You Heard It Here First: Vampire Penguin
March 10, 2014 •
In the last few years I have settled on a few consistent restaurants in South Sac and am not constantly on the prowl for the newnewnew. I tend to rely on recommendations (such as the one for Yang’s Noodles from Michele). Recently I kept hearing the name “Vampire Penguin” from many sources. When I heard “shaved ice” my ears didn’t exactly perk up. I’m not really a snow cone lover. I like my desserts full of fats and dairy. After a friend’s kid told me about the Wonka-esque flavor she had created I knew I had to check it out. With our new photographer Matt Maxwell in tow I took that Florin Road exit for the millionth time.
We were greeted by adorable smiling young employees who were eager to explain the concept and the flavors, including a “secret” menu that is written in Penguin language. One of the owners, Paolo San Luis, recommended the Mexican Candy and Halo Halo flavors.
I can’t decide which flavor is more delicious. The first taste was a shock. The snow is like the finest powder snow you can imagine – not grainy like a snow cone. The halo halo has taro-flavored shaved ice (hence the purple color), condensed milk, white and mung beans, and coconut and pineapple matchstick slices. It’s tooth-achingly sweet and a cavalcade of textures.
Sweet/salty has become a mainstream idea in the last 5 years or so – there’s probably a salted caramel flavor of Rite Aid ice cream now – but getting the perfect amount of salt can be a problem. Not only does the Mexican Candy flavor have the perfect amount but the large flakes of salt and chili powder provide a tiny bit of crunch, thereby adding a fun texture which elevates the dish above your typical dessert. It’s a molecular gastronomy version of a mango on a stick, with cubed watermelon on the side for visual flair. Somehow this dish is creamy and rich without dairy. Vegans are you listening?
Matt Maxwell chose to make his own flavor, and the cookies and cream shaved ice with strawberry was not the mouth party that the other flavors were. It tasted like a fudgesicle. Bad move, Maxwell.
Of all the Vampire Penguins I have encountered, be it in the jungles of Peru, the halls of Montezuma, the Lisbon Zoo, on the SF muni, or even just in my own nightmares, this Vampire Penguin is far and away the most delicious.
My cookies n’ cream shaved ice may not have been a mouth “party” but it was kind of like a mouth “hang out and play some board games maybe watch some netflix”. You know, it was still nice. I enjoyed it. But your right… Not as good as the halo halo or the Mexican candy shaved ice.
The Halo Halo was bomb. Very interesting and scrumptious. It also felt like I had eaten a mea,l probably because of the beans. That Mexican Candy was HANDSDOWNFANTASTIC. I’m not a vegan, I just generally think milk products are weird and gross, so I was floored that the mango ice had no dairy, so creamy and good. The chili and salt on the watermelon, on the mango ice, goddammnnn! So good. I don’t even have much of a sweet tooth, but I will go back and back for that lil treasure.
Becky, this is great! On the list, maybe for this weekend. What a cool find. thx
What a cool find. thx
I saw the part about “& Desserts” and went into the Elk Grove Vampire Penguin. I was not about to order a shaved ice – I don’t like snow cones.
As I looked at the menu I was thinking of the waffle looking thing, or the macaroons. The hostess said everything on the menu is shaved snow, we I didn’t argue with her, but that isn’t exactly true.
She tell me is it finer than a snow cone, so I go for it and ordered the s’more one. WOW… it was really good, and not at all what I expected.