By Sherman Chan,
Special to The Post

Due to the recent heat wave in Vancity, people have been figuring out ways to stay cool. Snacking on cold desserts is one option. There’s gelato, ice cream, screamers, bubble tea, slushees and the other usual cold treats, but one thing that is beginning to gain traction is shaved ice. It’s not new in California, but Vancouver is slowly catching on.
After dining on mediocre Taiwanese fare at Kick S Good, we went to Icepik Shavery for some jacked up shaved ice. Bear went for the Vanilla shaved ice with strawberry and lychee popping pearls. The ice was so fine, it took on an almost creamy texture. It was slightly sweet. I had the Green Tea shaved ice with mochi, grass jelly, mango and lychee jelly. It wasn't very sweet. It had a light green tea essence. I liked how the mochi balls were a fair size. The diced mango was ripe and sweet which helped flavour the dessert as well as the lychee jelly.
Milhouse went for the Mint shaved ice with mochi, oreo crumble, chocolate chips and grape jelly. I was surprised at the refreshing quality of the mint ice. Initially, I ordered the green tea instead of the mint because I thought it would be overpowering. It wasn't and in fact, very light in flavour. It went well with the sweeter ingredients. Overall, we enjoyed the shaved ice at IcePik. They were lightly sweet, airy and refreshing.
Sherman Chan is the #1 ranked food blogger on the Vancouver portal of Urbanspoon.com. Read more of his reviews at www.shermansfoodadventures.com.

1 - 3377 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC

The Good:
• Light and creamy shaved ice
• Not too sweet
• Appealing toppings

The Bad:
• Not expensive, but not cheap either
• Lack of seating