ISO Hawaiian SHAVE ICE
Is there anywhere in SoCal that's got a good facsimile of Hawaiian Shave Ice? Preferrably with good ice cream, azuki beans, lots of good syrup choices and properly shaved ice that is powdery in texture (as opposed to the granular kind found in sno-cones).
I'm not talking about the Taiwanese shaved ice you can find at places like Shau Mei and what not. Those are good, but different (for one, they are served on a plate).
I want mine on a cone, with a vanilla ice cream base, some azuki beans, topped with a nice mound of shave ice and then drizzled with rainbow syrup.
If you've ever been to Masumoto (north shore of Oahu) or Wailoa in Honolulu, you'll know what I am talking about despite my very poor description.
Any leads?
Thanks as always.
By ipse dixit
on Jun 15, 2006 01:28 PM
View »
Forget it...doesn't exist here and I've been looking around LA area for years and been to all the Hawaiian festivals and places. Most places use the electric ice grinder which don't give you the "shaved" ice texture.
#1 thing about Matsumoto's is they make their own syrups from scratch using real fruits and sugar. Most syrups these days are made from artificial flavorings and cheap corn syrup sweetener.
(pictured rainbow snow cone with ice cream $1.95)
Image: http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/10...
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Most places sell shave ice as a secondary item and that's why you'll never find the kind they serve like Matsumoto's here.
There's an art to making the shave ice. Besides the machine, part of it is preparing the ice. The ice is "tempered" which means its left out so it isn't rock hard when they "shave" it-- its a snowy-slushy texture. Who knows....maybe its the water in Hawaii too.
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Thanks K.
Yeah, it's not just the blades and shaving aparatus, I think the way the ice block is formed is different in Hawaii ... maybe something with the high humidity and temp? Or like you say ... maybe it's the water. Sort of like how NY Pizza is just 'different' ...
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Hawaii water is very soft, too, being I think 100% rainwater, and no limestone in the geology anyway, while our water is rock hard. I don't know if that has anything to do with it at all, but I wouldn't be surprised. I have noticed that the ice in my trays here is a lot more brittle than the stuff I made in Tennessee.
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I don't know about that. I think I recall, at Waiola, that they just pull the ice blocks out of the freezer and put them into the machine.
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Ya, ice is hard. If you leave it out it melts -- water. I have been to Matsumoto's and also had a a true shave ice at Navy Pier, Chicago. The blade is what "shaves" the ice. See the link below. I saw these machines at Matsumoto's and Chicago. The water is not an issue. The amount of syrups used drown the water anyway. If you do not see the right machine you will not see shave ice because it is the snow flake texture of the shave ice that will sponge-up the syrup to create the taste/texture sensation. A snow cone has larger chunks of ice and therefore does not come colse to sponging the syrup until you get to the bottom of the cone -- a melted slush. Maybe then the quest for LA shave ice is to find a place with the right machine. Has anyone seen these machines in LA?
http://www.1800shavedice.com/c-hc-500...
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That cone brings back some happy childhood memories!
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That looks so good. PBS had this special called The Ice Cream Show, where they went around the country to places that sold ice cream and different frozen desserts. They hit up Matsumotos and I've always wanted to try one after seeing that. With ice cream on the bottom, of course.
I remember seeing Shave Ice on the menu at the Local Place in Torrance. They also had ice cream as an option but I don't recall if they had the azuki beans as well. I highly doubt they make their own syrups.
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Yeah, home-made syrups are key! There was a place I went to a number of times (can't remember the name, but it was 6 or so blocks down the street from Leonard's malasadas in Honolulu) that had great home made syrups. The litchi was divine but the stand out was the li hing mui with small bits of the li hing plum that would end up embedded in the ice. Yummm.
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Waiola Shave Ice...same kind of shave ice texture ass Matsumoto's.
