59900 Mon Apr 26 02:16:07 -0700 2004 28 2 Los Angeles Area 0 316180 With the temperature getting warmer this weekend, I stopped off at the Tapioca Express in Irvine (Walnut and Jeffrey) location and ordered a Honeydew Snow Bubble adding Coconut Jelly. Was it ever the perfect drink! Hit the spot! The honeydew flavor is fresh and sweet, tempered with the light creaminess of milk and the cold snow. The Coconut Jelly added an extra cooling effect and a little bit of sweetness. I'll be back for more. Any other cool drink faves in O.C. and L.A.? Mon Apr 26 02:16:07 -0700 2004 0 elmomonster 1 316183 Halo Halo, Filipino Ice and Milk drink/dessert will blow away any boba drink. Not sure where to get the best one in town. Anyone? Mon Apr 26 02:32:11 -0700 2004 316180 0 Xericx 2 316252 Indonesian ice cendol/ice teler will blow away any halo halo drink. Nyah. ;) This is similar in concept to the halo halo or Korean bingsu, coconut milk/palm sugar drink/dessert over shaved ice with other yummy bits such as mung bean flour droplets, jackfruit, young coconut, etc. Indo Cafe has a decent version. If you're daring, try the ice durian or ice avocado drinks. They didn't have mojitos in Indonesia when I was a wee lad. :) Mon Apr 26 16:14:56 -0700 2004 316183 0 WBGuy 3 316259 Es Campur also! I made one myself yesterday. Canned jackfruit, longan, grass jelly, and young coconut mixed with shaved ice, topped with sweet condensed milk, and rose syrup. Indo Cafe I will have to try. Too bad there aren't closer Indo places around here in O.C. Mon Apr 26 16:34:09 -0700 2004 316252 0 elmomonster 4 316427 I once tried Suzie's Deli on Artesia and Norwalk (a bit closer?), and I instantly fell in love. Everytime I have halo-halo I remember theirs, and kick myself because I haven't made my way back there. I've tried a version at Toko Rame (Bellflower & Alondra), but wasn't as enthralled. Tue Apr 27 15:03:04 -0700 2004 316259 0 Erin 3 316279 These sound like various Vietnamese dessert concoctions, that you can find at lots of Vietnamese places in Santa Ana/Westminster. Over crushed ice, there's mung bean paste, little red gelatin balls, longer white gelatin noodles (which are sometimes faintly flavoured with coconut), and coconut milk. Then you mix everything together, and it's just great. There are other variations, too. I know what they're called, but I forget how they're spelled. And I'd refer people where to go, but my parents will occassionally go sometimes and get it for me, so I haven't the faintest. But if someone can help me out.. Mon Apr 26 17:54:44 -0700 2004 316252 0 jacinthe 4 316284 This type of dessert is called "che", I think - or is there another word for "che" that is served with ice. One place that has this is Banh Mi Che Cali. Not sure if they put shaved ice on it for you, but it certainly would go well with it. Banh Mi Che Cali (which also happens to serve up really good banh mi) is on the corner of Magnolia and Bolsa, next to ABC Supermarket. Mon Apr 26 18:14:48 -0700 2004 316279 0 elmomonster 4 316322 I think it's called suong sa hot luu. Mon Apr 26 20:28:36 -0700 2004 316279 0 misst 5 316331 Yes, that's it! I can't spell in Vietnamese for the life of me. But it's really much more of a dessert-y thing than a drink, I'd say. Mon Apr 26 21:09:58 -0700 2004 316322 0 jacinthe 1 316185 I love the Almond Milk Tea with mini boba at Tapioca Express. I saw that they are opening up one in West LA near Bundy and Santa Monica. I'm looking forward to it! I also really like the green tea jelly with green tea jello at Upper Tea House on Sawtelle/Olympic corner. Mon Apr 26 02:38:26 -0700 2004 316180 0 Alice 2 316260 I do love their Almond Milk Tea. Very light and less rich than their Taro Milk Tea, which is too hearty for hot days like these. Mon Apr 26 16:35:50 -0700 2004 316185 0 elmomonster 1 316220 When its hot, I like a nice icy horchata. Gallo's Grill makes a good one. Mon Apr 26 13:32:18 -0700 2004 316180 0 Ernie 2 316233 Gallo's Grill makes, by far, the best horchata I've ever had. Really outstanding. It's so good that the missus usually orders a second one to go, then takes it home and makes popsicles with it. Mon Apr 26 14:38:14 -0700 2004 316220 0 David Kahn 3 316403 I may have to try that. My current favorite is Guelaguetza's version, with bits of cantaloupe and a splash of what seems to be rose syrup. Tue Apr 27 13:00:47 -0700 2004 316233 0 WBGuy 4 316413 Gallo's Grill is a simple version, flavored with cinnamon and sugar, but very refreshing on a hot day especially in the nice back patio area. Tue Apr 27 13:58:23 -0700 2004 316403 0 Ernie 1 316222 Try the icicle punch at Fosselman's in