So… since all my boyfriend did was watch me relishing my matcha shave ice, it was only fair that I watch him enjoy his own serving of Hawaiian treat afterwards. He headed straight to Island Vintage Shave Ice based on his prior research, which was located near Royal Hawaiian Centre on Kalakaua Ave, resting on a bustling street crossing. It was busy, but the staffs were real quick with plating and serving.
Following some waffling, he decided on one of their signature shave ice – the Tropical Island Shave Ice. It included mango and pineapple syrup covered shaved ice on top of soft serve vanilla ice cream, with mango popping bobas in one corner of the plate, chewy mochi in the rest three, and a spoonful of fresh pineapple and mango bits on top. Everything was then drizzled in condensed milk. The whole thing was a piece of island art.
The snow was soft, silky and very fine, and was perfect with the ice cream. The flavours tasted natural, not overly sweet or artificial. Apparently, their syrups were made from real fresh fruit (I read that somewhere, but can’t recall the exact source, so it might just be a claim). The popping bobas added another layer of fruitiness and was really fun to eat when the juice burst onto your tongue. I didn’t appreciate their mochi as much, it reminded me of store-bought mass-produced mochi that were too mushy and not toothsome.
My boyfriend devoured this in minutes (with some help from me?), which meant he undeniably enjoyed it. I liked how everything worked well with each other. If I didn’t just have my matcha shave ice, I would have ordered my own?. Both bowls of shaved ice were delicious, it would be a hard decision to make. I guess I would go for matcha when I’m feeling more mature or sophisticated, and the fruity one when I’m feeling more playful and adventurous.
Have you had shave ice before? Where and what was your favourite?