Just Desserts: Almond Blancmange at Alba

When I was a kid, almond tofu meant sweet white cubes of gelatin (usually made from a supermarket mix) topped with a can of Del Monte fruit cocktail. My cousins and I would fight over the radioactively red cherries – though now in retrospect they weren’t really worth the risk of bruising by spoon.

The almond tofu at Alba (RMB 20) is worlds apart, and therein lies its charm. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll gladly take a serving of my childhood desser t anytime. But this Gulou cafe offers a decidedly more sophisticated version that resembles the French dessert known as blancmange. It’s made similarly, with a mixture of ground almond, dairy and a solidifying agent, but it materializes in the end as a single, creamy pillow. Its richness is balanced by a clear, almond-scented syrup, which can disappear a little too quickly if you don’t ration it with the “tofu” in each spoonful. In place of fruit cocktail, the blancmange is topped with a lone goji berry.

Many already know and love this treat, but if any of you have not yet had the pleasure, now’s a great time to enjoy it on Alba’s rooftop terrace. The modest size might tempt you to eat one all by yourself, but the thick little hunk goes a long way so we recommend sharing. Just have your tiny spoons ready to duel for that goji berry.

Alba Daily 8am-2am. 70 Gulou Dongdajie (east of Nanluogu Xiang), Dongcheng District (6407 3730) 东城区鼓楼东大街70号

By subway: 1.8km from Andingmen station (Line 2) or Beixinqiao station (Line 5)

Click here to see the Beijinger July issue in full.

Photo: Mitchell Pe Masilun