Tu Cha - Review - Koreatown - Los Angeles - The Infatuation

"Tu Cha is a small dessert shop in Koreatown that’s built for the algorithm, with a glass display case up front filled with chocolate-shelled sculptures that crack open like geodes, and pink sorbet blocks that look like Rubik's cubes. It’s also owned by a culinary influencer from Australia, which might explain the multiple TVs on the wall looping TikTok content like screensavers. As visual illusions, the treats here nail it, even if they’re more uneven as actual desserts. The heart-shaped matcha cake is mostly mousse with barely any cake to balance it, and the berry sorbet is gritty with ice crystals. But we were impressed by the shiny mango orb, which shatters when tapped to reveal a silky filling that tastes like very ripe mango. Portions run small for the price (the miniature mango is not to scale), so while we might not recommend Tu Cha as a post-meal dessert stop, the creations here do double as entertainment—something you can bring to a function and invite everyone to stab with a spoon while ooh-ing and aah-ing." - Cathy Park