After You’s thick toasts need no introduction, but when friends ask me what else is there to order if they wanted variety, their kakigori will definitely be my recommendation. So far, all my friends have been suitably satisfied. In fact, the kakigori did so well over the past year that the owner decided to give it a life of its own.

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This new lease of life is situated at The Commons on Thong Lor Soi 17. Maygori serves only  kakigori, with a wide array of flavours ranging from Ume Japanese Plum to Mont Blanc and everything in between.

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The shop itself is pretty small. If you like more space, I will recommend sitting at the tables in the Alfresco dining area outside.

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I could have simply eaten a kakigori, described its taste and left  it as that, but no. I deliberately ordered the exact same flavour I had at After You and made this piece and Ultimate Maygori vs After You Strawberry Kakigori Challenge.

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First, what is a Kakigori?

From my understanding, it is a Japanese shaved ice dessert where the ice is shaved to a soft and fluffy consistency before various delectable toppings are added. They usually also come with a surprise right inside the ice mountain, which will keep the entire eating experience interesting. They are quite big as well, so even though they might not be cheap, a single dessert will usually sufficiently-satisfy several customers.

afteryouvsmaygori01      Photo Credit: Carrie Sim  (left)  & Stranger In Bangkok  (right)

Challenge 1: Ice

As you can see, the offerings at After You and Maygori are almost exactly identical. The shaved ice is drenched with a white concoction then lathered with strawberry sauce before the final finish with mint leaves. There is also an additional serving of strawberry sauce for us to top up as we chomp through the mountain.

Upon tasting, there is a slight difference. The After You kakigori is drenched with milk, giving it a creamy finish, while the Maygori version is drenched with a more refreshingly-light yogurt.

Half-time score After You 1:0 Maygori

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Photo Credit:  Carrie Sim  (left)  &  Stranger In Bangkok  (right)

Challenge 2: The ‘Surprise’

After You’s surprise is a chunk of strawberry cheesecake. It sounds weird eat cheesecake that has a mountain of milky ice melting into it, but it works unexpectedly well. Maygori’s version comes with a Panna Cotta surprise, which makes it feel like eating a light milk pudding soaked in yogurt. Personally, After You’s richer ‘surprise’ left a much deeper impression.

Full-time score After You 2:0 Maygori

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Photo Credit:  Carrie Sim

The Stranger in Bangkok’s verdict is clear, but please do not forget that this is solely referring to  1 particular flavour.

Ultimately, the choice is yours.

The only thing I am sure of, is that whether you choose After You or Maygori, the same lady boss will be smiling her way home.

[Bangkok] Maygori