Ice Monster, Tokyo

This is a story of a grumpy Julie.

But I didn't start that way.  It was a hot week when I visited Tokyo.  I loved the weather.  After many days in a row of eating 2-3 ice creams per day (don't judge! It is so good there!), I moved on to shaved ice as my frozen treat of choice.

The weekend was particularly hot, and I was thrilled to have the time to venture all the way to Ice Monster, in Shibuya, to get another epic ice creation.  I walked there, and was quite warm when I arrived.  Perfect for eating ice.

I had visions of getting the specific ice creation I wanted, and enjoying it, at my leisure, outside in the warm Tokyo summer heat.  I had already picked out a menu item I really wanted.  I knew Ice Monster did takeaway so I could go outside with it.  But ... alas, the one I wanted, much like at Sebastian was not available for takeaway.  And the line to get in ... ugh.

But anyway.  Ice Monster.  A Taiwanese chain, started in 1997, now with several locations in Japan.

Setting

Ice Monster has only one location in Tokyo, in Omotesando, alongside all the fancy shops, and a whole lot of bubble tea places.

Side Sign.

I did not take a photo of the actual store front, where a long line was formed, on the other side of the sidewalk, quite politely, to allow others to pass.

We were managed in line by a handler, who explained the options (if you wanted a standing room item - more on this soon), you were given one type of number, and a standing room/takeout menu, and waited to be called in to order.  If you wanted to sit, another style of number, another menu.

Then slowly, group by group, we were allowed in to order.  I guess it makes sense to queue us outside and keep the sense of calm inside when they know they don't have the throughput to even do the takeout orders.

It took 15 minutes for me to be allowed in to order.

Ordering Area Inside.

Once inside, it was quite calm.  Only 2 groups came in at a time to line up at register and order.  We traded in our laminated colored numbers when we ordered, to be given different laminated numbers, on stands if you were getting a seat (which I was).

Standing Tables.

If you were ordering one of the more limited standing table options, you stay downstairs, and eat standing up at the standing height big table in the center, or counter along the windows.

These orders all come in throw away containers, and are the more simple items, and are made smaller.

Upstairs Seating.

If you are dining in, the setup is entirely different.

For those getting seats, you were instructed to go upstairs, where a host then directed you to a table, already pre-set with the correct number of seats, as they knew you were coming and had not let you in until your table was being set.  So very controlled.

I appreciated the extra napkins available on the table, each with its own dispenser.  Napkins seem to be a rare commodity in Japan.

What I did NOT appreciate was the temperature.  I had read reviews about this, but I still wasn't prepared for just how cold it was inside.  Very over air conditioned, which was rare in Tokyo, and particularly unappealing for a place serving ice and ice cream.  This made me even more grumpy that I wasn't able to take mine to go enjoy in the warm outside.

Another random note ... I used the bathroom, and accidentally went in the men's room (they were singles, so not really a big deal), and found it odd that there was no soap and no paper towels or a hand dryer.  When I later (correctly) used the women's room, it had both.  Is that ... normal?

Menu

Ice Monster requires that every person order an item, which commonly strikes rage in those not expecting it, given that the ice creations are quite large, and sharing is the reasonable thing to do.  That said, they do offer bubble teas, and one item can be a bubble tea.

TaiWan Drink Menu.

I was not particularly interested in the drink menu, as I was there for just one item myself, and Ice Monster is literally located on a street with at least 6 other bubble tea shops, all *very* well known.  If I wanted bubble tea, I certainly would be at a place specializing in bubble tea.

Drinks are available for take out, or dine in.

Standard Menu.

The standard lineup, known as "I'm a sensation", includes 3 items everywhere (tapioca milk tea, mango, and strawberry), plus one Japan only creation (apricot kernel), and one available only at 2 specific stores in Japan (coffee).

All feature a different flavor of shaved ice as the base, all have some flavor of ice cream or sherbet (sour strawberry or mango sherbet with the fruity ones, cookies & cream ice cream with teh coffee, and black sesame with the apricot kernal), and come with toppings ranging from fresh fruit (strawberries, mango), to panna cotta, to tapioca, to brown sugar jelly.  And then each has a syrup or sauce, like condensed milk, mango, strawberry, or coffee syrup, or caramel.  The syrups are always served on the side, for you to apply as you please.

The standard three are available as takeway/standing, in smaller, simpler form.

Summer Specials.

There were also two summer specials, both using Calpis®️ and tropical fruits (peach & strawberry, or mango & pineapple).  The last day of serving these was Sept 1, the day I visited, but I didn't stray from my original plan, although I was certainly tempted by the peach one.

Fresh Premium Mango Shaved Ice.

The other summer only special is the "Premium Mango", a step up from the Mango Sensation, as it features an entire half a mango on it.

Hot Water.

Once seated, a glass of water is delivered.  Hot water.  Intentionally hot.

While not exactly what I wanted (and I had a bottle of sparkling with me anyway), it did help combat the very cold temperature in the room, but even that wasn't enough to make me really excited about my cold ice coming.

Almond sensation. 1220 yen.

"A Japanese-only menu with shaved flavor ice blocks stuffed with apricot aroma and a slightly sweet taste, lychee, black sesame ice cream, brown sugar jelly, and condensed milk from above."

I waited patiently in the cold, growing increasingly grumpy with my decision to stay and dine in.  I really had visions of enjoying my ice in the warm weather!

After 10 minutes, my creation was delivered.  I picked the limited Japan only "Almond Sensation", picked nearly entirely because I love black sesame.

It came piled up high, with some toppings on it already (lychee, ice cream), and others (brown sugar jelly, condensed milk) on the side.

I wish I had a reference point for just how huge this was.  Yes, ice is light, but, SO BIG!  Now I understand why people complain about the one item per person rule.

The entire thing was overwhelmingly sweet.  It really needed a component like red bean perhaps to combat it.

Almond ice / Black sesame ice cream / Lychee.

I dug into the mound of ice, just a spoonful on its own to start.

Wow it was sweet.  So very sweet.  The almond flavor really was lovely, but, I was overwhelmed by the sweetness level, and I like sweet things.  It was light and fluffy, but not quite as fluffy-amazing as Sebastian, where I visited a few days prior.

The lychee element was two lychees, likely from a can.  They were ... fine.  Average.  Sweet.

The black sesame ice cream, the part I was most excited for, was very good.  Strong black sesame flavor.  Nutty.  Sweet, but not overwhelming.  It was the only element that wasn't over the top sweet, but it certainly wasn't non-sweet.

Brown Sugar Jelly.

The brown sugar jellies were on the side, I'm not quite sure why, but I liked that I could add them in as I pleased.

I really liked these.  The flavor was really unique, sweet yet ... complex? Much like the brown sugar pearls that are the current fad in bubble tea.

However, like the ice, like the lychee, they were very very sweet.  As much as I wanted to just eat them as a bowl of jelly, I couldn't, without something to cut the sweetness.  Even just some whipped cream (or cheese foam!), would make a big difference.

Sweetened Condensed Milk.

The sweetened condensed milk was also on the side, again, something I appreciated, so I could add on as much or little as I pleased.  In this case, I still used it all, but really what I liked was being able to try to create prefect bites with a bit of each element I wanted.

I liked the way the condensed milk transformed the fluffy ice into something creamy, but ... you guessed it, this was quite sweet.