The Sweet Is On
You've mastered the malasadas. You've sampled the shave ice. You've checked off the cocoa puffs. And while you'd never desert your favorite local desserts, you'd love to tempt your tastebuds with a few new treats. So venture a little off the eaten path with these off-beat sweets.
Flower Power
Japan’s famed cherry blossom season may be over, but you can keep the celebration going with a sakura mochi ice cream treat from Bubbies. The delectable bite-sized morsels consist of a quarter ounce of creamy vanilla ice cream wrapped in a soft, pounded rice shell, made using actual cherry blossoms. As for the mochi’s flavor, think less floral and more delicate cherries. Bubbies Homemade Ice Cream, 1010 University Ave., 808.949.8984. For more info and other locations, click here.
Memory Lane
Your favorite small-kid-time sandwich gets all grown up with The Alley Restaurant’s scrumptious PB&J scone. Unlike the dry, rock-hard British versions, this fresh-baked biscuit is ultra-moist and contains yummy bits of smooth n’ creamy peanut butter and sweet grape jelly, and comes topped with a light sugar frosting. The Alley Restaurant at Aiea Bowl, 99-115 ‘Aiea Heights Dr., 808.486.3499. For more info, visit www.aieabowl.com.
Sugar Mama
City Café gives traditional shave ice a Taiwanese twist by replacing the standard artificial rainbow flavorings with subtly sweet brown sugar syrup. And alongside local favorites like mochi balls, condensed milk and azuki beans, they offer up a ton of less expected yet equally delicious topping options like almond tofu, taro and grass jelly. City Café, 1518-F Makaloa St., Honolulu, 808.398.7598.
Cake Boss
You love buttery, crunchy apple streusel. You love rich, velvety cheesecake. Get the best of both worlds with Cake Envy’s apple streusel cheesecake—a decadent apple-flavored cheesecake filled with fresh apples and cinnamon, and topped with crumbly, brown sugar cinnamon streusel, all baked on a cinnamon graham cracker crust. Cake Envy, special orders only, 808.366.8307. For more info, visit www.cakeenvy.net.
