Thursday, February 14, 2019

Somisomi

Somisomi is a soft serve and taiyaki shop located at the Ala Moana Shopping Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. There are also multiple locations in California.


I passed by this place three days in a row. Every single time, it's been by far the busiest food spot at Ala Moana. The lines can get ridiculously long, but my friend and I lucked out towards dinner time. The line probably wasn't as long because most of the patrons were eating a normal dinner. But that's why I tell my friend to eat dessert first. Panda logic prevails.

For those that have never seen taiyaki, it's a treat shaped like a fish and usually filled with something sweet, like chocolate or red bean paste. It's made in a special taiyaki maker, much like how waffles are made.

Using that same taiyaki maker, Somisomi also brings Ah-Boong to Hawaii, which is a goldfish-shaped waffle cone. The fish-shaped cone is hollowed out and soft serve put in. It takes soft serve and cones to another level.


The process is fairly simple: (1) pick your flavor; (2) pick if you want it in their fish-shaped cone, "their upside-down" option, or just a cup of soft serve; and (3) add one free topping. If you're getting a cone, you'll also need to pick what filling you want.



There are roughly five flavors and two "swirls" (if you want more than one flavor).

Many people get the "upside down" option, which places the soft serve in a cup, a topping added, then the fish-shaped cone placed on top. I got the taro filling in my cone.

I went with the Milk and Oreo swirl flavor upside down. The soft serve was topped with graham cracker crumbles and the cone placed on top.



Outstanding soft serve here, some of the best I've had. Assertive milk and oreo flavors. Graham crackers was a great topping choice. That cone had a slight crunch, much like a waffle, and the creamy taro filling, while on the sweet side, was not overly sweet. Taro has similarities to a sweet potato, for those wondering.

My friend got ube soft serve with Fruity Pebbles and a Nutella-filled cone. Ube is a sweet purple yam usually found in the Philippines, but also popular in Hawaii. It's quite good and worth a try if you see it.



I see why people want to go here. Excellent presentation and great flavors. You'll get your dessert fairly quickly, too.

Photo Credit: Marcel Saragena

Even if there is a line, I'd totally recommend trying Somisomi if you see it. 9/10

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