This is What the Fudge?!, a café in south-west Sydney focused on dessert formats built around chocolate, waffles, sundaes, banana splits, and a smaller range of gelato.
The space leans into a hipster aesthetic. A chalkboard fronts the kitchen, filled with short facts and prompts that invite attention while waiting.
Asian Persuasion ($13.00)
Lychee sorbet, green tea and pandan ice cream, topped with mochi and jackfruit (served without whipped cream). The structure combines three flavours commonly associated with East and Southeast Asian desserts.
The green tea component carried a controlled bitterness, with the vegetal edge present but not dominant. Colour remained a lighter green, consistent with a moderated matcha intensity. Lychee sorbet was clean and refreshing, with a familiar sweetness and light floral note. It performed reliably, though without a distinct point of difference from standard versions.
Pandan ice cream presented as the most novel element. Colour was a fresher, brighter green than the matcha. Flavour opened clearly pandan on first contact, then softened quickly into a generalised sweetness after several bites. The profile suggested broader accessibility, though at the cost of persistence. A higher intensity would have improved definition across the full portion.
Mochi added a soft, elastic chew with a straightforward sweetness. Variation between colours, if present, was not clearly distinguishable. Jackfruit contributed sweetness initially, though a slight bitterness followed, likely from the preserving liquid.
Deep-fried Cadbury Picnic Bar
The coating formed a thin, cohesive shell that held its structure without becoming overly dense. Compared to prior versions such as deep-fried Mars bars, the filling retained more definition due to the nut content, reducing the uniform softness associated with nougat-heavy bars. The result was a clearer contrast between exterior chew and interior texture. Oil quality appeared cleaner, with no residual heaviness.
Overall, the combination dessert relied on contrast between familiar fruit and milder novelty flavours, with pandan requiring greater intensity to sustain interest. Fried items performed more decisively due to structural balance and cleaner execution.
What the Fudge?! is located at Shop 278A, Canley Vale Rd, Canley Heights NSW 2166.