Cooland: a new place for all things cold and sweet

Left: waffle a la mode, right: honeydew snow shave ice

Kona winds drove me to Cooland, a new-ish shop of all things cold and sweet: shave ice, halo halo, ice cream, soft serve, smoothies, Icees, bubble tea, acai bowls … did I get it all? In the shave ice category alone, there are multiple varieties: Hawaii-style syrup soaked; or Korean pat bing soo-style shave ice with fresh fruit, mochi and roasted soybean powder; or the newest all-the-rage Taiwanese-style snow ice that's shaved in soft, fine sheets as thin as phyllo dough. Throw in Mexican raspas and Italian granitas and you'd have the United Nations represented through sugar and ice.

The honeydew snow shave ice is like satiny sheets of a shaved Melona bar. And the only warm item on the menu, made fresh to order, is the waffle, similar to a Belgian liege waffle, dense, sweet, sturdy, holding up to the whipped cream and soft serve that it's buried under. (Ok, you can get it plain, but we're trying to cool off here.)

As far as snow ice goes, Frost City is still the tops in my book, but Cooland isn't bad for a quick cold fix.

Cooland, 815 Keeaumoku St., Ste J101, 953-2233