NSU is a unique and lively campus, but that doesn’t mean Sharks can’t band together and take an afternoon to explore the South Florida area — even if that just means finding a quaint place to study.
Those enormous ice cream milkshakes that are doused in syrup and look like they contain enough sugar for one person’s diet for an entire month are a thing of the past. Now, classy ice cream is in — and that is exactly what you will get when going to Hanji: snow cream — an ice cream substitute made of shaved snow mixed with sweetened dairy-based or nondairy-based liquid — and boba tea. Hanji serves a menu featuring a variety of milk tea and cups of snow cream with a wide array of toppings and flavors. Offering vegan and non-dairy options for both their snow cream and tea, there are options for anyone in attendance.
Hanji is on Stirling Road, less than 10 minutes from campus and located in a plaza with two other Vietnamese eateries. The outside of the shop is nothing special, looking like any other storefront in a generic plaza. However, upon entrance, there’s a clear aesthetic that the store is reaching for and achieving phenomenally well. Hanji has a comforting minimalist vibe with warm yellow lights encompassing the store and light wooden tables with small white stools underneath. There are sporadic decorations in the corners of the store with the main focus on penguin figurines, the evident mascot of the parlor, providing a great place to sit and converse with friends.
I visited Hanji with a friend of mine who recommended the shop to me, and luckily enough, we each ordered one item each from the two products that the store serves. Our orders consisted of one caffeinated matcha snow and a rose milk boba tea with milk pudding.
The caffeinated matcha snow cup contained matcha snow cream, rice balls, sweet red beans and condensed milk drizzled on top. Aesthetically, the snow cream was something straight out of a trendy Instagram post. The tea, on the other hand, was less than pleasing in its presentation.
However, both items were strikingly tasty despite the presentation. The matcha snow cream was velvety and full of flavor, with the rice balls only enhancing the taste. I just wish there were more of them in the cup. My friend and I thought the ice cream could do without the red beans, but it was an interesting addition nonetheless. The rose tea was extremely flavorful and deliciously refreshing. However, in retrospect, the drink would have been much better with custard pudding instead of milk pudding.
For exquisitely unique ice cream and flavorful tea, the prices were reasonable. The small size for the majority of the snow cream is $6.50, with more than enough to satisfy two people. The teas range from $4-$5.50 as a base price, then whatever add-ons a customer wants to put in.
Overall, Hanji is a fantastic place to grab some refreshing treats and hang out with some friends on a hot South Florida day.
Photo: F. Zhang