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In my frequent visits to Oahu, I have come upon a few places that aI consider the best for Shave Ice:
Tropicana is the place you are probably thinking of near Leonard's. It is my favorite, and a little better than Waiola and really better than Matsumoto's. If the the Shave Ice doesnt' remind you of a lighter textured sorbet, it is not that good. That's what makes Tropicana and Waiola the best.
I haven't found anything close to that quality here in LA, but I welcome suggestions and recommendations.
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No, they exist. Try Get Shaved.
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The one place I know of is in Simi Valley and it's called Tutu's Hawaiian Ice Cream Shack. They sell authentic shaved ice with all the fixin's.
4332 Cochran Street, Simi Valley - 805-522-6922
http://www.tutushawaiianicecreamshack...
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I know it's not exactly what you're looking for, but there is a lunch counter place in the Little Tokyo plaza in downtown LA ... across from the fountain ... serves ice that is actually shaved. I definitely don't recall them having vanilla ice cream as a base, and I get the feeling their syrups are not homemade. BUT they have the beans, because they make desserts with them. Maybe you could ask them to mix them together? Worth a shot if you are in the area ...
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I sure haven't been able to find it in So. Cal. Even made a trip to the Lappert's in Hermosa Beach, but they just serve regular snow cones which are completely unremarkable and have nothing to do with real shave ice.
Also not shave ice, but good anyway (in contrast to the Hermosa Lappert's) is Raspados Zacatecas (422 N. Ford Blvd., (323) 264-7651). This place makes Mexican crushed ice, so the ice doesn't have the powdery/slushy quality of shave ice, but, they make their own homemade syrups (pineapple, mango, strawberry, peach, watermelon, etc.) with chunks of cooked fruit pulp suspended in them. Best fruit syrups I've had, actually. (Now if you could combine RZ's syrups with real shave ice, you'd really have something.)
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The only place I know of that has Hawaiian-inspired shave ice is Teri Hawaii in Gardena. The have a decent selection of syrups, though not an extensive list. They have lilikoi - so its not you generic 5 flavor snow cone options. You can get ice cream in the bottom. I don't remember if they have azuki beans or not. My inclination is that the do not. It is NOT Matusmoto quality, but the ice was actually shaved last time I was there. It is comparable quality to shave ice you would get while walking around Waikiki, ok/good for Hawaii - great (due to no other options) if you are in LA.
Teri Hawaii
1425 W. Artesia Blvd. #34 Gardena, CA 90248
Phone (310) 327-030
The food there does not impress me. Fortunately, Gardena has an abundance of Hawaiian places. I recommend Bob's Okazu-Ya on Vermont or Bruddah's on Gardena Blvd, both 5 minutes from Teri Hawaii. Get a lunch then head over to Teri for dessert.
Bob's Okazu-ya
16814 S Vermont Ave
Gardena, CA 90247
(310) 515-2250
Bruddah's
1033 W Gardena Blvd, Gardena, CA 90247-4957
310-323-9112
Two more notes, they have a to-go option. I believe they similar containers, but the people who do not get it to go have shave ice that resembes K's picture. The to go order is packed, and a lid is put on it. The packing increases the spead of the ice melting and refreezing in little chunks, so do not get it to go.
Note 2: They sell island CD's there, so if your old IZ cd is scratched, you can always pick up a new one. :-)
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Thank god someone finally mentioned Teri Hawaii. Ipse, go here and ignore all previous comments. :)
Personally, I haven't scoured L.A. in search of better shave ice, but Teri Hawaii is probably the best I've run into thus far. This is a spot that I've been frequenting since the 80's.
In addition, I think it's a bit ridiculous to compare it to Matsumoto's. Shave ice is really so simple, that there are really only three ingredients that can make or break it: 1) fineness of ice, 2) syrup quality, and 3) ice cream/azuki quality. For example, I've had great ice with crappy syrup, horrible ice with great syrup, syrup with a bad aftertaste, lame ice cream, etc. This is more of a simple treat than a delicacy, so once a shop nails these three items, then you have good shave ice. I think comparisons are better justified when the food is more complex.
