Snow Princess Dessert House - Hacienda Heights, CA

Shaved snow may just well be the next dessert craze to hit Southern California, following the spread of frozen yogurt a few years ago.  I first had it in Taiwan, where its unique texture captured my interests.  Fruit juice or other flavors are typically mixed with condensed milk and then frozen into a block of ice.  Upon ordering, the ice block is shaved by a special machine that produces ribbons of flavored milk ice.  It's light yet creamy, melting like snowflakes on your tongue.

The shaved snow at Snow Princess uses fresh fruit and no dairy.  It was certainly flavorful but I prefer the sweet creaminess from places that use condensed milk in their snow (like Class 302).    

--- Food/Drinks ---

The snow is probably the most unique part about this dessert house - it has a soft ribboned look that ends up creamy and melty in your mouth. All of the snow flavors I tried were good including lychee, green apple, strawberry and yogurt.  Portion size is a plus.  The orders were piled about 6-8 inches high with the toppings decorating the bottom edges.  Definitely enough to be shared between two people.

I didn't think the toppings were very good.  Fresh fruit would've been a big plus.  The popping boba is a little on the sweet side making chewing a little strange.  I think the primary purpose of the rainbow jelly is for adding color, I didn't think it added very much to the snow in terms of taste.

---  Service ---

Average service.  There is a $3 per person minimum when sitting down.  This means that if splitting a snow dish three ways, you'll be asked to order fries or something else.  Typically I would expect this minimum from a super busy place, but since the place was nearly empty, I would've liked them to be a little more lenient in this area.

--- Environment ---

I visited with friends on a Saturday night, it was very empty.  The tables, chairs and room decorations were appealing and colorful, typical of what you might expect from a shaved ice cafe.

--- Parking---

Located within a plaza, the nearby stores and restaurants can be very popular requiring a short walk from your car.  Parking spaces are on the smaller end but other no problems finding parking.