Ed U.
Yelp
Listen, I'm not part of the in-crowd. You know who I'm talking about, the obsessed ones who are desperate to set foodie trends and increase their followings. Gee, am I talking about you? No offense but I find the cool places way, way after everyone else does when places have already evolved from hot to lukewarm. At least that was my roundabout excuse for not knowing Powder existed for the past six years. So sue me.
I actually came in here because I thought they made Hawaiian-style 'shave' ice. I had a hankering because Jamie W. and I are planning a much-awaited trip to Honolulu. However, I was schooled quite nicely that this is Taiwanese-style shaved snow, a mix between shaved ice and ice cream. I didn't know anything about shaved snow, so I randomly picked from their wall menu. I went with a Filipino treat, the $6.50 Halo-Halo.
It came with ube ice cream, toasted coconut, azuki red beans, and sweet milk glaze (photo: https://bit.ly/3YsZ5Kw). The combination of the ice cream with the ice made it taste much lighter than it looked, and the coconut and red beans offered welcome texture. I was the only one in the shop late in the afternoon, a good thing since there was nowhere else to slurp it up. Not Hawaiian but delayed gratification nonetheless.
DESSERT - 5 stars...quite a treat and lighter than I imagined
AMBIANCE - 4 stars...pretty compact shop
SERVICE - 4 stars...helpful when I asked about the concept of shaved snow
TOTAL - 5 stars...am I part of the in-crowd now?
RELATED - Exploring the Haight? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: http://bit.ly/2YK1e99