When the weather heats up, my primary concern becomes how to consume sugary ice in every form possible. Here are four of my favorite frosty desserts across Portland to cool you down, from kakigori to cendol and beyond.
Soen
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The Japanese comfort food spot Soen, housed inside Courier Coffee, serves kakigori, a type of Japanese shaved ice, seasonally. Owner Sakiko-Soen, who formerly worked as a lifestyle editor in Tokyo, writes, “The events of 2020 brought about the most significant shift in our journey. It prompted me to reconsider why I embarked on this venture in the first place. Starting Soen wasn’t just about fulfilling my personal craving for kakigori as a Japanese creative mind; it was also about conveying the deeply symbolic culture of respecting the invisible and intangible aspects inherent in Japanese beliefs.” You won’t find any chunky chips of ice here; Soen’s machine spins it into the most ethereally fluffy, feathery texture not unlike cotton candy, resulting in a show-stopping sight that will draw stares from passersby. Seasonal flavors include strawberry rhubarb, matcha, and coffee, and if you’re indecisive, you can order a combo of two flavors. I got a split strawberry rhubarb and matcha, and the earthiness of the matcha perfectly balanced the fruity flavors, rounded out by a cloud-like dollop of cream and a spoonful of sweet red bean.
West End
Wailua Shave Ice
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This island-inspired shave ice shop offers “frozen sunshine to go” with options like mango, ube, and pina colada. Devotees rave about the smooth, soft consistency of the ice, which rivals what you can find at authentic stands in Hawaii and instantly melts in your mouth. Some flavors come crowned with frothy foam, fresh fruit, or drizzles of sweetened condensed milk.
West End
Wajan
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Cendol is a popular iced Southeast Asian dessert made with squiggly mint-green pandan “worms” (actually rice flour jelly!) swimming in a puddle of coconut milk blended with palm sugar. It’s tricky to track down in the Pacific Northwest, but you can find an excellent version at the Indonesian cafe Wajan, available with optional jackfruit topping that adds another dimension of tropical flavor. Slushy and sweet, it’s an ideal pick-me-up on a hot summer day.
North Tabor
Yaowarat
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The Thai-Chinese restaurant Yaowarat, inspired by the legendary street food found in Bangkok’s bustling Chinatown neighborhood of the same name, calls its cold milk pudding a “textural adventure,” which it certainly is: The creamy dessert is served with toothsome threads of young coconut, chewy brown sugar boba, candied jicama, frosty strawberry granita, and fresh Munoz Farms strawberries. The flan-like pudding had a toasty, rich sweetness that kept me coming back for another spoonful.
Montavilla
EverOut Staff
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