Guide to Shave Ice Hawaiian Style

Shave ice is as vital to the local lifestyle as the ocean, the land, and spam. And nothing is more refreshing after a day at the beach.

In other regions of the world there are many variations and names for shave ice. But I am most familiar with Hawaiian style shave ice. It is what I grew up with and it is what this post is all about.

Two Simple Rules to Shave Ice:

1. It is NOT a snow cone.
2. It is NOT shaved ice, no 'd.'

If you can remember these rules, then you will have no big problems.

Hawaiian Shave Ice:

Shave ice has been a part of Hawaii's local food culture for over 100 years. I'm not going to go into that history but if you'd like to learn more here is a brief article about it: "Shave Ice" by Mike Gordon.

Today, shave ice can be found everywhere in Hawaii. Almost every crack seed or small convenience store offers it. Hawaiian style shave ice, in its most basic form, is made from finely shaved ice that comes from larger ice blocks. The ice shavings are then lightly compacted into a cone, cup, or bowl. The ice should not be crunchy at all. Various flavored syrups are then poured over the shave ice. Hawaiian style shave ice differs from other varieties in types of syrups and toppings offered.

Syrups
The majority of syrups tend to be fruit flavored with a strong emphasis on local tastes. Flavors such as mango, guava, pineapple, lychee, lilikoi, and li hing mui can easily be found. Most shave ice places in Hawaii have a mix of syrups made from artifical and natural flavors. Some have homemade syrups and some don't. A wide variety of syrups can be found. Another iconic aspect of Hawaiian shave ice is the rainbow option. Rainbow shave ice is made by using red, blue, and yellow syrups. Most commonly strawberry, blue vanilla, and banana flavors. Rainbow is probably the most popular choice of kids because of its bright colors.

Toppings
Hawaiian shave ice also has several topping options. Not every place has the same options but the most common toppings are: ice cream, azuki beans, condensed milk, and mochi balls.

Shave ice also varies in size and price. One shop's small may be another shop's large, etc. But I find that most shave ice ranges from $2.50-$5.00. All depending on size and number of toppings.


So then, the big question is:

What is the BEST shave ice in Hawaii?

Everyone seems to have their own favorite. This depends largely on your neighborhood and which shave ice store you went to as a child. I have my own personal favorite (to be revealed later), whether or not this is the best is debatable.

All of the places I mention are on Oahu. I haven't had too much shave ice on the neighboring islands. I can only recommend Ululani's on Maui. They have a fine shave, although not the finest I've had. They also have huge sizes and great tasting flavors. 

On Oahu there are many excellent shave ice shops. But there is one huge misconception about the best shave ice. It is NOT Matsumoto's. That's right, I said it.

Matsumoto's
Located in the North Shore's historic Haleiwa town.

Matsumoto's is way overhyped. Many travel guides say this is the best. That is why hoards of tourists drive out to North Shore. There is always a line out the door here, but it is really worth it? No. There are many places with better quality shave ice back in town. Matsumoto's shave ice isn't very fine and their syrups don't really standout from anywhere else. They do have cheaper prices for their sizes, but I don't think it is worth the wait.
If you are dying for shave ice and you're on North Shore, then I would suggest Aoki's.

Matsumoto's (see the large ice crystals)

Aoki's

Aoki's is only a few feet from Matsumoto's.

Aoki's shave ice has the same price and sizes, but I think they offer more flavors. Aoki's has a finer shave than Matsumoto's and they have the BEST azuki beans on the island. Aoki's doesn't get as much publicity as Matsumoto's but it is definitely better and the line is always shorter.

Aoki's

Now around Honolulu there are several places that truly are some of the best. Waiola, Ailana, Jung's, and Shimizu's all have their own fans. They are all great is their own respect, but my absolute hands down favorite is Waiola.

Waiola

There are two locations, one in Moiliili and one in Kaimuki.

Waiola has been around for over 70 years. They also have the finest shave ice I have ever EVER had. It is so finely shaven you can lick it like ice cream. Waiola also has the most syrup flavors I have ever seen and excellent toppings. I always get Waiola's green tea flavor and mochi balls. It is so damn good. Waiola is where I always go and where I take everyone. Just the quality of their ice is something you must experience.

Recently I have come across a brand new place, that is definitely raising the bar for shave ice in Hawaii.