Lastly, IMO, Teri Hawaii...Matsumoto's...(and Waiola)...same stuff. BUT...I would pick Teri Hawaii over Matsumoto's because they serve their ice in a nice-sized cup, unlike Matsumoto's which serves their ice in that ridiculous paper cone=major spillage on a hot day. :)
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After posting my report, I gave myself the craving for some shave ice. Actually, with the hot weather, I already had the craving.
Got a stawberry, lilikoi, pineapple shave ice with ice cream.
I had remembered incorrectly, they do have azuki beans available! Double bonus for next visit.
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Ah, you don't get it. Eating a towering shave ice without spillage (and without that stupid plastic holder they automatically hand you) is the sign of an expert shave ice eater. It's a set of skills that has to be developed from years of eating tall, perfectly packed but feathery cones of ice on blazingly hot days.
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We went to Gardena today looking for shave ice. Sakuraya said they don't have any :-( , but the nice girl working there said go to Teri's, like you said. :-)
Picked out pineapple and lilikoi syrups, plus beans and ice cream-$3.25. Very nice soft ice texture-well saturated with syrup, although my husband said he likes it even snowier/fluffier. I thought it was super, especially at the bottom where the creamy and fruity flavors mixed together.
Thanks guys, it really hit the spot!
Image: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v22...
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There used to be a shave ice palce at the canoga park Valley Indoor Swap Meet that was passable
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I've never had Hawaiian ice in Hawaii, but what you're describing sounds a lot like the Korean ice available at places like Guppie's in Cerritos or Mr. Coffee in Koreatown.
Big bowl (sorry, not a cone), either green tea or vanilla ice cream, soft cooked adzuki beans, plenty of shaved ice, a drizzling of multiple flavored syrups, and a handful of Fruity Pebbles. I'm sure you can ask them to hold off on the cereal, but they're colorful and fun.
The downside I can already tell you is that the ice might not be the right texture (I can't remember, but it seems like they use the same machine as the Chinese shaved ice places you mentioned), and the syrups were colorful and tasty enough but nothing special.
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I've been to the K-town places for shaved ice, and like you say, these creations are like the ones you find at Taiwanese places. Good, but different.
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Guppies in Cerritos is Chinese and is not even real Chinese shaved ice. There are not enough choices for it to be considered in that ranking. But they do make huge, and I mean huge, shaved ice mountains that the young kids have fun digging into.
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Aloha Food Factory has Hawaiian Shaved Ice with Azuki Beans and Ice Cream on its menu.
Ipse Dixit just posted a positive reviewe of Aloha Food Factory's food a few days ago on Chowhound.
Aloha Food Factory
2990 W. Valley Blvd.
Alhambra
(626) 308-0215
Link: http://alohafoodfactory.com/pages/1/i...
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My bad, didn't realize that Ipse Dixit was the Original Poster of this thread.
Ipse Dixit, did you try the Hawaiian Shaved Ice at Aloha Food factory?
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I did ... it was typical shave ice you find in most Hawaiin places in the states.
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While I like the food at Aloha Food Factory, not so their ice. They use a ice cube machine. You can't get the fine ice in a cube machine.
I just got back from Hawaii and for sure I went to Waiola. The memory is fresh in my mnd :-) It just reaffirmed, nothing out here, the okazuyas, the trucks, the Taiwanese, Korean or Japanese places and not many places in Hawaii can shave the ice like Wailoa. I don't know of many or any other places that double freezes their ice to the right temperature. (Yes, ice can be too cold).
You can buy the syrups or you can make your own etc, but what sets apart Wailoa is the fine shave. And I don't like shave ice in styrofoam. It makes the ice clumpy because it stays too cold.
Also to me, though you get leakage, that is why paper cups or cones work the best. What is the point of finely shaved ice, if it clumps in your vessel of choice?
