Chill Out with Summer Treats
As the pavement heats up, check out these newer cool kids on the block.
Watermelon snow ice at Frostcity |
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Many places around town now serve this Taiwanese-style “snow ice,” fruit-flavored ice shaved in delicate sheets as thin as the layers in Japanese wafer rolls and almost as creamy as gelato. Frostcity was one of the first and uses fresh fruit instead of flavored powders to make its ice. Watermelon is the perfect distillation of summer, but if unavailable, black sesame is a nutty knockout. (Note: Frostcity changed ownership while we went to press. Here’s hoping the new owners keep Frostcity’s unrivaled quality.) |
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Chè trái cây at Bambu Desserts and Drinks
Vietnamese chè, or sweet drinks, are meant to cool at Bambu. Chè trái cây (aka No. 6 on the menu), fruit topped with coconut milk and plenty of crushed ice, will do that while providing entertainment in a game of What is that? Spoon out chewy, tentacle-like green strands (pandan jelly), little pomegranate-red balls (red tapioca), slippery-smooth translucent pieces (palm seed), yellow slivers (jackfruit) and other tropical fruits from your cup.
$4.75, 745 Keeaumoku St., Suite 102, 949-0288
Ube ice cream sandwich at ChadLou’s
You can mix and match Dave’s ice cream flavors and cookies at ChadLou’s, but one of our favorites is the ube with chocolate chip cookies: soft cookies barely holding together a scoop of purple sweet potato ice cream.
$2.50, 45 Kihapai St., Kailua, 263-7930
Shiso lemonade sorbetto from Via Gelato
This cream-colored gelato truck (and farmers’ market vendor) delivers immediate cool. The shiso lemonade looks like pink lemonade, courtesy of purple shiso, which gives just the lightest herby finish to this not-too-sweet, not-too-tart, utterly refreshing scoop. Via Gelato's flavors are seasonal. Check Twitter for its refreshing flavor of the day. twitter.com/viagelato for locations
