Japanese Shaved Ice Dessert @ Kakigori, 1 Utama

Kakigori is actually the Japanese term for shaved ice dessert, just like the Taiwanese 刨冰.  The shaved ice is very fluffy like cotton but melts instantly in your mouth just like snow.

I had my first shaved ice dessert in Mei Heong Yuen (味香园) @Temple Street, Singapore.  This is the best so far and I highly recommend that you drop by at Chinatown to taste this heavenly treat (especially the black sesame with almond).

So far, we have not come across one that is good enough to compete with Mei Heong Yuen.  We had a try at Tong Pak Fu, but the texture and taste does not meet the expectation (but then again, their bestsellers were sold out on that day, so maybe we didn't try the right flavours).

But recently, we found one that come close enough (but just not there yet) in KL - Kakigori @ 1 Utama.

According to its promotional banner, they serve 100% Pure & Natural flavoured ice desserts with 11 different flavours, served either in a cup or a crispy waffle shell.

Decided to give it a try, we head there right after dinner.

I selected the Strawberry ice:  Shaved strawberry flavoured ice, served with sour yogurt balls and slices of mango jellies on a crispy waffle shell.

Now, I never ordered anything that says strawberry-flavoured as I always have this strong feeling that the only thing that makes it feels strawberry-ish is the colouring (of course unless I see real strawberries in it).  So, when I ordered it (no idea what made me do that), I was a little sceptical.

First of all, it didn't taste like it was made from some unnatural chemical-infused strawberry flavour.  It really felt as though you're eating the real thing.  So, for the tagline '100% Pure & Natural", I have a very strong confidence about its truth.

Now, the ice, like real strawberries, are sour-ish, so the whole thing combined with the sour yogurt balls was a little too sour for me to finish it.  If they had put something sweeter instead to balance the taste, it would have been better.

KS selected the Green Tea ice:  Shaved green tea flavoured ice, served with sweet Azuki red beans and sunflower seeds on a crispy waffle shell.

The red beans are sweet enough to go with the green tea as the ice has a little bitterness.  But I find the sunflower seeds a bit not crunchy.  It would have been better if the seeds were slightly toasted to bring out the nutty flavour.

Overall, not too sweet & it is quite refreshing.  The sitting area is quite comfortable & spacious despite being a small stall.

I would definitely come back for a second time to taste the other flavours.

KAKIGORI

LGK103A, Lower Ground Floor,

(near to Hokkaido Ichiba)

1 Utama Shopping Centre