Beat the Heat – with Icy Treats!
I’m sure no Malaysian is a stranger to our tropical local heat.
Forget seasons like winter and autumn and spring – our charming climate only seems to offer us two options: a stuffy year-long summer heat, or a rainy season that always feels more humid than it is cooling.
In times of hot temperatures (which to us is pretty much all the time-), there can be nothing more appealing than an ice-cold dessert. Something sweet and chilly, able to take some of the edge off our blazing tropical sun. And what better treat is there on a hot day than a shaved ice dessert?
Whether it’s kakigori or snow cones or our local favorite ais kacang (or ‘ABC’), shaved ice is a summertime dessert that’s about as refreshing as they come. As the name itself already suggests, it’s basically ground-up ice shavings heaped into a bowl and sweetened with all sorts of delectable flavors – what’s not to love?
So for any Malaysians looking to beat the heat, here are the 5 Places in Malaysia for you to get some shaved ice desserts!
1. Roji Monster Ice Cream Malaysia
Perhaps one of the cutest stores here, we introduce Roji Monster Ice Cream to our list alongside their adorable assortment of googly-eyed desserts.
A quaint corner shop situated in SS15 Subang Jaya, Roji Monster Ice Cream has a menu based almost entirely off their titular gang of adorable, goggling monsters. Perhaps their most iconic feature is the appearances of their shaved ice cream desserts – soft and fluffy ribbons of ice-cream topped with staring googly-eyes, which give the odd impression that a monster is slowly melting into your bowl.
Aww, look at how cute they are! (get ready for my chopsticks, though).
(Source: Roji Monster Ice Cream Facebook)
These ribbony heaps of melting monsters come in a variety of delicious flavors and colors. You can get yours in matcha, black sesame, cocoa, watermelon lychee, and much more – with a hearty enough appetite, you can mow through the entire monster color wheel!
But shaved ice isn’t the only treat you can get yourself in this cute dessert store. Roji Monster Ice Cream also features such delights as Sparkling Juices, Toasts with toppings of marshmallow or red bean, and other adorable monster-themed desserts such as a Monster Waffle.
And if that wasn’t enough, the whole store itself is charmingly furnished with similar monster-themed decor. All throughout the restaurant, you can see little monster statues hoisting up spoons, peering out as lanterns, or seated with you at tables; making you feel as though you’ve just entered an adorable monster paradise!
(Source: Roji Monster Ice Cream Facebook)
Roji Monster Ice Cream is open throughout the week from 12pm-10pm. So if you want to eat some delicious frozen monster treats, step on through their doors (or order from them via Foodpanda) to have a bite!
2. OiCe by 939
If there’s anything I know about Malaysians, it’s that we love our ABCs.
(…that must have sounded pretty weird to non-locals. No; I’m not talking about the alphabet.)
Air Batu Campur or ‘ABC’ (or literally ‘mixed ice’ for the uninitiated) is a much beloved local delicacy that fills our taste buds with ice and sweetness and our hearts with the warmth of home. And if you’re hankering for a good place that serves good ABCs? OiCe by 939 is your stop to sample some delicious local desserts.
(Source: OiCe by 939 Facebook)
Based in Seri Kembangan Selangor, OiCe by 939 is an airy restaurant filled with plastic tables and chairs. Whether you’re a fan of fruits or jellies or red beans or all of the above, you’ll be able to find something you love from this store’s impressive menu; from the familiar Ice Kacang, to a Lemon Jelly Ice, to an assortment of sweet and fruity sagos.
OiCe by 939 is open from Monday to Sunday except for Tuesdays, with doors open from 11AM to 5PM. So if you’re a fan of ABC, or just want a good place to eat a local shaved ice dessert? OiCe by 939 is a pretty good choice!
3. Aftermeal Desserts
Now this is one impressive dessert shop!
Launched just last year in 2019, Aftermeal Desserts has since rocketed up into one of the top dessert stores in all of Petaling Jaya. With a menu filled with delicious kakigori and a stylish interior painted mostly in white, the shop attracts patrons from near and far to sample all the delectable treats found within.
