beat the heat.

gaaaah. it's 86˚F here on island, but the 68% humidity is making it feel like 93˚F. i am leth. ar. gic. with a capital arrrrrrrrrrg, so i'm probably going to head out to one of my two favourite refuges from this icky weather.

my mom 'n' pops choice would be mt. lam lam sno n ice cream shop. it's along a main highway, but it is a village stand (albeit indoors) with just a few benches to sit upon, manned by teenagers whose tips go towards their college fund. love that. this is very much a family and village affair, where the kids in the neighbourhood go to pick up a shave ice to eat on the way home, or a softball team will celebrate with sundaes eaten outside on the stoop or sitting in the back of pickup truck in the parking lot.

the menu is small; besides the shave ice/snow cone offerings, you can get your choice of (foremost brand?) ice cream in cone, cup or aga sundae (their version of a banana split), a couple of drink options, and a decent, slightly-above-basic halo-halo, the filipino confection of shaved ice, preserved fruits, and milk.

my other favourite is the shave ice surprise, which you can get in any flavour of the rainbow (except li hing mui, the preserved plum flavouring from hawaii. it's just not a guam thing, drats.). what makes it a surprise? well, if i told you then it wouldn't be a surprise then, would it?

ironically, mt. lam lam is nowhere near the actual mount lamlam, the tallest mountain on island, and purported to be one of the tallest mountains in the world, as its base is somewhere deep in the marianas trench. no, this mt. lamlam is easier to get to in barrigada, and a much less daunting place.

mt. lamlam sno n ice cream
route 8, near the other house of liberty
barrigada
671.734.4765.

**

a little closer to home is dolce frutti, a six-month old gelateria in the turista zone of tumon. the housemade gelati and sorbets are made on the premise using as fresh as possible ingredients, without emusifiers or preservatives. although the prices are high, the portions are large, the ingredients are good. and while it's not the best gelato i've had, it's nowhere near the worst. my only gripe is that don't particularly care for dolce frutti's version of my favourites--pistachio, vanilla, and fig--but it does pretty good versions of everything else, in particular, anything with a chocolate involved. i recommend stracciatella, its version of mint chocolate chip, or mecroche, which is hazelnut, milk chocolate and crispy bits, like this particular product.

the gelati and sorbets flavours change frequently, but the most popular flavours are almost always available. dolce frutti also does the full complement of coffee drinks, and boasts a decent amount of indoor and outdoor seating. be prepared for a wait, however; it's a perfect spot for people watching, and within walking distance of at least 30 restaurants. also, sometimes it just takes a girl a little while to pick exactly what she wants. :)

dolce frutti

the plaza, on the end closest to sandcastle,
tumon.
671.649.9886.