In these hot summer days, we all deserve some fancy icy and refreshing summer treats. Known as an Asian supermarket, the Fresh International Market not only sells produce, but it also actually has a wide variety of cool products such as drinks, ice cream, and iced cake, which are perfect summer treats for us.
I want to show you what kind of cool summer treats that you can’t miss and need to try during the summer. Guests who visit your home will be joyful by these cool treats you bring out of the fridge to share with them.
Photo by Xiaohui Zhang.
Entering through the automated sliding door, the first place where to locate some fascinating cool treats are in a fridge on the left-hand side. What I can mainly find in that fridge are cakes and herbal jelly. The cakes are a hybrid Japanese, Korean, and Chinese style such as rolled cakes and mochi in flavors of matcha, chestnut, black tea, and more. They also have two versions of Yakult probiotic drinks here, which is a popular drink back in Asia — and every kid loves it.
Photo by Xiaohui Zhang.
The first thing I got for myself is a Karaku green tea cake ($5.99). Served at a cool temperature (which didn’t need waiting until it thawed), the chiffon cake came with slight sweetness and a refreshing matcha tea flavor. The size of it could serve up to three guests. I also loved the package of it with its simplicity, which could make it a nice gift when visiting a friend’s place.
Photo by Xiaohui Zhang.
The second product I got from this shelf was the herb jelly with mochi ($6.59). Herb jelly is an Asian herbal dessert and a very popular one especially in summer. The package came with honey syrup and a small bag of mochi. Served chilled, the herbal jelly displayed a hint of mint and provided a really refreshing tasting experience in this burning weather. This was my favorite dessert when I was growing up.
Photo by Xiaohui Zhang.
Moving from here, walking inside towards the freezer, this is where I found lots of ice cream, frozen desserts, dim sum for breakfast, and other different instant frozen food.
Photo by Xiaohui Zhang.
I was attracted by this black tea latte and tapioca pearl mix ($9.39). If you know me, you know I’m a super fan of boba drinks, and of course, I won’t miss this. There are couple other flavors such as green tea and taro available as well. The box came with three servings; there was one package of black tea latte powder, one package of frozen boba, and a boba straw per serving. The boba tea was super easy to make: just pour the powder, water, and the boba in a cup; then microwave on high for about one to two minutes and serve in a cup with ice. I liked how fresh and aromatic the black tea tasted, and the milk was not too rich to cover it.
Photo by Xiaohui Zhang.
I was also attracted by the matcha ice with brown sugar boba ($5.99). This is a product of the famous matcha brand Tsujiri of Kyoto, Japan. There are four bars in a box. The bar is a bit smaller than a regular ice cream bar but a suitable portion for me to get an appropriate amount of sugar. The matcha was aromatic and strong, which I loved so much. I also enjoyed the chewy brown sugar boba mixed in, so I enjoyed eating the varied textures.
Before I checked out at the cashier, I found another freezer next to it. This freezer is an amazing one where you can find lots of cute frozen cakes.
Photo by Xiaohui Zhang.
I got myself panna cotta roll cake ($13.99). They also have options for Earl Gray and caramel marble. I cut a small piece of roll cake and let it thaw bit until it was soft. This cake definitely nailed it! I liked the light sweetness of the cake and the aromatic coffee flavor. The diverse texture from in and out was great. This was absolutely the best piece among my selections at Fresh International Market.
I liked how fruitful my shopping adventure for summer treats was at Fresh International Market. The store has way more than one can expect for summer shopping. I am looking forward to trying some of their drink products such as sake, fruit wine, juicem and tea — and of course, the variety of frozen dim sum for a Cantonese! If you want to try some of these treats and get cool in these hot days, don’t miss this shopping gem.
Fresh International Market
505 S Neil St
Champaign
Su-Th 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
F+Sa 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.