Manila will be welcoming another new dessert place from Hong Kong in June 2019 – Shari Shari Kakigori House!
Kakigori is a Japanese dessert, but Shari Shari Kakigori House is actually from Hong Kong. The original branch is a dessert place in Causeway Bay popular with millennials for its Instagrammable shots.
I was invited to a preview of the desserts at Shari Shari Kakigori House earlier this week. The Manila branch is at Serendra, near / across from Abe. According to our host, this is the first Shari Shari Kakigori House branch outside of Hong Kong. The place is small, but customers can get a view of their kakigori being made.
What is kakigori, anyway?
According to Wikipedia, kakigōri is a Japanese shaved ice dessert flavored with syrup and a sweetener, often condensed milk.
I have never been a fan of the usual halo-halo because the dessert tastes watered down to me. But so many ice-based desserts have been introduced in Manila the past few years that I realized that there are actually good ice-based desserts.
I tried the Matcha Cream Special (with Kuromitsu), which I liked the best out of the other flavors I was able to try. The matcha is not bitter nor does it taste like grass – a common complaint about matcha. It was actually slightly sweet and creamy with just a negligible background of bitterness. They really made it a point to emphasize that the matcha is sourced all the way from Japan! At the center of the kakigori is a surprise – roughly crushed biscuits that provide a contrast to the matcha ice.
The ice used in Shari Shari’s kakigori was very light and fluffy – the texture almost reminds me of cotton candy, only it is cold and made with ice!
The big kakigori is designed for sharing, but if you’re really hungry, you can eat the whole thing by yourself 😀 It’s best to eat it immediately because it will melt if you don’t!
My second kakigori was the Earl Grey Milk Tea flavor – Earl Grey is my favorite “western” tea blend. I was prepared for an intense hit of Earl Grey and bergamot, but this kakigori just had a mild and delicate Earl Grey flavor so it won’t put off anyone who’s not used to Earl Grey.
Here is the Strawberry Special being made:
Shari Shari Kakigori House is expected to open in June 2019, but no definite date has yet been provided. Pricing starts at P270-ish to P380 for the premium flavors. You will also have the option to add more toppings and sauces.
You may follow them on Instagram at @sharishari_ph and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SHARI-SHARI-Kakigori-House-Philippines-349002762476091/.
#ShariShariPH
