cream, $3.00 for an additional scoop) are my reason for making an especial trip to Eastwood.
Moffles are waffles made with mochi, something we’d enjoyed immensely some years ago at Hana Hana before it closed down. Here, the moffle is chewy on the inside with a crispy outside. Moffles are an acquired taste though, so if you’re like D and do not enjoy doughy foods, then it might not be for you. For me, though, I find it delightfully satisfying with the kuromitsu adding just enough moisture and sweetness to the otherwise unsweetened mochi and cut through by the tart strawberries.
These scoops are of Granny Smith Apple and Yuzu sorbets. Eastwood is famous for the Granny Smith apple, accidentally first grown in the suburb by Maria Ann Smith, so this flavour was a mainstay. It’s refreshing, despite the apples being cooked, with small pieces of Granny Smith Apple throughout to bring interesting pops of flavour and texture. The yuzu, though, is the highlight, with a bright and zesty flavour that’s immensely uplifting.
We return to try some of their others flavours. These scoops are Grandma’s Black Sesame and Granny Smith Apple. The black sesame is one of the most enjoyable of this flavour that we’ve tried. It’s creamy and packs a healthy punch of nutty black sesame flavour with a balanced sweetness.
And these scoops are Lavender Honey and Hōjicha. The lavender notes are fragrant with balanced sweetness from the honey. My senses are accustomed to lavender scented soaps and air fresheners, so this flavour had my mind resisting to like it, but for someone without this association, it would be very pleasant. As for the houjicha, we thoroughly enjoyed the roasted green tea flavour that came through prominently through the creamy dairy base much like a good hōjicha latte.
With a good creamy texture and no iciness, it’s no wonder that this spot is buzzing with activity late into the night.
Max Joy Co released a pretty baby pink coloured Pink Choc Popcorn with Fragrant Rose Ice Cream to celebrate Valentine’s Day in February.
The rose ice cream has a prominent dairy flavour that gave it the rose flavour a heavy — though creamy — mouthfeel that’s incongruent with the light floral notes associated usually with rose. Bits of pink choc popcorn were scattered throughout the ice cream, but lost their crunch and instead were soft and chewy without much flavour.
2018
On our way to get eggettes on Sussex Street, N and I were pleasantly surprised to find that The Max Joy Co had expanded to a store in Chinatown.
The shop is located in the space occupied previously by Gelatissimo. The ice cream cabinet is out front, with some seating towards the back. No longer situated in the suburb, Eastwood Granny Smith is no longer a staple flavour but there are new flavours to replace it.
These are the Moffles ($12.95, including a scoop of ice cream, $3.00 for an additional scoop). The moffles are slightly underdone here, so not as crispy as we’re used to, but still addictively chewy like good mochi.
We order scoops of White Peach (above) and Yuzu. We’ve had yuzu before and it’s one of our favourite flavours, being zesty and tangy and just delicious. The white peach is also a winner, tasting just like the fresh fruit without nothing artificial about its flavour, which is sweet and vibrant just like a white peach at peak ripeness.
A few weeks later, we try the Hōjicha, which we’d enjoyed immensely at Eastwood before, and Roasted Banana (above). This one is a very creamy ice cream, with strong notes of caramelised banana. I enjoy roasted bananas, but I wouldn’t return for this flavour.
After a few visits we finally spot the Genmai-tea (bottom) we were after, along with the Jasmine (top).
The jasmine has a fragrant and natural floral flavour with a smooth texture and none of the artificial headiness that can be often found in some jasmine-flavoured products. Indeed, I was pleasantly surprised by the strength and enjoyability of the flavour. The genmai-tea has visible specks of the tea leaves that give it an inobtrusive gritty texture, while the nuttiness from the puffed rice came through in the ice cream itself. Of the two tea flavours, I preferred the jasmine. On reflection, though, the genmaicha is one of the better ones we’ve tried in Sydney but does not hold a light to the absolutely delectable genmaicha gelato we had at Suzukien in Asakusa, Tōkyō.
N and I are fans of mochi waffles and Asian inspired flavours of gelato and we can now find both at The Max Joy Co without having to visit Eastwood.
2021
We headed to The Max Joy Co for a much-needed ice cream fix to find that they’d refurbished since our last visit a few years ago (we switched to visiting their Haymarket branch before it closed down in 2020).
N ordered the Blood Peach Sorbet (above, top), which was oddly creamy for sorbet and had the sweetness of stone fruit with a hint of raspberry citrus from the blood orange. Underneath was the Pistachio and Dried Fig Gelato (above, bottom), which had a creamy base with crunchy bits of crushed pistachio and chewy bits of sweet dried fig.
I ordered my two favourites: Black Sesame (above, bottom), which had a creamy and rich black sesame flavour, and the Houjicha, which was also smooth and creamy with the bright flavour of roasted green tea. Eaten together though, the black sesame can dominate.
And finally, T ordered the Musang King Durian Gelato (above, bottom), which had a very intense durian aroma and flavour. For those who enjoy the fruit, the gelato is a very true representation and has the same creamy pungency. Personally, I thought it tasted like onions. On top was the crowd favourite Yuzu, which provided a salivating acidity to contrast the sweetness of all our other flavours.
This is the Cherry & Earl Grey.
It’s an Earl Grey flavoured ice cream base with a cherry sauce stirred through. Upon tasting, the cherry delivered an initial fruity sweetness before receding as the earl grey emerged in the body with a fragrant bergamot aroma that builds to prominence in the finish. The ice cream has a cream and smooth mouthfeel with the brightness of the Earl Grey masking the dairy notes of the cream well but we found the cherry flavour to be indistinct — fruity but not identifiable as cherry — and could benefit from a tarter profile.
This is the Sakura and Strawberry Mochi.
It’s a sakura and strawberry flavoured ice cream base with mochi. Incredibly — to the credit of the store because sakura flavoured anything tends to piggyback off the flavours cherry or strawberry — the ice cream has the distinct aroma of sakura petals. Upon tasting, those same notes of sakura came through and capture its mild floral flavour before similar gentle notes of strawberry bring sweetness in the finish. The sweetness of the strawberry — without its acidity — complemented the subtle floral notes of the sakura flavour, while the mushy and grainy texture of the mochi did not improve the otherwise smooth and creamy mouthfeel of the ice cream.
The Max Joy Co is located at 251 Rowe St, Eastwood NSW 2122 and Shop 2/431 Sussex St, Haymarket NSW 2000.