Welcome Summer: A Refreshing Guide to Chinese and Western Ice Creams

Text & Photos bymiss KitB

{Traditional Handmade Ice Cream Special 2015}

It’s just too hot not to have ice cream — I can’t function without it. While in Taiwan this time, I tried two traditional handmade ice cream shops. The first was Yongfu Ice Cream in Ximending. I had seen it in Kaohsiung but didn’t get a chance to try it then. When I spotted it again in Ximending, I knew I had to give it a go. Their ice cream is super affordable — NT$35 gets you three scoops with a choice of three flavors. Longan / Peanut / Red Bean / Taro / Egg / Plum / Passion Fruit / Strawberry — all with actual bits of fruit. The longan flavor even has real longan flesh. I was so happy eating it!

The other flavors looked great too. Be sure to check it out if you’re passing through Ximending!

INFO
Yongfu Ice Cream
Address: No. 68, Section 2, Guiyang Street, Taipei City (at Kunming Street)
Phone: +886-02-2314-0306
Business Hours: 10:00 – 23:00

On my bike ride to Minsheng Community for lunch, I returned, parked the bike, and took a short walk to Songshan Eslite. Along the way, I spotted an ice cream sign and walked right in. The grandfather here makes handmade ice cream using local Taiwanese fruits: honey / mango / passion fruit / banana — NT$80 for two scoops. It wasn’t overly sweet and had authentic fruity flavors. The honey used is from longan, the mango is Irwin mango, giving a very Taiwanese taste that’s both rich and smooth.

While eating, I chatted with the owner. Turns out he used to be an engineer and even designed the ice cream machines himself. He’s been making ice cream for nearly ten years. All the ingredients are sourced from various parts of Taiwan, and he has great skill in balancing sweetness and fruit flavor. There are also other desserts and sweet soups available in the shop. After visiting Songshan, just exit from the back door, cross the street, and you’ll find this ice cream shop where you can enjoy other affordable snacks too~

INFO
Right Lai Te Fresh Fruit Handmade Ice Cream
Address: No. 54, Lane 36, Section 4, Bade Road, Songshan District, Taipei City
Phone: +886-02-2762-2008

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

{Soft Serve Ice Cream Special 2014}

Going to Taiwan in summer? Eating soft serve is the way to go.

I really don’t understand why convenience stores in Hong Kong don’t sell soft serve. To enjoy an affordable little happiness, you either have to go to McDonald’s or IKEA, where the only flavor seems to be vanilla forever, or spend more than a full meal on Godiva or some matcha dessert.

In Taiwan, though, major convenience stores offer limited-time special soft serve flavors made with ingredients like Hokkaido milk. For just a few dozen New Taiwan dollars, you can satisfy your body and soul on a scorching day when you don’t even feel like eating. Beyond convenience stores, bakeries also offer soft serve, as do Japanese specialty corners in malls (think Okinawa brown sugar, sea salt, matcha, etc.).

Even better are the specialty ice cream shops, which offer all kinds of quirky soft serve flavors. And these shops take their ice cream seriously — from ingredients and flavors to presentation, they make eating it a joyful experience. This time, aside from convenience store ice creams, I also tried the popular Korean brand Honey Creme, Japan’s Natsu Yuki with a first snow texture, and revisited the beloved Taiwanese representative — 8% matcha soft serve. Here's the special feature all in one go.

++++++++

Gakuden Bakery / Mango Soft Serve NT$40
I was amazed to find soft serve at a bakery and couldn’t resist trying the mango flavor, which happens to be my favorite. The store claims to use imported French mango purée. The taste is indeed different from Taiwanese Irwin mangoes, and it’s rich and creamy, almost like eating mango pulp, but with a silky texture.

++++++++

7-Eleven Convenience Store / Hokkaido Soft Serve Chocolate Flavor NT$40
Made with directly imported Hokkaido milk. Let’s just say the milk flavor is insanely rich. Aside from chocolate, there’s also original milk flavor and the recently launched Yubari Melon flavor. You can even mix two flavors. Follow the link to the convenience store website and they’ll even show you the calorie and nutrition info for the soft serve and cone — Taiwan’s 7-Eleven really cares about your life details.

Chocolate Freak I was so excited to try this chocolate soft serve before even landing in Taiwan, and I had it for lunch right after arrival. It didn’t disappoint — the chocolate aroma melting in your mouth gives you a definite feeling of happiness. Lunch could just be this.

