Apparently shaved Ice, or kakigori, is a thing in Tokyo, and many places are selling this dessert. The first image that came to my mind when thinking about shaved ice, was not so appetizing, to say the least. But when seeing Ice Monster images online, I was hooked. I had to taste this magnificent looking mountain of ice.

This Taiwan-based store has one branch in Japan, located right in the center of Harajuku, 3 minutes walk from Omotesando exit. The first time I wanted to go there, I saw that the Bubble Milk Tea Sensation is sold out. Knowing that I’m going to get back to Harajuku a few days later, I decided to leave Ice Monster for my next visit.

Oh how disappointed I was seeing this Sold Out sticker the second time. I was fantasizing about the Bubble Milk Tea Sensation, and yet again this item was sold out. This was a bit of a let down, but there was no way I was going to pass this treat so I decided to go for second best – Coffee Sensation.

Since I got to Ice Monster an hour before opening, I did what I do best – spend money on unnecessary stuff. Getting back to Ice Monster 5 minutes before opening hour (11AM), a long line already started forming. Since there are a lot of tables on the first and second floor, the line progressed pretty fast and soon enough we were sited on the second floor, waiting for the Coffee Sensation.

I really liked the internal decor of the place. The massive use of wood gives the entire place a warm feeling to it – a nice contrast to the specially of the place. Everything is well though of – starting from the interesting ceilings, lighting, the black brick wall behind the counter, the quirky napkin boxes and cutesy napkins.

Ice Monster shaved ice delicacy are made from flavored blocks of ice, carved to thin layers by machines

The Coffee Sensation (¥1200) comes with two shots – Kahlua and Bailey’s, Milk Jelly, Coffee Jelly Cubes and Cookies & Cream ice-cream. How awesome that sounds, right?? The flavor was amazing! The texture of the shaved ice was surprising – much softer and fluffier than I imagined it would be. The alcohol accompanying it was a great match, and together with the jelly and ice cream toppings it was a real boost of great flavors.

Note the dish is huge, me and Opher couldn’t finish it. They ask each table to have at least one order per person. Knowing one dish like that would probably be a challenge on its own, I ordered a guava juice, which was really nice.

Ice Monster Online:

Getting There:

 

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