The Last Pavlova of Summer

The pavlova is the signature summer dessert

This afternoon I happened to have dim sum a stone's throw away from Sweet e's Darling Desserts, which had its last day today. The landlord did not renew their lease.

On Instagram yesterday and this morning they posted that they would only be selling its famous pavlovas from 1pm onwards, first come, first served.

As I came out of the dim sum restaurant about 12.45pm, I saw a queue in front of the bakery, and a friend from Pilates class waving her hand at me. She was at the back of the line so I joined her.

She told me she had tried to order the pavlova last week for today, Father's Day, but they refused to take her request. She was particularly annoyed as she knows the two sisters who own Sweet e's from since they were kids. "If I don't get a pavlova I'm going to get very mad at them," she said, and I told her I was keen to watch this interaction.

Waiting in line to get into the shop

Finally when 1pm rolled around, customers went into the shop one party at a time, and soon the pavlovas in the refrigerated showcase were gone. Each time someone came out with a white box, they would say, "They're making more in the back, you're fine."

My friend told me Sweet e's' pavlova is the best -- I told her I'd actually never eaten it before, as my mother makes a pretty good meringue shell which she fills the base with freshly whipped cream and then mixed fruit, such as strawberries, blueberries, grapes, and mango. But since this was the last day to get one from Sweet e's (until they find another location), I had to try it at least once.

Meanwhile I told her the mousse cakes were the best -- in particular lemon, or raspberry. So light, fluffy and refreshing.

After about 20 minutes my friend and I were at the front of the line and walked into the store. She walked straight into the kitchen and got her request fulfilled of getting an 8-inch pavlova, while I ordered a 4-inch one. Mine was almost complete, if I waited another 15 minutes.

Every subsequent customer who came in mourned the fact the shop was closing, and when they were told they would have to wait 30 minutes, 40 minutes for their pavlova, they were very happy to, and made sure they paid before they left and returned for their dessert before 5pm.

Finally mine was ready to go -- good enough for three of us to have a bite of to try.

And indeed it was light, airy, a touch sweeter than my mother's meringue, but for a store-bought pavlova it was delicious. The fresh cream was a delight, and it was topped with sliced strawberries and mango. 

Glad I had a chance to try the bakery's signature summer dessert. And am already looking forward to Sweet e's opening somewhere else (hopefully nearby!) in the next few months.