Have you ever heard of Che, the Vietnamese beverage that is basically dessert soup? I had not.  I’d once had bubble tea, a similar concept, but was not a fan of the texture. When I saw that a place was opening focusing on this strange brew, I saw no need to visit, but then saw they also served Banh Mi ( Vietnamese Sandwiches), Goi Cuon (Salad Rolls), and appealing grilled skewers, so I wandered on down to Denman Street to give Che-Licious a shot.

There was another excellent deal with SocialShopper for $14 which included, two Vietnamese subs, an appetizer and Che dessert for two people. It’s not on right now, but there’s plenty more great ones available.

The Salad Rolls are super fresh, rolled to order and we ordered up the shrimp and pork. There’s a veggie filled version, a grilled chicken and pork patty version too.

The Banh Mi are a deal, ranging in price from $6.50 and $7.25 as they are stuffed full of filling, a nice change from some of the chintzy versions I’ve often had. The two musts here are the Ducking Good, roasted duck, ginger and scallion and the Seoul Savoury with Kalbi beer, kimchi and seaweed strips, but there’s also a vegetarian version and the Saigon Signature with the cold cuts, BBQ pork, pork floss and pate that sounded tempting had we had more room. Next time.

Although the idea of this dessert soup thing seemed almost a bit repulsive to me, I am open to experimentation and so gave my friend’s Che a try and quite enjoyed it. Had I not been so full, I would have probably finished it. The Che-Licious Special has Pandan jelly, agar jelly, pom pearls, toddy palm, jackfuit, longan and coconut milk. It’s textures are similar to what you might expect if you made up some jello and added it to milk, very odd to me, but enjoyable; sweet, but not overly so.

We also sampled a rather sweet, but tasty iced coconut coffee and I’m curious about their icy buns, listed as sweet buns with gelato and toppings such as caramel or durian wafer, but we’d had more than enough at this point.

The room is lovely, bright and welcoming, as is the service.  I suggest that you give these strange dessert soups a try, they’d be especially refreshing on a warm spring day.