Location Review:G/F, 11 Hau Fook Street, Tsim Sha Tsui
尖沙咀厚福街11號地下
After a very very filling dinner at Satay King, I met up with a friend to have dessert. If there is one thing you must know about me and dessert, its that 1) you are never too full for dessert, and 2) ice cream beats all. I plead guilty to multiple occasions where I've situated myself under thick blankets on my bed just so I could eat ice cream on a winter day. The dessert place we ended up going to (and the spotlight of today's post) didn't serve ice cream, but it offered something I'm willing to put close behind on the favourites list -Taiwanese shaved snow.
Taiwanese shaved snow (雪花冰) is definitely not too prevalent a dessert in Toronto (or at least that I've seen anyway). The closest replica of this that I've had is shaved ice : a plate of crushed ice similar to that of a snow cone, topped with syrups and various toppings (fresh fruit, red bean, purees, etc). Shaved snow is a totally different story.
First off, it's not a plate of ice with toppings. It's actually made from a block of ice that already has flavours infused into it. Then it is thinly shaved creating a big mound of soft fluffy ice, similar to snow.
"Valrhona Chocolate Shaved Ice" Valrhona 雪山 ($40HKD)
I would recommend this one for chocolate lovers, it is so intensely chocolatey! I'm surprised at how creamy and decadent it was, despite just being ice and chocolate flavourings. Paired with the bananas it was like eating a banana split.
The mountain of shaved snow is a bit melty on the outside, but when you dig your spoon inside you can actually see all the layers of thinly shaved ice. I cannot emphasize how light and fluffy it is. It literally just melts away!
Matcha Shaved Snow 抹茶雪花冰 ($40 HKD)
This matcha (which is just finely milled grean tea) shaved snow was not as heavy as the Valrhona chocolate, but it was still jam packed with green tea flavour. I like that it's appropriately sweetened such that it didn't overpower the naturally occurring bitter undertones of Matcha.
Lychee and Watermelon Shaved Snow 白雪紅霞 ($53 HKD)
This one is actually a seasonal special, hence the added price and extra toppings. Definitely my favourite of the 3 we ordered, and we ate it so quickly I didn't get a chance to snap a picture of the inside! There orangy side of the snow pile is the watermelon flavour, and the white side was the lychee. It went so refreshingly well with the sweet sweet pineapple, watermelon balls, and grass jelly! I was impressed that the shaved snow didn't have the artificial fake fruit flavours like I find most sorbets have, and tasted like real fruit. And yes, in case you were wondering those are cornflakes on top.
After we devoured everything, we spent the rest of the time conversing about how we wished there was a place that made these in Toronto! If anyone knows a place, please please please do let me know! If not, then all the more reason to make sure you try this if you ever set foot in Hong Kong! =]