Tucked into a shoplot in Petaling Jaya, Aftermeal Desserts is a cozy little cafe with a white storefront that opens charmingly into the curb. Their selection of cold desserts primarily centers on the sweet and popular kakigori; a Japanese shaved ice dessert with variable toppings, typically sweet leanings, and a soft, melt-in-the-mouth consistency. Their wide kakigori flavor options range from matcha to mocha to even milo; often served with a side of signature mochi atop a charming wooden tray.
(Source: Aftermeal Desserts Facebook)
But these aren’t the only things Aftermeal Desserts has up it’s sleeves. Their menu also offers selections of the popular sugar pearl milk tea/fresh milk, as well as servings of delectable cakes. In other words: if you’re craving something sweet in general? Aftermeal Dessert can satisfy all your sugar cravings with their delicious assortment of desserts!
(Source: Aftermeal Desserts Facebook)
Aftermeal Dessert is open throughout the week, with opening hours that range from 2pm-11pm from Mondays to Thursdays, 2pm-11:30pm on Fridays, 1:30pm-11:30pm on Saturdays, and 1:30pm-11pm on Sundays. So if you’re craving some delicious desserts, Aftermeal Dessert is a café you simply cannot skip out on!
4. Grandmom Dessert
Who here loves Taiwanese dessert?
Because if you do, you’ll love Grandmom Dessert!
Located in Seri Kembangan, Grandmom Dessert is a dessert shop distinct in it’s sweet, smiling Grandma logo and it’s specialty in Taiwanese desserts. With a quaint interior flushed in green, warmed by lamps, and covered wall-to-wall in multi-colored sticky-notes from it’s patrons, this cozy shop will give you the sensation of eating at your dear old Grandma’s home again; seated at her table and sampling all the treats she lovingly prepared.
The Grandmom Dessert menu features a plethora of Taiwanese desserts; both hot and cold. Their shaved ice comes in all sorts of flavors from red bean to grass jelly to soya, and may be served alongside ingredients such as Snow Fungus, QQ Balls, and even the popular Taiwanese Taro Ball among more.
Grandmom Dessert is open from Wedneday to Sunday, from 1PM to 10:30PM. So if you want some Taiwanese shaved ice or hot desserts, you can get your orders from Grandmom Dessert!
5. Chewie Mellow
Sweet, bright, and colorful – Chewie Mellow is a dessert cafe with one of the most charming aesthetics I’ve ever seen!
Even aside from their cute brand name and even cuter spoon-nomming mascot, Chewie Mellow is all about sweet pinks, blues, and yellows – a palette of pretty pastels. With outlets in Setapak and SS15 Subang Jaya, their interiors are often decorated in bright colors, cosy booths, and cheerful motifs of their mascot happily prancing around; as if it too is delighting in the cuteness of it’s surroundings.
But Chewie Mellow’s charm doesn’t lie all in it’s decor. Their menu also offers a delectable range of sweet treats; from a Mango Ice dessert to a loaded Teh Volcano to an assortment of scrumptious topped Toasts.
Another iconic dessert of theirs is their distinct Milky Mochi series, and these are just the cutest. All of them come complete with an artfully placed wafer cone on the top, making the mochi beneath look just like a puddle of melting ice-cream!
(Source: Chewie Mellow Facebook)
And if you’re craving something a little more filling? Chewie Mellow also offers a mouth-watering array of hot and hearty meals, like Korea Style Chicken Rice and Oyster Mee Sua and even a few selections of pastas. So if you want to drop by for lunch and dinner, Chewie Mellow can provide you with more than just desserts!
Chewie Mellow in SS15 is open throughout the week, with hours that range from 12pm-10pm on Mondays to Thursdays and 12pm-11:30pm on Fridays to Sundays. So if the days seem a bit too hot and stuffy for your tastes, why not cool yourself down with an ice-cold treat from this adorable little cafe?
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Beat the heat with icy treats, I say – and with all of these local dessert shops offering to help you do just that? I definitely think you’ll be spoilt for choice on your options for a cute and/or delectable shaved ice dessert in Malaysia!
If you’re looking for top dessert cafes to try in Damansara Uptown, click here!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Shaved ice is basically thinly shaved ice adorned with syrup which is then served in a cup or a paper cone or a bowl. Other decorations such as fresh fruits, milk, red bean, and so on are added later. We also share further instructions in FAQ number 6 for you if you would like to know the recipe.
