Roji Monster Ice Cream — Restaurant in Markham

Again... Giving zero stars isn't possible and I believe it's a marketing scam to attract young consumers to try out a new dessert cafe that makes their food into cute anime looking food that looks at you, but I've heard that the taste is far from the appearance. There's actually less choices to pick from than I expected. The owner/waiter really needs to work on her customer service skills. She kept rushing me to make a purchase when I was a first-timer here to see what to order and feel the vibe of the restaurant. It is clear to me from the multiple occasions she rushed me to order and persistently asking if it's for dine-in or take-out that people like me aren't welcome here. She served people of her own background with more patience than she did with me. Also, when I picked my first order she said it isn't available for take out. The first 4 drinks weren't available for take out and only the remaining items were. That's ridiculous! There were no indicators that said it's not available for take out and she didn't explain further why that is the case. I got a matcha latte to go and she said it'll take 5-10 mins wait. "Come back later in 5-10 mins" she said. There is nowhere else to go because it's in the middle of nowhere. It's not designed to be in a mall or near a festive area where it's connected to an underground parking lot or something. It's cold, woman! I legit came back not even 2 mins of walking back and forth the store vendors being bored and freezing. It's also far from T&T, so I didn't wanna go there and walk back. The place was backed up in a corner as well and isn't easily spotted from the outside parking lot either. It's a coffee that doesn't need any special attention. What are you making that takes 5-10 mins of your time? Mind you, it's also very expensive. Not even a little bit on the expensive side but quite A LOT on the expensive side. I don't see the hype of how it garnered so much attention that people were lined up outside congesting the flow of traffic for...

Super, super cute presentation of desserts! When I last visited Taiwan, I read in a travel guide that recommended Roji Monster ice cream. Once I saw the pictures, I knew I had to pay this place a visit! Unfortunately, I didn’t end up having enough time to do so during the trip.

Luckily enough, I saw that they were opening one in Toronto last year during the pandemic! I immediately went after they opened. The presentation definitely did not disappoint. The flavours however, in my opinion, could be stronger in terms of the two that I tried (I tried the matcha and black sesame ice cream upon my first visit).

I went again earlier this week and ordered the matcha again, as well as their French cocoa ice cream this time.

However, the server gave us an incorrect order for our French cocoa. Each order of ice cream came with 2 free toppings. I noticed that both toppings that came with it did not match what we ordered, so I informed the server. She came to take the ice cream away, went back to the counter and started walking slowly towards the kitchen, and took out some additional small plates. She spent a couple of minutes walking around the counter area and at the end switched the 2 plates of toppings that were part of the original French cocoa ice cream that was served to us. She brought us back the same plate of ice cream, with the correct toppings this time, however a part of the ice cream was already melted.

Other than that, overall the ice cream looked/tasted about the same as how I remembered it to be.

Would recommend if you like...

Roji Monster is a well-known Taiwan shaved ice brand that serves their product in the shape of monsters (duh!). I first ate this in Taipei and always thought it was a very attractive spin on a summer dessert classic. When I heard about their shop opening in my neighborhood, I thought I’d give it a try for nostalgia.

We ordered the uji matcha shaved ice ($11.99) with cheesecake and phoenix cake (pineapple) and the monster waffle ($9.99). The shaved ice was great with a strong matcha tea taste. Compared to Korean shaved ice that adds toppings & syrups on top of shaved ice/milk, Roji’s whole dessert was shaved uji match ice. The two toppings were a bit lack luster, the cheesecake was fine, but phoenix cake doesn’t live up to the Taiwanese style I felt.

We were surprised about the monster waffle which we felt exceeded our expectation. The waffle was crunchy on the outside and fluffy and cakey on the inside. Along with the 3 different flavored toppings really added another depth to the dish. Since we had the matcha shaved ice it overpowered the matcha cream that came with the waffle but I’m glad that was the case. It means we didn’t get ripped off the uji ice. Overall, I’d go back for the monster waffle because of the flavor and the dessert toast ($5.99) for the price. As for the monster shaved ice it’ll be down to preference and cravings at the time. If I want a smaller and flavorful base dessert than I’d go to Roji. However, if I’m looking for a big shareable portion with full toppings, I’d choose some of the Korean shaved ice shops...