Don Don Donki is an unbeatable treasure trove of all the best ready-to-eat and packaged Japanese snacks, but don’t just dive in blindly for your usuals the next time you’re at its Orchard Central outlet. Instead, skip past the entrance and keep your eyes open for Shiroyama, a new snow ice kiosk by Japanese dessert artisan Taizo Shibano, who currently holds the title of the world’s top gelato master.
The name ‘Shiroyama’ – which directly translates to ‘white mountain’ – is inspired by Mount Haku (aka Hakusan), an alp that straddles the prefectural borders of Gifu and Ishikawa. Shibano hails from the latter, which is known for its seafood, sake, and sweets (check out our Ishikawa food guide for our tried-and-tested recommendations).
Shibano has multiple food awards under his belt, including clinching first place in the most recent Asian Gelato Cup. He’s also the President of the Associazione Giapponese Gelaterie (AGG), a Japanese ice cream association with a special focus on Italian gelato. If that’s anything to go by, his version of kakigori is set to impress.
Each of the snow ice bowls comes layered with cereal, soft serve, crunchy balls, flavoured shaved ice, and a dollop of vanilla mousse. There are currently five flavours to choose from – ichigo (strawberry), muscat, ume, tie guan yin, and yuzu pistachio – with two size options of regular (from $8.80) or grande ($15.80). Additional toppings of mini mochi and chocolatey almond croquants can be purchased at $1 per portion. Both dine-ins and takeaways are possible, but do note that the seating area, which is basically part of Donki’s dining counter, is pretty small.
Can Shiroyama’s kakigori rival that of the viral Sakanoue, which drew hours-long queues during its Singapore debut? Well, only one way to find out.
While you’re there, visit Japanese lifestyle store Hands one floor above for an all-rounded ‘Japan-in-Singapore’ experience. While the shop has been around for ages, it went through a revamp some time back with over a thousand new products and Singapore-exclusives.
Shiroyama is located at #B2-09 of Orchard Central and opens from 11am to 9pm daily. Stay tuned for more updates via Shiroyama’s Instagram page.
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