PrintSugar Rush: Where to Find Avocado Shakes
Photographs by Robyn Lee. From left: Nha Trang, Shopsins, Minangasli.
After Sunday's guacamole binging, it's probably best to cure the hangover with more avocado. As they say, "a hair of the dog that bit you," and if it works for alcohol, the same should go for 'cado.
Avocado shakes are popular in Vietnamese cuisine. Known as "sinh to bo," they are usually sweetened with condensed or coconut milk, sugar syrup, and crushed ice. Serious Eats avocado shake correspondents Kathy YL Chan and Robyn Lee have these recommendations in New York:
Nha Trang: "Rich with a generous hand of sweetened condensed milk, and they don't skimp on the avocado. The best I've had in New York." —Kathy
87 Baxter Street, New York 10013 (b/n Bayard and Walker Streets; map) 212-233-5948
Shopsins: "This one isn't the Vietnamese style; it's a creamier Shopsins style. The texture is really the win, thick in a frothy way, but not too thick you have trouble sucking it through the straw. Then again, not too runny that you feel like crying because it's a crappy milkshake." —Robyn
120 Essex Street, Essex Street Market Stall 16, New York NY 10002 (b/n Delancey and Rivington; map)
Minangasli: "An Indonesian spin. Avocado juice with melted chocolate. The 'cado taste gets kind of masked by the chocolate, but it makes for an interesting combo."—Robyn
8610 Whitney Avenue, Flushing NY 11373 (map) 718-429-8207
"But the ones in Hawai'i and San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles put them all to shame!" — Kathy
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6 Comments:
Doyers also has avacado shakes, as well as durian shakes.
kobetobiko at 1:15AM on 02/06/09
Sadly, Minangasli is no more! (unless you have an update...)
fredid at 3:51PM on 02/06/09
@fredid: No waaay! That makes me sad. :( Thanks for the info.
roboppy at 3:57PM on 02/06/09
Any specific recommendations on where to get there in Hawaii or are they sellin em on every corner over there?
bephf at 9:48AM on 02/10/09
@ bephf: You'll want the one from Thang's in Honolulu's Chinatown -> http://apassionforfood.blogspot.com/2008/12/omg-avocado-smoothie.html
Kathy YL Chan at 10:39AM on 02/10/09
I've tried the avocado shake at Doyers and it is far too sweet and not enough avocado. However, the avocado shakes at Xe Lua remind me of how my parents always made it...very avocado and a touch of honey.
@beph, whenever I visit my mom in Honolulu, we end up going to Vietnamese restaurants (like all over Chinatown) and I haven't had a bad avocado shake yet.
itisijessica at 3:05PM on 02/20/09