15 Dec 29th, 2022–Jan 4th, 2023 phoenixnewtimes.com phoenix new Times | cONTeNTs | feeDBacK | OPiNiON | NeWs | feaTuRe | NighT+Day | culTuRe | film | cafe | music | Strawberry Chai at Spce Coffee 1736 East McDowell Road 602-527-0213 spce.coffee Spce Coffee is the kind of spot you can take your way-too-cool influencer friend who is visiting from Venice Beach or Brooklyn. Spce has vibes for days: light blue, pink, and lavender ones with creative drinks to match, and the Strawberry Chai certainly rises to the occasion. Spce makes its chai in-house with black tea and spices, then blends it with oat milk and fresh straw- berries. The result is a sweet, milky, slightly caffeinated concoction reminiscent of the strawberry milk you drank from cartons in elementary school, but way better. Sip the creamy beverage from its accompanying heart-shaped straw and draw doodles in your notebook; Spce provides just the right atmosphere to let your imagination wander. Ube Malasadas at Hapa Food Co. 5235 East Southern Avenue, #107, Mesa 480-654-8581 hapafoodco.com Don’t mistake the ube malasadas at Hapa Food Co. for mere doughnuts. These are no pedestrian pastry, rather pleasingly puffy, pillowy treats popular in Hawaii where Leslie Zander, who co-owns Hapa with her husband Michael Zander, grew up. Sure, there’s the obvious difference, notably the pop of ultraviolet purple peeking out, a hint of the creamy custard inside made from the vivid starchy sweet tuber. Instead of ordinary powdered sugar, the exterior is smothered in granulated sugar, a texture upgrade that adds crunch and a reason to lick your fingers. So what’s in the dough? Your taste buds will tell you flour, yeast, eggs, and butter, but the Zanders are more tight-lipped: “This is a family recipe that took years and years to perfect,” says Leslie, who’ll only reveal that the ingredients create the golden-hued color and the process creates the soft, fluffy, inside. Not that any of it matters once you taste the fried-to-order treat, a sigh-inducing delight that’s love at first bite. Veggie Croquette and Vegetarian Ramen at Ramen Kagawa 111 West Monroe Street 602-675-0833 ramenkagawa.com First order the veggie croquettes at Ramen Kagawa. Out will come two perfectly golden-brown flat oval patties. An armor of panko breadcrumbs shields the light and creamy mashed potato insides that are deep-fried until shatteringly crunchy. The result? A delicious dichotomy that both tricks and delights your taste buds. Then get the vegetarian ramen, a steaming bowl brimming with cabbage, green onions, hefty cubes of creamy-yet-firm tofu, delicate chile threads, and what seems like a bottomless array of noodles. These top- notch fillings come swimming in an umami-rich dashi broth that’s simmered for hours and spiked with creamy sesame paste and spicy chile oil. The comforting crunch of the croquettes paired with the savory, slurp-worthy goodness of the ramen is a satisfyingly indulgent combo that just happens to be vegetarian. With this double order, we found the perfect pair. Above: Hapa’s Ube Malasadas. Below: The Ramen at Ramen Kagawa. Hapa Food Co. Allison Young
