Five New Dessert Joints for Icy Treats
Beat the heat with these icy sweets
The Parfait Solution
Parfaits are just the elixir for a hot stuffy day in Hong Kong, and Ufufu Café makes it right. Established in Kyushu in 2001, the famous Japanese dessert shop offers over 100 variations of the sundae’s cousin, all made from creamy 3.6 Hokkaido milk. Four Hong Kong-exclusive flavors are available, such as the mango pomelo sago, mango tofu fa, and yuanyang (coffee with tea). There are only 20 servings of these every day, so get there before they sell out. 5/F, Tern Plaza, 5 Cameron St., Tsim Sha Tsui, 2711-6117
Sticks in Your Head
The handcrafted popsicle fad took over Hong Kong since last summer, and rising in the foodie-sphere is Stickhouse, an Italian popsicle paradise with over 90 shops all over the world. The Italian brand is dedicated to all-natural ingredients, so expect to find chunks of fruits in their vegan-friendly, lactose-free sorbet popsicles. Mix and match a colorful parade of toppings and dippings for the most instagrammable dessert—try coating your gelato stick in chocolate sauce and pink dried berry chips. We love the current seasonal offering, a bright red dragonfruit ice lolly, a refreshing bar of frozen juice which delivers a much-needed fruity punch to brighten a sweltering summer day. Various locations, including Shop 3001-E1, 3/F, Gateway Arcade, Harbour City, 17 Canton Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui
Sharin’ the Love
Beat the Hong Kong heat the most straightforward way—with a big heaping bowl of shaved ice. Located in dessert haven Causeway Bay is Shari Shari Kakigori House, a Japanese shaved ice joint from Hokkaido. Everything about this place exudes a Japanese minimalism, from the wooden tables to the modern, clean lines. If you’re a first-timer, we suggest trying their traditional flavors first. The strawberry kakigori is a popular one, with its generous shower of rich pink syrup over the mountain of airy milk-flavored ice. For those who are more adventurous, go for their newest avocado milk flavor. G/F, 14 Haven St., Causeway Bay, 2529-1223
Matcha Madness
Hong Kong matcha-lovers are no strangers to this Kyoto-based green tea dessert house. Nakamura Tokichi made a comeback in TST earlier this year, sweeping the city with tea-flavored sweet treats from Japan. Though matcha enjoys the limelight here, their hojicha is not to be missed. Check out their smoky-flavored hojicha tea jelly topped with creamy hojicha ice cream, and of course their signature matcha maruto parfait, layered with crunchy puffed rice, mochi balls and sweet azuki beans. Shop 3005-3009, 3/F, Miramar Shopping Centre, 132 Nathan Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui, 2156-1168