Alhambra on Main St..... Boy oh Boy does that hit the spot on a scorcher! Mon Apr 26 13:35:39 -0700 2004 316180 0 slowrider 1 316226 Ummmmm, although I love boba (& especially those snow ones - I like the Brazilian coffee or watermelon the best), if I'm perfectly honest, it's a mojito! Mon Apr 26 13:53:45 -0700 2004 316180 0 torta basilica 1 316235 Give the raspados at Raspados Zacatecas (422 N. Ford Blvd., (323) 264-7651) a try. Homemade fruit syrups (with big, pulpy chunks of cooked fruit and really nice, natural tasting flavors) poured over crushed ice. I like a piña/fresa combo, but there's some good tropical choices as well. Mon Apr 26 14:45:50 -0700 2004 316180 0 David Kahn 1 316248 Lets take a walk on the wild side! How about a nice Campari and soda with crushed ice and a squeeze of lime? ENJOY!! Mon Apr 26 15:52:56 -0700 2004 316180 0 G FEHER 2 316258 I'll second the Campari and soda - for adults only! In Italy, they sell it pre-mixed in a little bottle like a soft drink. Not for everyone, its slight bitterness makes it incredibly refreshing. Mon Apr 26 16:31:18 -0700 2004 316248 0 Judybird 3 316266 Let's please keep the recommendations confined to drinks that are found at places in LA. General suggestions belong on the General Food board. Thanks! Mon Apr 26 17:11:16 -0700 2004 316258 2 The Chowhound Team 1 316268 Mmm! Fun topic for a warm day. Right now, I'm longing for a watermelon refresco. (The one at Tacos Por Favor in Santa Monica always hits the spot. Just wish they were open on Sundays.) Also, I have a guilty fondness for the Crystal Lite Slurpees offered at some 7-11's. Note: they must be enjoyed fresh out of the dispenser, though...when the ice melts, the nasty chemical taste comes to the forefront. Ptuui! And heck yeah, a mojito is always a nice thirst-quencher. And, I will have to try the Campari bevvie mentioned elsewhere; I've recently been experimenting with an Angostora bitters/sparkling water/vodka combo, over ice, and find that mighty refreshing. Love them bitters. Mon Apr 26 17:12:55 -0700 2004 316180 0 Liz 2 316360 A few months ago when I asked for a ginger ale in a hotel bar in Portland, OR, they didn't have any, and the bartender mixed me up a drink with Sprite and bitters on ice. It wasn't quite ginger ale, but it was good! Perhaps there's suitable "spirits" to mix in that would make it an interesting, refreshing long drink. Tue Apr 27 00:12:34 -0700 2004 316268 0 Aileen 1 316305 I just tried a mint julep for the very first time. I bought it at Galco's Soda Shop in Eagle Rock/Highland Park. Very refreshing, and I imagine even better when you have it in a silver tumbler with bourbon! Mon Apr 26 19:12:40 -0700 2004 316180 0 Scooty 1 316310 Smoothie BUT from Smoothie King. Only one I know about is in Aliso Viejo. Mon Apr 26 19:38:02 -0700 2004 316180 0 mike 1 316318 I'm temporarily detached to Beijing so I have not felt the warm LA weather but if I had I would get the only coffee boba that has enough coffee flavor for me. It's served at the pho 79 in chinatown, the one in the plaza though I forget the address. The Viet have a lve for strong coffee that I can relate to and this coffee boba is not the overly sweet creamora laden drink of simpering anime girls, it's real expresso boba! Perhaps other places make it as good but I have never experienced it. FYI Rain here in Beijing the last couple of days which my hosts tried to aliviate by taking me to Sichuan Seafood shabu-shabu style. It was wonderful but OT. Mon Apr 26 20:09:58 -0700 2004 316180 0 Jimbo 1 316350 To the many worthy suggestions so far, please allow me to add the granita di caffe at Al Gelato, somewhere between a drink and a dessert, a very grown up version of a coffee slurpee. As far as Xericx's inquiry about halo halo, they do make a decent one at Barrio Fiesta (with ube or mango ice cream, if I recall correctly) and I seem to remember a rather good and creative version at Typhoon, though it has been a long time. But I honestly think halo halo works much, much better sitting in the humid torpor of Manila. L.A., even on a hot day like today, just isn't stifling enough. Mon Apr 26 22:55:03 -0700 2004 316180 0 PayOrPlay 1 316363 Even though it's a chain, you can't beat a simple cold lemonade from Hot Dog on a Stick. Tue Apr 27 00:18:27 -0700 2004 316180 0 NinoHB 2 316382 Awww, hecks yeah! I love their lemonade. I order the unsweetened version, and add sugar to my own taste. A bit pricey (like, over three bucks, right?), but dang tasty and refreshing. And, if my science is correct, it counteracts the caloric intake of a corndog meal, no? ;) Tue Apr 27 03:12:40 -0700 2004 316363 0 Liz