Monday Munchies: Chill’n with sweet, shaved ice

Kearny Mesa never ever disappoints in the unusual, stoney eats department. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, it’s likely that you frequent the Asian food capital of San Diego whenever your noodle craving strikes three. But beyond your comfort food fix, you don’t have to look far for a sweet adventure - take, for instance, Taiwanese shaved ice - conveniently located in the same strip mall that slings everything from Hong Kong-style dim sum to Shanghai dumplings.

Get your savory fill out of the way, then head over to Iceskimo for a refreshing sweet treat. Inside, flavored blocks of ice are placed on machines that shave off ribbons of black sesame, green tea and passion fruit snow - prime for an array of offbeat toppings, and plenty of recognizable ones, too. There are a handful of forever flavors, plus some seasonal ones.

Choose from a menu of sure hits - like the Cookie Monster that blends black sesame ice, sweetened condensed milk and fresh strawberries covered in shattered Oreos - otherwise, pick your base flavors and build your own. First, say yes to the addition of sweetened condensed milk; it’s the glue that’ll hold your dessert together once the thin sheets of ice begin to melt away. Then, an employee will hand over the cup-o-frozen treat, at which point it’s time to go buck wild on all the quirky self-serve toppings, from cheesecake cubes to mango poppers (that look a little too much like salmon roe), mochi balls, sweet red beans, and gelatinous almond pudding.

There’s nothing like having a delicious revelation on a Monday when most poor saps are either hating their jobs or headed to yoga. Nope. This program is better.

4609 Convoy St. suite B, Kearny Mesa. (619) 216-1111, facebook.com/iceskimo.

Source: DiscoverSD