By Tana Kosiyabong
I can’t afford buying Starbucks Frappuccino or Vivanno Smoothies every time I want some cool treats. And I’m sure many of my readers don’t want to pay that much money either. So I looked around downtown Vancouver and picked out 5 cool treats that will chill your sweat glands to the core. All are under $2 each.
1. BINGGRAE MELONA MELON FLAVOURED CREAMSICLE ($0.99 each at H-Mart (Robson and Seymour streets) or $6.19 for an 8-pack at T&T Supermarket). This heavenly awesome creamsicle was made in South Korea. Binggrae Melona comes in a variety of flavours including banana, melon, mango and strawberry. My favourite is the melon. The subtle sweetness and mild melon flavour make this milky iced bar a perfect treat on a stick. You will enjoy the refreshing sensations from the very first lick. The mango and strawberry are pretty good too. But I’m not a big fan of the banana one.
2. SUNRISE ALMOND FLAVOURED TOFU DESSERT ($1.34 at T&T Supermarket). This healthy treat is yummy and cheap. And for this low price, you get two servings of this mouth-watering soy goodnesss. Sunrise Tofu Dessert also comes in a variety of flavours including original, banana, coconut and ginger. The new custard flavor (limited edition) tasted very similar to the custard, but a lot healthier. My favorite, however, is the almond flavor. It’s smooth and refreshing and taste best when chilled. I sometimes eat it with canned fruit salad and crushed ice. Tony the tiger would’ve said “They’re grrrrreat!” if he had ever gotten his red tongue on this dessert.
3. WENDY’S FROSTY FROZEN DAIRY DESSERT ($1.69 for small size – (437 ml)). Many of you are already familiar with the famous Frosty. It comes in Vanilla and Chocolate flavours. But I normally go for a chocolate. Not sure why. The name frozen dairy dessert implies that this yummy treat isn’t made of real cream (or cream is not one of the main ingredients). Hence it cannot be named ice cream. However, most of the ice cream-like products you found in the grocery store freezers are actually frozen dairy dessert. If you ever look at the ingredients, you’ll rarely find dairy cream listed as one of the main ingredients.
Regardless of what Frosty is, it’s quite delicious and refreshing. Although the medium size is still a penny shy of $2, the small size is 30 cents cheaper and plenty enough for me.
4. TIM HORTONS ICED CAPPUCCINO ($1.89 for small size (375 ml)). This treat is widely known as “Iced Capp” to many of Tim Hortons loyal fans. The Slurpee-like product is sold like hotcakes this summer. I once heard a customers complaint that she had run around downtown Vancouver for her afternoon fix of Ice Capp because they were sold out in the previous two Tim Hortons she visited. I personally think the Iced Capp is quite refreshing, though it doesn’t taste like coffee to me for some unknown reasons.
5. T&T SUPERMARKET COCONUT TAPIOCA DESSERT ($1.99–320 g). I love this dessert. It’s mildly sweet and creamy. The milk and coconut milk combination is simple yet very scrumptious and refreshing. Tapioca pearls added fun texture to the dessert. You can probably fake your own homemade version of this dessert with a can of coconut milk, whole milk or condense milk, sugar, a small pinch of salt and tapioca pearl. This dessert also comes in Mango flavor, but I personally like the coconut one more.
NOTE: Don’t mistaken this dessert with a similar tapioca pudding dessert from T&T. The coconut tapioca dessert is in liquid form while the pudding is more jello-like.
I hope you guys enjoy these delicious cool treats this summer. Cheap Appétit 🙂
Binggrae Melona Melon Flavoured Creamsicle: ©©©©1/2
Sunrise Almond Flavoured Tofu Dessert: ©©©3/4
Wendy’s Chocolate Frosty Frozen Dessert: ©©©1/2
Tim Hortons Iced Capp: ©©©1/4
T&T Coconut Tapioca Dessert: ©©©1/2
H-Mart is located at 200-590 Robson Street, Vancouver, B.C. (T) 604.609.4567
For more H-mart location in the Greater Vancouver, click here
T&T Supermarket downtown is located at 179 Keefer Place, Vancouver, BC (T) 604.898.8836
BUDGET BREAKDOWN:
Remaining Budget: $142.34
Budget Spent: -$7.9 (0.99+1.34+1.69+1.89+1.99)
Budget Available: $134.44
©2010 Tana Kosiyabong and CheapAppetite.com™. All rights reserved.
Cheap Appetite 
hahahaha….i hv to say it’s very funny yet super practical post of yours. and i will pick tim horton’s ANYTHING!
Too bad summer is ending……
lol. Thanks lululu. Yeah, even though it’s really hot. I still like it more than rainy cold days. Enjoy your summer 🙂
Nice treats! I haven’t tried these before – I have to drive through a couple states to find a H-Mart, but maybe it’ll be worth it.
Well… belinda, the creamsicle was good, but not worth driving through a couple states for though 🙂 hehe. You can try making the coconut tapioca one at home instead.
Yummy and refreshing treats!
Thanks 5 star foodie 🙂
Wendy’s Frosty brings me back to my childhood growing up in Singapore. My sister brought me there when they open the first franchise and I loved it! Since then everytime I have a frosty, it brings me back to simpler times, happier days. Great treats for recent hot weather which is killing me as I have climatized to Canadian weather for decades. In fact, I am gonna stop in for a Frosty after dinner tonight! 🙂
The first time I tried frosty was with my brother. Almost 20 years ago. I guessed it reminded me about that time a bit too. I didn’t realize you grew up in Singapore imkoonta. Good to know! I hope you enjoy your frosty. Today is not too hot. But still good frosty time. lol.
I REALLY want to try the almond tofu dessert. I’m going to look for it next time I’m in China Town.
The easiest way to lower the cost of a dessert? Split! And the company to share it with is always welcome, am I right?
You’re almost to the end of the year, Tana! What are you going to eat on the 1st of next year?
I don’t know if they have that in TX Tiffany. It is a Canadian Brand. But who knows. It’s a refreshing, healthy and cheap snack. That’s right you can split it with your love ones. 🙂 I’m not sure what I’m gonna eat on the 1st of next year. I don’t even know what I’m gonna eat for the next post yet. lol 🙂 And I need to do it by tomorrow night. Yikes!
My goodness, everything sounds so cheap and lucious especially the ice-tube! And the sago coconut milk dessert sounded as good though. Hope you’re enjoying your day.
Cheers, kristy
Yeah they are all good and pretty cheap 🙂 Just like me hehe. I think summer is ending now. 😦 too bad.
mmm! All of this is so delicious! So sad to see summer go. I just had a banana flavoured popsicle the other day. =)
Hey thanks youngandthrifty,
yeah summer is pretty much over now. This past week was ok though. I don’t like the banana flavoured one much;P But the melon and strawberry are good. mango is ok.