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L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, many locations in L.A. area, see website. You can get it with ice cream, but they don't have azuki beans (shucks).
Link: http://www.hawaiianbarbecue.com/
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one word....."YUCK!!"
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have you scoped around Carson? A hawai'ian expat i know went down there to buy da hawai'i kine guava cake (ribbon? chiffon? what do i know) for a party and i think they serve a large expat community down there.
just a thought.
a quick search through public health.org leads a few places -
miki-chan's okazu-ya in montebello, maybe
LEE'S MAUI HAWAIIAN BBQ
9230 LAKEWOOD BLVD
90240
DOWNEY ?
maybe king's hawaiian bakery in torrance? just doing a search on the public health.org site with hawai gives me 75 results. maybe one will be ok.
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Fugetsudo and Mikawaya in J-Town and Sakuraya in Gardena have the snowy consistency you are looking for, ID.
Their ices are available in azuki, uji-cha, sweet condensed milk and/or a rainbow of colors.
Corean and Chinese ice is a little too chunky for me.
Gohantabeyoka
aka The Koori Kid
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I'm going to step in and defend Taiwan, just because there are so many Taiwanese shaved ice places in LA that people assume they're doing it right and that people just like the chunkier ice. I haven't had shaved ice in Hawaii, but in Taiwan the ice is a lot lighter and fluffier than I've had here. Perhaps it really is something about the water in those more tropical climes.
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On the south/west corner of Harbor & Orangethorpe in Fullerton, there's a Maui BBQ that serves shave ice w/ice cream & azuki. They have a selection of approx 8 flavours.
I make my own shave ice w/sweetened evaporated milk & azuki beans.... mmmmm.
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There is a Japanese/Hawaiian restaurant in Montery Park called Shakas. Serves a good version of Shaved Ice in a cup. Selection of syrup is huge but unfortunately they are all artificial. For extra they add the scope of vanilla. Can't remember the brand of ice cream they use but it is very good. Not sure if they can put the azuki beans on it, but somehow that does sound familiar. Lots of locals frequent the place for their food. Got the usuall spam with this and spam with that combos. I hear that the food is very good, but haven't tried any.
Shakas (5 min past Downtown L.A.)
Corner of Garfield and Riggins in Montery Park.
60 frwy east
Exit Garfield Ave. off ramp
turn left at Garfield
about 1/4 mile on right hand side in a strip mall. If you pass the motel you've gone too far.
My opinion, way better than any Raspada I've ever had! As soon as the Temp. hits 90 plus, I'm THERE!
Oh yeah, there servings are huge if you get it without the lid. I'm talkin soft ball size ball of ice!
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You have to go to the Shakas in Alhambra on 1st and Main. They took the good machine over there and left the not so good machine at the one on Garfield. The other trick is to tell the girls not to pack the shave ice too tight or else the top is ok and the bottom is hard. At Waiola Market, they don't smash the ice when they mold it so it retains the lightness.
Aloha Cafe on Atlantic has an ok one too, though the flavors are a little more pedestrian.
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When did they open the one on 1st and Main?
I'm sure it's just a matter of the NEW location having the NEW equipment. I guess they need to service the old machines to bring them up to the same level.
I ALWAYS make sure they don't PACK it.
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Yes, Shaka's is definitely the best around here. They serve it with ice cream, azuki beans and sweetened condensed milk. Their place in Cerritos served huge portions but they closed down several months ago.
Mikawaya also serves a pretty good shave ice in J town, but they're better known for their mochi and mochi ice cream.
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Go to the Shakas on Main and 1st in Alhambra. They took the better shave ice machine over there. The one on Garfield is grainier. I think too a lot of times these places pack the ice too much too so it loses the fluffy texture. I guess too because they want to make them so big. The ones at Waiola are a good size, but not monstrous like some places over here. Waiola also doubel freezes their ice to make them more dense. Also if the ice is too cold, it chips instead of shave so you get chunks. A good shave ice should not crunch at all. In fact, you should not even get the urge to chew, it should just melt in your mouth as soon as you slop it in there.
