Travel Pockets

View Original

If You Haven't Tried Taiwanese Shaved Snow, Do It Now!

This post contains affiliate links, which means that at no additional cost to you, if you click on one of the product links, we may earn a commission. As Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases.

I recently discovered the most amazing shaved ice cream at Iceskimo in San Diego. Yes, shaved ice cream, not shaved ice. It's a hybrid between traditional ice cream and Hawaiian shaved ice and, to top it off, it's home made and prepared with all-natural ingredients. 

Iceskimo is located in a small shopping area just north of downtown San Diego. I actually frequent this area often to do my grocery shopping at the Japanese supermarkets. There are also a ton of Asian restaurants in this area like ramen, sushi, pho, and Korean barbecue, but today I was on a mission to try the Taiwanese shaved snow. 

It was pretty easy to spot Iceskimo, since their building is painted in a bright blue icy color. Doesn't their logo remind you of those ghosts in Pac-Man? When I walked in, I was kindly greeted by Robert. I'm pretty sure he is the owner of Iceskimo because he looked exactly like the guy that is pictured on their website. I love establishments where the owner is hard at work and running things. It just goes to show how much they love what they do.

I was going to order a small bowl of their shaved snow, but Robert suggested that I try their unique twist on the affogato. I've never had an affogato, but as soon as he said matcha, I was sold. I love anything that is matcha flavored, but what made it even better was that he would top it off with mochi! For those who don't know what mochi is, it is a chewy rice cake that can be quite addicting. I grew up eating this stuff all the time. 

My Matcha Affogato consisted of their signature milk shaved snow, a shot of hand-whisked Japanese matcha, condensed milk, and topped with homemade mochi and almond jelly. I just love that everything is made in-house. 

I didn't pour all of my matcha at once as I wanted to taste the shaved snow milk first. The texture was one that I've never experienced before. It was light, airy, yet still had that hint of creaminess that shaved ice doesn't have. I started digging in with my spoon and devoured the mochi and almond jelly. It wasn't long before I started to feel full (it's a very generous portion), so I and poured the rest of my matcha and I let the matcha melt the remaining shaved snow. I let it sit for a little bit as it turned into a nice smoothie like consistency. I tossed my spoon out and switched over to a straw and basically sipped on the rest of it. 

I loved it so much that I went back the next day and had another one. If I lived within walking distance to this place, it would definitely be dangerous for me. Have I convinced you to give Taiwanese Shaved Snow a try? 

"The images below contain some affiliate marketing links, which goes toward supporting our blog in some way, so it's a win-win for everyone. We hope you love the products we recommend. More about affiliates here .” 

See this gallery in the original post