Uncle Clay's House of Pure Aloha
In the Aina Haina Shopping Center, Uncle Clay's is a bit pricier, but the quality is amplified. All the syrups are natural and homemade. They even have homemade mochi. They have the BEST syrups I have ever tasted. It is literally like eating liquid fruit, it tastes exactly like the real thing. The shave ice is also very fine, although not quite as fine as Waiola. I don't think anyone can top them.

Also it is worth going here just to meet Uncle Clay and hear his philosophy of pure aloha. He is a real character. The first time I went there he spoon-fed me the first bite of his shave ice. He is very very friendly. When you go he immediately welcomes you into his ohana. He is very proud of his shave ice and just wants to spread aloha to the world. He's a really nice guy who loves to talk, so you need at least 15 minutes to go.

Uncle Clay's

Uncle Clay's may actually be the best quality shave ice in Hawaii. It is so near perfection. But Waiola is still my favorite because it is closer to where I live and I just love their green tea and mochi balls.

So basically if you want to experience the best Hawaiian shave ice you must go to Waiola and Uncle Clay's. They are both the best in their own right.

Cafe de Tim

1120 Maunakea St.
Honolulu, HI 96817

Inside Chinatown's Maunakea Marketplace in the outside courtyard area.

I ordered: green tea soy milk slush

• Taste: creamy matcha green tea flavor, well blended 
• Boba: Chinese black tea taste, soft and chewy
• Price: $3.50 for a huge 24 oz. size

This was a delicious bubble tea. The strong tea flavor of the boba added something extra to the drink. I also tried their coffee flavor too. It has a very strong espresso taste which I love.

The one thing I didn't really like was that their menu wasn't very clear. There are a lot of different drinks. Some with boba and some with jellys. I'm not sure if they charge extra for adding things to the drinks on their menu. It isn't very clear, but I'm sure you'll enjoy whatever you end up with. They also have egg puffs and fresh sugar cane juice.

Menu

Cafe de Tim is super cheap for the huge size you get. I would also reccomend trying Thang coffee & bubble tea right next door. It is almost the same as Cafe de Tim, but I think they specialize more in real fruit bubble teas. You can get hard to find flavors such as soursop, durian, and avocado.

I will definitely be coming back to these places whenever I'm in Chinatown. You can't beat these prices.

4.5 out of 5 bubbles

City Cafe

1518-F Makaloa St.
Honolulu, HI 96814

City Cafe may not look like much from the outside, but inside they offer a variety of bubble teas, shave ice, sandwiches, and other food options. On a side street off of Ke'eaumoku, City Cafe is near both Ala Moana shopping center, Walmart, and Don Quijote market.

I literally have driven past City Cafe hundreds of times without realizing it was there. It's location isn't bad, there are so many stores and restaurants in the area, but there are only few parking stalls. It can be difficult to find parking right in front of the shop. Nevertheless, it is an easy walk from any of the nearby shopping areas.


My Order: Jasmine Green Milk Tea Slush

• Taste: creamy texture, great jasmine tea flavor, not too sweet
• Boba: excellent texture with a slightly sweet tea taste
• Price: $3.50 for tall (16 oz.)

I really enjoyed my bubble tea from City Cafe. I found nothing wrong with it. I can't wait to go back and try more flavors and their Taiwanese style shave ice.

City Cafe also has very reasonable prices. Although when I went, I saw a sign saying that starting July 1st they are raising their prices due to the economy and the rising costs of goods. Hopefully the price increase won't be too much.

I am giving City Cafe 4 bubbles for now since I haven't had the opportunity to try more of their offerings.

4 out of 5 bubbles

Epcot

On my vacation in Orlando I went to Walt Disney World's Epcot park. I have to say I love the World Showcase portion of Epcot. I completely buy into the constructed authenticity of each country. For those unfamiliar with Epcot here is the website. The main thing I enjoy about Epcot is all the food offered in each country. When I go to Epcot, it is to eat.

Mexico

There are some great margaritas, nachos, and typical Mexican fair. You can learn about tequila and buy lots of handmade Mexican crafts.

Passion fruit Margarita

Norway

In this country there is a Norwegian bakery and a crazy viking boat ride. Here we tried an almond pretzel which was more like a flaky pastry in the shape of a pretzel. It was delicious.

