This new café in Narrabundah has desserts that would make Zumbo himself drool

Posted on 30 November, 2022

Should you find yourself walking Narrabundah’s quaint Iluka street, your nose might just be tempted to follow the rich odours of butter, cream and sugar-laced warm pastry perfuming the air.

The destination? Narrabundah’s latest foodie slice of heaven, Du Sel.

The brainchild of Michael Ma and Ariel Jiang, this tiny café has made its way from the hustle and bustle of Sydney to the somnolent rhythms of the bush capital—where these decadent handcrafted creations have been welcomed with open arms (and stomachs!).

Each menu item embodies a quiet luxury—from desserts that blur the line between fruit and dessert to aromatic croissants oozing with European indulgence. You almost feel guilty disturbing these poetic creations with a fork—although as the drool steadily builds, our primal urges can only resist such temptations for so long.

As owner Michael explains, their new home in Narrabundah has allowed the quality and creativity at the heart of Du Sel to rapidly expand—shifting their focus away from consumer volume and towards the food itself.

“We wanted to come to Canberra for that slower pace so that we could make quality food and perfect our creations.”

“And moving to Narrabundah was an obvious choice for us because this suburb does have a really good feeling and size about it, and it’s really cosy. We managed to find a café that has an adequate size kitchen, it’s not huge, but it works for us.

“We have found that everyone in this area is really lovely and friendly, which is so different from the experience we have had in Sydney.

“And in terms of food, there are a lot of impressive cafes on this street. There’s Kita, XO, La Cantina and D’Browes, so it’s an impressive reputation—commercially, it made sense to move here,” says Michael.

While Dul Sel firmly plants its roots as Narrabundah’s go-to for a sweet tooth-craving fix, it’s quickly becoming a fierce competitor within Canberra’s patisserie scene.

Michael puts this all down to his wife, Ariel, whose unshakable attention to detail, a sharp eye and culinary precision create menu delights such as the Redback croissant. Its vermillion-linked stripes sit boldly across a crisp, buttery pastry filled with a rich honey-soft centre to spin your tastebuds in all the right places.

Such are the creative markings of Ariel, whose talents are a reflection of her own research, unwavering passion and constant experimentation.

“Ariel spends almost all of her spare time learning from different classes and teachers and pastry chefs, as well as a lot of self-training back at home in China.

“There are so many nights that she reads books and recipes all over the world from very famous and popular chefs. And she also spent a lot of time doing online courses during the COVID period also,” says Michael.

And as these talented business owners fall in love with their new community in Narrabundah, it appears the affection is mutual. Customers have embraced their contemporary approach to esteemed pastry classics and their fearlessness to push Du Sel into unexpected culinary realms.

“We get really nice feedback. And again, people in Narrabundah have just been so supportive, which gives us the confidence to continue creating our take on the desserts and evolving them to be better.” reflects Michael.