PETALING JAYA, Sept 4 — Get ready your spoons, as from September 10 onwards, Kakigori which serves Japanese shaved ice desserts will open its doors.
Made with fluffy shaved ice and various to-die-for toppings, the desserts will be the perfect respite from our hot weather.
The Japanese-themed dessert bar is the brainwave of the Beh siblings — Kok Boon, Chew Yeng and Kok Aun — who also run Thirdwave cafe at Nexus, Bangsar South.
It’s not their first venture into desserts as this year, they started serving ice cream sandwiches at their cafe.
The trio are great believers in making everything from scratch so all the toppings for their kakigori is made in-house or sourced from the best. For instance, their matcha is supplied by Marukyu-Koyamaen, a centuries-old green tea purveyor from Kyoto that has won many awards.
The idea for the place started last year. Inspired by their love for icy cold desserts since they were young, the Behs were attracted by the kakigori they saw on social media platforms.
Since they had not tasted the shaved ice dessert before, they made a special trip to Tokyo to sample the best ones, travelling all over the city to sample the dessert.
What also attracted them to kakigori was how the dessert has also gone through many changes through the years. Just like coffee.
The first wave versions were more traditional ones served with artificial colouring and available during Japanese festivals.
The second wave saw adorable ones, known as Showa, that were made from candy, fruits and jelly to resemble the face of a cute polar bear. You also have traditional wafu versions that are topped with matcha and hojicha flavours.
The recent third wave saw kakigori being paired with Western confectionery items like espuma and chocolate. Favoured by many ladies in Japan, some travel very far or queue up for long hours to savour these shaved ice desserts.
After much experimentation on their own, they have worked out a menu of 10 flavours to start. For those who want a taste of Japan, you have the Uji Matcha topped with their homemade warabi mochi, red beans and kinako milk. It’s a light dessert with a balanced green tea flavour.
For a stronger taste, there’s Hojicha with candied chestnut and kinako milk. There’s also a range of kakigori topped with fresh vegetable and fruit purees. Who knew vegetables can taste so good?
Try the Japanese Pumpkin that is drizzled with a burnt caramel and topped with pumpkin seeds. There’s also Avocado with pistachio nuts.
For a sweeter taste, you can sample the Watermelon topped with a delicately scented rose espuma and red fruits. If you love coffee, there’s also Tiramisu with coffee espuma and Valrhona chocolate.
There are also local twists, like the amazing Apam Balik, a nod towards a favourite snack. The shaved ice is topped with homemade corn puree, coconut espuma and a praline made with toasted peanuts. Divine!
Other local tributes include the Ginger Tofu with tofu pudding and ginger syrup, or the Guava with jelly and plum salt. Adventurous palates can try the Shoyu.... made from soy sauce! It makes a refreshing taste with that slight saltish touch and a sprinkle of kinako powder.
As a contrast to the fluffy shaved ice, you have chewy in-house made dango mochi. Prices for the kakigori range from RM14 to RM18.
There will also be a small menu for hot desserts like Ozoni and Matcha Zenzai that pairs toasted mochi, red beans and matcha. You can also grab hot or ice blended lattes made with Uji matcha or hojicha (roasted green tea).
Japanese dessert lovers can also take home their homemade warabi mochi that is made daily to keep it fresh. You have two flavours; matcha and kinako, priced at RM14 each. In the future, expect more flavours for the kakigori to be unveiled.
Kakigori, 25, Jalan 20/13 (same row as Awesome Canteen), Taman Paramount, Petaling Jaya. Open from September 10 onwards. For September 10 to 12, they will only be open from 1pm to 10pm. Their usual opening hours: 1pm to 10pm (Tuesday to Thursday, Sunday), 12pm to 12am (Friday and Saturday). Closed on Mondays.