Yes, shaved ice desserts that we have just listed are halal! There are no haram ingredients in the listed shops above unless they are stated. However, for someone who is on diet or who is very particular with food, we would not recommend shaved ice dessert as shaved ice dessert contains high sugar and uses synthetic food coloring.
At Chewie Mellow, you can get various items other than shaved ice which are Korean Style Chicken Rice, Thai Sauce Chicken Rice, Cheesy Chicken Pasta, and many more. Apart from Chewie Mellow, you can also stop by Aftermeal Desserts for some cheesecakes and bubble tea. After that, you can get shaved ice as your dessert!
If you crave for shaved ice dessert in the Malaysian version, you may come to OiCe by 939. A taste of Malaysian shaved ice with various flavours and toppings to choose from would be at OiCe by 939 and they also serve local desserts that you should taste while in Malaysia.
For first-timers, we recommend basic flavours such as cocoa or matcha from Roji Monster Ice Cream Malaysia in Subang Jaya. Apart from that, you can also try the milo flavour at Aftermeal Desserts in Petaling Jaya. If you would love to try different flavours such as fruit flavours like mango, watermelon or strawberry, cookies flavours such as Oreo or Chipsmore, you can. Never limit your choice!
Many thanks to rasa.com as this website shares the recipe to make shaved ice dessert in the Malaysian version.
Ingredients
· 2 cups ice cubes or crushed ice
Syrup
· 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
· 1/3 cup water
· 3 drops red coloring, optional
Toppings
· 2 tablespoons condensed milk or evaporated milk
· 2 tablespoons canned red beans, in kernels
· 2 tablespoons canned sweet corn, cream-style
· 2 tablespoons grass jelly pieces
· Attap chee, palm nuts, optional
Instructions
1. Add all the ingredients in the Syrup in a small saucepan. Heat it up over medium heat. As soon as the sugar melts and the syrup starts to bubble, turn off the heat. Set aside and let cool.
2. Prepare the shaved ice by using a blender. Make sure the ice is completely shaved.
3. Transfer the shaved ice to a bowl and add 2 tablespoons syrup, followed by all the ingredients in the toppings. Serve immediately.
Notes
The syrup is enough for two servings of ice kacang.
Unbelievably, the Heian Period of Japan is where we can trace the origins of shaved ice as we know it today. In the winter, ice was harvested from the mountains and kept in a special room. Shaved ice was essentially a luxury reserved for royalty since, strange as it may sound, ice itself was regarded as uncommon during this time.
Shaved ice initially appeared when tens of thousands of Japanese immigrants arrived on the Hawaiian Islands to work on sugar cane farms. Large slabs of ice would be shaved using Japanese swords, and the shaved ice would then be flavored with regional fruit juices.
It is said that a Japanese shaved ice dessert company named Matsumoto Shave Ice is the first one. Matsumoto Shave Ice is the first company that commercializes and specializes in making shaved ice desserts. This company was established on 13th February 1951 by Mamoru Matsumoto and Helen Momoyi (Ogi) Matsumoto, and is now run by the next generation.
Honesty is the best policy; thus we will give honest answers. Frankly speaking, shaved ice dessert is not a healthy dessert. On average shaved ice desserts, they contain a lot of refined sugars, artificial flavors, and also artificial food coloring. Fortunately, shaved ice dessert has low calories (70 to 90 calories) compared to ice creams and frozen yogurts.
‘’Ais kepal’’ and ‘’ais kacang’’ are the terms that refer to ‘’shaved ice’’, the usual term that is commonly used by Malay speakers. However, how do people call shaved ice dessert in different languages? Let us solve this riddle!
Japanese speakers call shaved ice dessert as ‘’kakigori’’; Korean speakers call shaved ice dessert as ‘’patbingsu’’, ‘’ bingsu’’ or ‘’bingsoo’’; Chinese or Taiwanese label shaved ice dessert as ‘’bao bing’’; Filipinos say ‘’halo-halo’’; Thai people say ‘’nam kang sai’’; Indonesian say ‘’es campur’’.