Norwegian Bakery

Almond Pretzel

Troll

China

I think China has the worst options food wise. It is basically the same kind of things you'll get from a cheap Chinese take-out place. There is a huge gift shop and a nice pond.

Germany

Mmm Germany has some delicious sausages with sauerkraut and there is a wine section where you can taste different German wines. 

Italy

Italy also has a lot of wine to offer along with some Italian restaurants. Instead of going to the restaurants I just got gelato, delicious.

Gelato

Japan

There are a few small food stands but Japan mainly has sit down restaurants. Japan definitely has the best shop. It is huge with all sorts of Japanese snacks, ceramics, and even anime stuff.

Morocco
There is great food and ambience in this section. It is so pretty. The hummus, pita, meats, and veggies are very delicious.

France

France is very picturesque with lots of cute shops and a great little bakery.

United Kingdom

The UK has a great little pub that serves fish and chips along with other British cuisine. There was a real Brit with me at Epcot and he even approved of the quality of the fish and chips. 

fish & chips

Scotch egg

Epcot also has an America and Canada section but I didn't really spend time in either.

HP Drinks

On vacation in Orlando I visited Universal's Islands of Adventure where the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is located. I tried butterbeer and pumpkin juice there.

Butterbeer (left) and Pumpkin Juice (right)

Butterbeer

I am rather indifferent towards HP, I find LOTR to be much better. However, I was surprised by how much I liked butterbeer. Butterbeer tastes like cream soda topped with a thick and sweet butterscotch cream. It is sweet but just as sweet as any soda. They offer a unfrozen and frozen versions for $3.25 and $4.25 respectively. The unfrozen one is carbonated but I think the frozen one is better and less sweet. 

Pumpkin Juice

I thought I would like pumpkin juice more than butterbeer, but I wasn't a huge fan. It tasted like apple cider with extra pumpkin spice flavorings. I thought the pumpkin juice had too much added flavoring and I couldn't drink too much. You can get the pumpkin fizz too which is just a carbonated version of the juice.

Just a short post now, more to come about my time in Orlando...

Madison Square Eats

On the west side of Madison Square Park on Worth Square, Madison Square Eats (MSE) is a fabulous outdoor food fair. With booths from several of NYC's popular food establishments including Momofuku Milk Bar, Eataly, and Asiadog. Their website has the full list of vendors. I went with my boyfriend to increase the number of things we could try. So much of this post includes his opinions as well.

• MSE Website
• MSE is held from 11am-9pm everyday through June 1st.

Arancini Bros (Arancini: fried risotto balls $4)

• Carbonara Arancini: pancetta, carbonara sauce, and black pepper
• Crispy exterior with a creamy dense inside
• It was a bit salty but still delicious
• The bf said there wasn't enough pancetta
• I would definitely get one again to try another flavor

ASIADOG (1 hot dog $4.50, 2 hot dogs for $8)

• VINH: Vietnamese banh-mi style: aioli + pate + cucumbers + pickled carrot and daikon + cilantro + jalapeno
• The bf got these dogs, I just had a bite
• He thought the carrot and daikon was a refreshing compliment to the savory dog
• Although he said he couldn't taste much of the other toppings, it was overall delicious

• WANGDING: Chinese BBQ pork belly + onions
• An equally delicious hot dog with a sweet and savory taste
• The pork belly was very tender with a smooth and tangy hoisin-like BBQ sauce
• Bf: pork on beef is delicious all the time

Roberta's Pizza & Asiadog

Roberta's Pizza (pizzas $8-9)

• Bee Sting Pizza $9: mozzarella, soppressata, chili oil, honey
• They use a real pizza oven so it has that great charred taste
• The crust was thin, crisp, and delicious
• Honey on a pizza may sound weird but it goes well with the chili and salty soppressata, yum

Roberta's portable pizza oven

The Cannibal Beer and Butcher (local beers and meat dishes at varying price)

• Pig's head Cuban sandwich $10
• Another of the bf's picks
• A traditional Cuban with chopped pieces of delicious meat from the head
• There are yummy little cartilaginous bits of goodness
• The bread was great with the perfect crunch
• This Cuban was also fairly large and can easily be shared

The Cannibal Cuban

Hong Kong Street Cart (buns, dimsum, and other Asian snacks at varying prices)

