Summer may be gone, but we’re still hoping for a hot day or 12. Since, as the Starks say, winter is coming, you might as well try something a little out of your comfort zone should a surprise summer day strike. Here are five exotic ice-based desserts that are sure to make saying goodbye to summer a little less bitter.

Sabai Sabai Kitchen’s “red rubies,” pictured above

We went bananas for chef Nuit Regular’s tub tim krob (“red rubies”). The coconut milk-based dessert is dotted with ruby-coloured pearls that represent pomegranate seeds. These “red rubies” are in fact diced water chestnuts, coated in tapioca flour and cooked in a red Thai syrup called sala. The result is a gummy bear-like exterior with a crunchy centre that pairs perfectly with the jasmine-infused, smoked coconut milk. The dish can be served hot, but we prefer it over crushed ice.
$5. Sabai Sabai Kitchen, 225 Church St., 647-748-4225

Kanto’s halo-halo

The halo-halo is a motley monster of a dessert. It’s kind of the Filipino version of a kitchen sink salad, except it’s swimming in condensed milk and loaded with crushed ice. The layered treat has a bit of everything in it: corn, flan, purple yam, mung beans, jelly, tapioca, banana, jackfruit, coconut, sugar palm fruit and vanilla ice cream. At Kanto by Tita Flips — which occupies one of the shipping containers at Market 707 — Diona Joyce replaces the ice cream with more flan because freezer space is at a premium. We recommend sharing, because the portion is ginormous.
$6. Kanto by Tita Flips, 707 Dundas St. W., 1-888-393-9990

Kekou’s Asian-inspired gelato

Kekou Gelato House is putting a distinctly Asian spin on the Italian summer classic, gelato. Some of the exotic fruit flavours available on one visit included soursop, jackfruit and the ever-pungent durian. But the showstopper was the chili-specked mango, which packs a serious punch.
$3.75-$4.75. Kekou Gelato House, 13 Baldwin St.

Sweet Vietnamese soup from Bánh Mì & Chè Cali

This sweet dessert soup, called chè, is originally from Vietnam, although you’ll see a few similar versions of it around Malaysia and Singapore. The dessert starts with a base of sweetened coconut milk and ice to which you can add kidney beans, mung beans, tapioca, jelly, aloe and fruits such as durian and lychee. We like how Bánh Mì & Chè Cali allows you to customize what you want in your chè, because sometimes you just don’t feel like finishing off a meal with legumes.
$2.50. Bánh Mì & Chè Cali, 318 Spadina Ave., 416-599-8948

Sweet Snow’s Hawaiian-style shave ice

There’s no texture quite like authentic shave ice — it’s like compacted snow, but not just any snow. You know those loonie-sized flakes? The ones that make for awesome snowman-making? Well, imagine that snow packed down and vivified with tropical fruit. The Sweet Snow Shave Ice food truck offers a wide array of natural fruit flavoured syrups like papaya, passion fruit or guava. Opt for the traditional Hawaiian version and add adzuki beans, vanilla ice cream and condensed milk.
$3.50-$4.50. Sweet Snow Shave Ice, @ShaveIceTO

Back when I was a haggis virgin — so, last week — I thought the experience of eating this Scottish bro-food would be more, I don’t know, empowering. Haggis is offal stuffed inside offal; a textbook gross thing. I expected a frumpy dish, one that would be in some way offensive. I expected trepidation followed by a sense of victory. I got none of these things.

What I got was something that bordered on pretty, garnished with too-artisanal microgreens and parsnip chips. It was a symmetrical thing, a layered tower, with a patty of I’m going to say meat loaf set atop a bed of mashed root veg. There was a dainty rivulet of gravy. Conquering this would not earn anyone any kind of metaphysical badge of honour.

I blame the Internet for tainting my expectations.

This significant life moment — my first soiree with haggis, that is — took place at The Caledonian, a Scottish pub near College and Ossington. It is a pleasant place, with an admirable selection of Scottish beers. Haggis makes multiple appearances on the menu: it’s available as a main, as a side or as an appetizer in the form of fritters.

I ate The Caledonian’s haggis twice, and I’m still not sure exactly what is in it, because staff members seemed intent on not putting me in touch with the chef (one employee didn’t know the chef’s contact information “by heart,” while another said that the chef did not have an email address. Was anyone around who knew what went into the haggis? “No”).

Traditionally, haggis is made from rando sheep parts such as heart, liver and lungs, which is probably why it has a bad rap. The organs are minced up with oats, spices and suet (fat, essentially) and then stuffed into a sheep’s stomach. It’s pretty much a sausage, but more extreme. It’s Scotland’s national dish, and Scottish people are proud of it in a weird stoic way, kind of like Canadians are with poutine.

This particular haggis, for the most part, is forgettable pub food. It’s no more adventurous than ordering a hamburger. Certainly not gross in any way, but not great either. The menu describes it as “lamb, oats and spices.” Mostly, it just tastes like shepherd’s pie with oatmeal in it (too much oatmeal, in my opinion). It’s served without a casing, and if it contains much in the way of offal, it’s not immediately apparent. It also costs $16, which seems like a lot to charge for sheep scraps.

Conclusion: I remain hopeful that gross haggis exists in Toronto. It’s just not at The Caledonian.

Jon Sufrin is the editor of PostCity.com. For his column, Eating Gross Things, he eats things that are widely considered to be gross and writes about it. He has no scientific method to determine what “gross” means. The article is just meant to be fun, so relax. For more of his thoughts on stuff, gross and not, follow him on Twitter. If you would like to suggest a gross food item for him to try, email him at [email protected].