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I want to revisit this old post by ipsedixit regarding shave ice in LA. Yes tt really does exist at Shakas, and from first hand experience, I consider the shave ice at Shakes in Alhambra as good as the best ones on Oahu. The ice is so finely shaved, it floats down. Even when the shaving is packed a bit, it still is very fine and delicate as the ice I find at Wiola or Tropicana in Honolulu.
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Try:
T N T's Aloha Cafe
24032 Vista Montana, Torrance, CA 90505
(310) 375-4553
A little hard to find (PCH & Anza)
But REAL shave ice with Ice cream, asuki & condensed milk!
Lots of other flavors
Comes in styrofoam but doesn't leak or melt so fast.
Good "Local" food
Second best:
Three Brothers Restaurant
23722 Western Ave, Harbor City, CA 90710
(310) 326-3843
Between Sepulveda & Lomita near Narbonne HS
Good Friday night specials!
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Followup: Their old Shave Ice machine broke and the new one is not as fluffy but better than "SnoCone" machines that grind or grate ice cubes. Still the "go-to" place in So. Torrance/West Palos Verdes/Hollywood Riviera for Shave Ice. Try their pancakes or hand made "portagee" sausage or Loco Moco (best fried eggs).
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TNT's Aloha Cafe
24032 Vista Montana, Torrance, CA 90505
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I was driving west on Washington Boulevard in Culver City/Mar Vista last weekend and drove past a tiny store (around Outdoor Grill - sorry for being so vague) with a "straw hut" setup. On the glassfront, it said Hawaiian Shave Ice.
Again, sorry for being so vague with the location. And I was driving too fast to catch a name :)
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Went searching for good shave ice (no "d" in "shave") in the Gardena/Torrance area. Tried The Local Place and Teri Hawaii.
The Local Place was little more than a sno cone. Crunchy and not very much syrup.
Teri Hawaii has been written up a bit on this site, so I tried there. My GF had a tropical with ice cream, while I had a plain with lilikoi. Interestingly enough, my plain lilikoi was very smooth, almost like what I've had at Waiola. But the GF's was a bit crunchy. Still, I would probably go back to Teri for a shave ice fix. Luckily for me, I'm headed to Oahu in June and will get a real shave ice fix then. Tropicana's then Waiola and maybe Matsumoto's.
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Probably Rutt's Cafe in between Inglewood Ave. and Centinela on the south side of Washington Blvd.
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If you folks will kindly indulge me....I was in the Mateo's on Sepulveda getting my weekly ration of paletas. I noticed the "fruit of cactus" (pitaya) in a tub in the freezer along with the other flavors they had in stock. I was intrigued and decided to try it. Very interesting texture. Coarser than a sorbet, but finer than than a snow cone. It was red and not too sweet. A very interesting alternative. The little gal behind the counter said she favored the passion fruit and also gave a sample of the mango too. They were much finer in texture than the pitaya. If any of you go into a Mexican ice cream/paleta place you might check it out. I believe Mateo's has 4 locations in southern California.
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Thanks for the tip re Pitaya. I i will be sure to try it sometime. I think I will like he flavors you mentioned. The problem is, if it's "coarser than sorbet", then it's not as fine as the shave ice we have found in Hawaii.
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We like Rutts very much but their shave ice is nothing to shout about: it will do in a pinch but it's quite crunchy and the flavors are just OK. PayOrPlay Jr. likes it fine, but I suspect he may re-evaluate after we take him to Hawaii in June and he gets to try the real thing, As many others have commented, in LA one is probably better off forgetting about the Hawaiian style (not to mention the New Orleans style sno-ball, also impossible to find around here) and instead going with one of the other style crushed ice desserts that you CAN find around here, especially Korean bingsoo (we had an excellent one last weekend at Mr. Coffee on Western & 6th, and we love the Galleria Cafe's elegant mango bingsoo), Taiwanese slush, and Japanese (we had an enormous, tasty red bean version at Mikawaya a few weeks ago, but it sure could have used some condensed milk!)