• pork bun $4: pork belly, cucumber, green onion, hoisin
• My bf loves Momofuku's pork buns so he used this as his base of comparison
• In general, it wasn't as good as Momofuku's because the pork was less tender and juicy
• It didn't melt in your mouth the way Momofuku's does
• Kinda expensive for the one bun you get

• Snowflower Ice $6
• Very similar to Shave Ice but the ice has some flavor already in it. Also when it is shaved it looks very different from ice shavings, more ribbony.
• I chose the milk ice with passion fruit syrup, azuki beans, and mochi balls.
• This was more icy and less creamy than others I have had before in Hawaii
• It was still quite delicious and perfect for the warm day
• You get a lot for your money, you definitely want to share this

Snowflower Ice

To sum up, you'll find great food at MSE. If you're in the city I suggest checking it out. Be sure to bring plenty of cash, a friend, and your eating pants. You can easily spend $20 per person, but you will be stuffed. 

New Discoveries!

This past weekend I went on a little trip to Chicago.
This post documents my findings.
However, none of these are actually in Chicago ;)

COFFEE
While waiting for my flight to O'Hare , I began searching for some coffee in the American airlines terminal of LaGuardia airport. This terminal has terrible options by the way. I came across this little place called Healthy Gourmet. Their coffee selection was nothing special, but I was intrigued by their french press cups.

Healthy Gourmet french press cup

In previous posts I have talked about my love of the french press method of coffee preparation. It is so simple, the coffee is freshly brewed, and you can control the strength.

I had never seen the french press in this form before. To have an individually brewed portable cup of  french press coffee is a genius idea. You never have to wonder how long ago your cup of coffee was actually made. This cup really should be more widely available.

see the pressed down filter inside

The barista at Healthy Gourmet puts coffee grounds in the bottom of your cup then adds hot water and milk/sugar as desired. The french press filter is in the lid. You wait only a minute or two and then you press down the filter. There is also a filter attached to the opening on the lid that you drink out of. This prevents any loose coffee grounds from getting out.

I have to admit though the coffee was terrible. They don't use good quality coffee beans. It tasted bitter and very harsh. I need better cafes to start using these french press cups. We need to start a coffee cup revolution!

Side Note:

I went to Chicago (actually outside Chicago) for the Midwest Token Kai, which is a Japanese sword and antique show. If you're interested in this, the next show is in San Francisco  http://www.ncjsc.org/SF_token_kai.htm. 

Also go buy stuff from my parent's business http://www.togishi.com/.

BUBBLE TEA

The hotel where the sword show was held is conveniently located right across the street from the Woodfield Mall in Schaumberg, Illinois. Apparently this is suppossed to be one of the largest malls in America, but I didn't find it to be that big. It has the weirdest configuration. Stores on the same floor are at different heights from each other. There was also a random mezzanine level. I can't even describe the awkwardness of the layout. Nevertheless, as I was walking through the mall, I found this:

Chill Bubble Tea

Apparently everything they serve is blended with various real fruit and other flavor options. I was surprised to see they offered avocado. I have only really seen this being offered in Hawaii, I think. I have always been intrigued and wanted to try this flavor. 

I ordered: Avocado Banana bubble tea:

• Taste: perfectly blended, very creamy, well balanced fruit flavors. It actually kinda tasted like a vanilla cookie. I don't know how else to describe the taste.
• Boba: the right consistency of soft and chew, but the boba doesn't have its own flavor. Just a textural addition to the drink.



Avocado Banana YUM

• Price: regular 16oz. size $5.00 

First off this was delicious. I was surprised to find damn good bubble tea in this mall. I don't know anything about the quality or quantity of bubble tea in the Schaumberg, Chicago, or Midwest regions. I guess Chill Bubble Tea attests to the growing popularity of my favorite beverage.

The bubble tea was really good, I just wish the boba had some of its own flavor, even just a hint of sweetness. Also I thought the price was high. To pay $5 for a bubble tea I expect to get something at least three times this size. Okay not really three times, but somewhere around 20-24 oz. For the size to price ratio, Chill is the most expensive bubble tea place I have been to. I'm not sure why their prices are so high, maybe it is their location in a region with low bubble tea demand. Also the mall was practically empty when I was there, so maybe Chill doesn't have many customers.

Well I guess what I have learned from this discovery is that you might find a great bubble tea shop in the most unlikely of places.

4 out of 5 bubbles.

P.S. 

Happy Lei Day!!