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It’s the time of year when the only thing you want in your mouth is something cold and sweet. And Northern Virginia Magazine’s got you covered.
We planned the dessert issue back in the winter, ate through the sometimes-cold spring and finished editing it before the blazing sun blasted us with its unbearable heat.
But now it’s yours, just when you need the relief of something chilly … if the rain ever lets up.
Before you click through—where there’s an explanation of Japanese honey toast; a guide to all the different types of shaved ice (sno, bingsoo, halo-halo, snow cream, milk snow, etc.); an ode to blinged-out milkshakes dubbed freakshakes; and a step-by-step pictorial on rolled ice cream—here are a few bonus treats that didn’t make it into print.
And by the way, I’m declaring this the summer when Asia took over as the region defining today’s most sought-after desserts.
Who Seek, a Korean dessert cafe in Chantilly, serves honey butter cubes (a version of honey toast), assorted sweet drinks (bubble tea, smoothies, ade) and snowflakes (within the shaved ice category, and explained as “crystalized milk flakes,” though it looks much more amazing than that description).
J-petal, a dessert shop in Reston, combines Japanese-style crepes and Thai-style rolled ice cream. (There’s also savory crepes with fillings of chicken teriyaki, shrimp and crab.)
Boba & Bites, a take-out spot around the corner from Mosaic District, sells Asian street food and this summer launched Taiyaki ice cream. It’s a cake-like, fish-shaped cone filled with red beans (optional) and soft serve in flavors of black sesame, matcha, chocolate and vanilla.