Haven't tried Shaka's, though, will have to give it a whirl.
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i have it for you!! i have been to hawaii many times and love matsumotos there is a place in monterey park called Shakas which has the best hawaiian shave ice just like hawaii. it is one block north on garfield ave from the 60 frwy. exit garfield north one block up on the right side.. you will love it......
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I have been to Masumoto on the North Shore and ever since have been trying to find that hawaiian ice here in Georgia. Any suggestions, anyone?
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You're gonna find a lot at the big Hawaiian Festival this coming weekend (July 21-22) at Alondra Park in Lakewood).
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Mikawaya in the Japanese Village Plaza
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I guess the debate continues...
The water in Hawaii is pure artesian which bubbles up from the ground. This may contribute to the fine texture of shave ice since it's probably much softer than the mainland. I remember in the old days when typical shave ice was only sold in small family-run delicatessens for 15 cents. There were no large fast foods markets back then. Many of them used the Malolo brand syrups which still can be found at Marukai and other specialty stores on the mainland. For me, I believe syrup taste as well as fine texture makes a good shave ice. With coarse ice you get a snow cone. With too fine ice, you get a slush. Proper shave ice lies in-between.
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Concur.
Also, you should try the "snow flake" at 85 Degrees Celsius, a Taiwanese tea house in SGV. The texture is like (what else?) ... snow!
85 Degrees C Tea House
425 West Valley Blvd
San Gabriel
626-282-8688
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I joined Chow hound just to reply to this.
Try Get Shaved!
They have shops in Northridge/Torrance, as well as traveling trucks.
It's as closest as I've had to real shave ice here on the mainland. I think they have the same machines, so the ice is pretty close, although I'm sure the difference in water counts for the difference in ice. They have all the Hawaiian flavors such as lilikoi and li hing mui, toppings like azuki beans and li hing mui powder and ice creams. Check it out.
San Fernando Valley
9255 Reseda Blvd, Unit B
Northridge, CA 91324
818-399-5133
South Bay
1790 W. Carson St, Unit B
Torrance, CA 90501
310-293-2523
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+1 on Get Shaved - Good ice! I went on Sunday Night to the Carson location and it was busy w/ alot of Hawaiian transplants so that was a good sign. I got cherry, melona and tigers blood (lol) - perfect weather for it too. My fav is Waiola, so this is the closest I found here - similar blue/white machines.
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Mikawaya in J-town and Hanaichimonme also does shave ice. Hana is a ramen shop, but when I ate there recently they had a specific menu just for shaved ice. I'm a bit of a snob - I only eat shaved ice from a Japanese owned place. Mikawaya also makes excellent ice cream and traditional Japanese pastries.
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Mikawaya
118 Japanese Village Plaza Mall, Los Angeles, CA 90012
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There's a shave ice place opening near (maybe even next to?) Kiriko on Sawtelle. Think it's called "Brian's Shave Ice" or something like that. Was going to try it when I was in the area for a haircut, but it hasn't opened yet.
I work near the shave ice place in Northridge.... Maybe I should do a comparison test.... ;)
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Kiriko
11301 W Olympic Blvd Ste 102, Los Angeles, CA 90064
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Everyone, look no further. The best Hawaiian Shave Ice in Los Angeles is Los Angeles Shave Ice. They shave block ice into a powdery snow. They got Mochi, azuki beans, ice cream, and of course sweetened condensed milk. The syrups are not to sweet and artificial like other places. The only problem is, is that you have to follow their truck to see where they will be. www.losangelesshaveice.com
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Thanks for the info. Loved shaved ice. I'm Japanese American and it takes me back to my childhood. Not surprised the best shaved ice comes from Hawaii. Hawaii also has the best takuan.
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