Frozen yogurt changed into the beginning of the “create your own dessert” trend, wherein clients ought to pass into stores, dispense hefty servings of cold stuff into tubs, and pinnacle it with any toppings they desire. Then the fashion slowly dwindled, as every person found out they had alternatively simply down a pint of ice cream.
So, while Memoz Dessert Cafe opened in advance this year, promising clients the chance to construct their own dessert, it turned into fair to be skeptical. But upon getting into the pink-accented, 28-seat cafe, it will become clear that it is a mile-long distinct experience.
The brainchild of Seattle local Aaron Allina and his wife, Julie, Memoz would not emit the homogenous ambiance of reputedly each other eatery promising a customized experience. Instead, the space has a fascinating intimacy and, on our visit, becomes full of families eagerly indulging in chocolates or ready patiently for their creations over a game of Uno.
The customizations start by choosing from various gluten-unfastened or vegan cookies or pastries that take the most effective minutes to bake. From there, two tablespoons’ worth of blend-ins are introduced from a list of over 40 alternatives encompassing mint chips, caramel bits, blue cheese, black pepper, and sweet corn. Finally, you may finish your customized concoction with Baked Alaska, ganache, or flat icing at an additional rate. It’s an amusing manner. But getting it right takes some experimenting. So we decided to whip up three atypical combinations to see if we ought to come across Portland’s subsequent top-notch dessert.
Dessert 1: The Tamale Boy from Bedrock
The first dessert began as an uncooked scoop of what was destined to end up a peanut butter oat cookie. It ferries down the counter to the next section of the operation, in which mix-ins are selected. These included M&M&M’s, Fruity Pebbles, smoked almonds, and Hot Tamale sweets rolled into the dough, forming a vibrant mass that made its way to the oven. After taking only mins to bake, the ice cream was added to the toasted cookie, and caramel drizzle was made for the final touch, if simplest as it came at no additional price.
The Fruity Pebbles had grown smooth and chewy in the oven’s heat, and the M&Ms dissolved to form a sticky confection of the various ice creams. Though a contentious preference within the second, the Hot Tamales complemented the candy structure by including the slightest hint of spice to each chunk. Structurally, the smoked almonds gave the cookie a reassuring foundation that would not soften into a soggy heap.
Dessert 2: Sarah Palin’s Chocolate Explosion
The 2nd dessert was crafted with extra foresight, combining M&Ms, peanut butter chips, and brownie batter. Poured in mildew and located in the oven, it became crowned with Baked Alaska, Memoz’s most popular topping if handiest because of its ‘Gram-worthy look submit-blowtorch. Unlike the cookie earlier, the brownie held its form and proved to be densely rich with chocolate, simply as our servers expected. A traditional dessert of the Gilded Age in its own proper Alaska dollopka became a dessert. The brownie disappeared in a flash.
Dessert 3: The Ice Cream Uni-Corn
Our final introduction consisted of cinnamon and sugar pull-aside bread. The bread became a combination of sweet corn, black pepper, orange slices, and peaches. It was crowned with vanilla ice cream from neighborhood Heartbreaker Neighborhood Kitchen and coarse sea salt coating. The mixture of orange slices and peaches made for a saccharine flavor equally matched with the aid of the corn and ice cream, while black pepper stood out as an aromatic characteristic. The peculiar union of flavors proved that, at Memoz, you could not move wrong no matter what you pick.
