From cutting the hair of celebrities to opening up shop in Woodville, Luay Fandi has made quite the career change. His newly opened, Docee, has already caught the attention of many for serving a delicous açaí blend, but also for a unique menu item: cold creams.
“Me and my wife tried cold creams for the first time in Japan and we thought, hey we haven’t seen it [in Adelaide], let’s try it there,” Luay explains.
Uncertain at first, he wasn’t sure if the trend would catch on locally, but the risk paid off.
“We were very hesitant to put it on the menu, but it’s going crazy. Last week, we probably sold over a hundred and fifty.”
If you’re thinking what I was thinking when chatting with Luay, it’s what actually is a cold cream?
A popular drink across parts of Asia, it consists of sweet, layered goodness – like an iced milk with a colourful flavour combination. The key feature is the velvety, foamy, creamy top layer for a guaranteed milk moustache and guaranteed enjoyment.
Docee’s standout is their viral Strawberry Pistachio combo.
“It starts off with pistachio cream, strawberry mix on top, milk, coffee, and then our lightly sweetened strawberry confit,” Luay explains.
Other favourites include the Pinky Snow Storm with Belgian white chocolate, Peanut Mocha layered with rich espresso and chocolate and, for those who like to keep it classic, Just A Long Black.
From smoothies to coffee, cold creams and build-your-own açaí, the small shop offers it all. The team have also worked the viral Dubai chocolate in multiple menu items, alongside cult favourites like Biscoff, Kinder Bueno, and nutella. It’s like heaven – sweet, sweet heaven.
Not only is Docee one of the only places in the nation where you can try these delectable cold cream drinks, Luay’s wife brings the experience to perfect them.
“Our cold cream recipe is homemade. My wife actually ran a cafe for seven years and she has a lot of experience, so she has her secret little recipe and people are loving it.”
The plan was to ease into things with a soft launch last month, but cold-cream mania had other plans.
“We only officially opened on Saturday. We didn’t expect for the café be so busy – we thought, we’ll start a soft launch to see how we go, and we haven’t had time to breathe, it’s been absolutely crazy.”
Though the success was unexpected, it is a true testament to Luay’s dedication to craft.
He recounts the past six months of vigorous açaí bootcamp, learning all the tricks of the trade and even setting up shop in his house for his family and friends to taste test.
“I actually bought a small açaí machine at home. I set up my own little shop at home for family and friends and they were only allowed to come and try it if they were very honest.”
“I wrote down what happens to the açaí in a day, second day, third day, fourth day. I literally studied how it works. I studied the machine – how often you should wash it, how to keep it, how to maintain it.”
Açaí might be everywhere right now, but Luay believes making a good one comes down to one thing.
“Put some love into it. I opened this for the passion. It is a very popular thing at the moment, but people are starting notice what’s a good acai and what’s a bad açaí.”
For delicious cold creams, açaí made from the heart and customer service to match, this western suburbs gem is your one-stop shop. Acai can’t believe how berry good it is, but you be the judge.
WHAT: Docee
WHEN: Monday to Wednesday 11:00am – 10:30pm, Thursday to Sunday 9:00am – 10:30pm
WHERE: 3/115 Findon road Woodville South, SA
For more info, click here.
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