++++++++

Honey creme / honey comb NT$150
Address: Room D, 1F, No. 8, Lane 169, Section 1, Dunhua South Road, Da’an District, Taipei City
Phone: +886-02-2740-7070
Business Hours: 11:30 – 21:30 (Weekdays), 11:30 – 22:30 (Weekends & Eve of Holidays)

The latest craze in Taiwan — Korean honeycomb soft serve — is basically soft serve topped with a small piece of honeycomb, giving off a beautifying vibe. I joined the hype and got lucky enough to go during an off-peak time, so I could walk right in. Honeycomb options come in cone or cup. The cup is safer, but I think soft serve should be eaten from a cone to really enjoy it. Also, when I saw them pulling out a bunch of colorful cones, I thought they were colored just for fun!

The cones here come with a thoughtful piece of cardboard to keep your hands clean if the ice cream melts too quickly (but I was too busy taking photos and still ended up with sticky hands XD). The combo of honeycomb and soft serve is surprisingly delicious. There’s soft serve, soft serve with bees, and soft serve with chewy honeycomb bits — the layers are rich, it’s fun to eat, and the taste is amazing.

Besides honey comb, cup soft serve can also be topped with organic marshmallows, organic popcorn, and other fun kid-friendly treats.

++++++++

Japanese White One Shiroichi 10-second raw ice cream / raw ice NT$135
Address: No. 8, Lane 169, Section 1, Dunhua South Road, Da’an District, Taipei City
Phone: +886-02-2775-3966
Business Hours: 12:00 ~ 22:00 (Monday to Thursday), 11:30 ~ 22:30 (Friday to Sunday)

This shop is actually right next to honey creme, and it’s not as crowded, but the ice cream is piled super high and looks pretty impressive. It was so hot that day, so I figured I should go in and try some. It’s a Japanese brand, and I had no idea what “10-second raw ice cream” even meant—I thought it was just regular soft serve at first.

Then the staff scooped the milk soft serve and actually put the whole thing in the freezer for a bit. While waiting, I watched an introductory video playing in the store and learned that this ice cream is all about capturing the feeling of the first snow—it freezes the soft serve into a frost-like texture, so when you eat it, it’s not super smooth but has a slightly icy feel. In addition to cones, you can also add milk or coffee, which makes the whole thing pretty unique. But I still prefer my soft serve nice and smooth—heehee.

++++++++

8%ice Ice Cream Specialty Shop / Genmai Matcha NT$100
Address: No. 6, Lane 13, Yongkang Street, Da’an District, Taipei City (Yongkang Main Store)
Phone: +886-02-2395-6583
Business Hours: 12:00 ~ 22:00

A local Taiwanese ice cream brand, their focus is actually Italian gelato, but they also offer sorbet and soft serve. I really appreciate brands that use local ingredients in their ice cream—it’s way cooler when you can’t get it anywhere else. The flavors of their soft serve rotate often, and the matcha is made from Kyoto’s Ippodo tea, which has an incredibly rich and fragrant flavor.

++++++++

FamilyMart Convenience Store / Mango Sorbet NT$35

Earlier on, mango sorbet was also all the rage in Taiwan. This one uses Irwin mango juice and Indian mango puree, but to me it tasted a bit like mango flavoring. Even though getting five rings is super fun, when it comes to mango I prefer the French puree from the place above.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

{Ice Cream Special Collection 2013}

Vanilla Ice Cream + French Blood Orange Jam (NT$120)
With the weather being so hot, doesn’t everyone just feel like eating ice cream instead of a full meal?
Come on, let’s go try some delicious ice creams around Taipei together.

I had originally just planned to stop by Pekoe Grocery to buy some peanut butter, but after walking there and arriving all sweaty, I figured I’d sit down for a cold drink or something. When I saw ice cream on the menu, I couldn’t resist ordering some. The vanilla ice cream, made by Chef Ah Zheng from Ah Zheng Kitchen, is topped with French blood orange jam. The slightly frosted ice cream still shows tiny bits of vanilla seeds—it melts in your mouth with a fresh, pure taste. The jam isn’t bitter from the orange peel, just lightly sweet and fragrant. Together, they make for something you just don’t want to finish.

PEKOE Grocery
Address: No. 7, Lane 295, Section 1, Dunhua South Road, Da’an District, Taipei City
Phone: +886-02-2700-2602
Business Hours: 11:00 ~ 20:00 (Monday to Sunday)
Website:www.PEKOE.com.tw
→ Facebook Fan Page

* Chocolate Rose Rasgulla Ice (NT$90)
I discovered that Hao Qiu’s Xinyi branch had opened a new store in Yuanshan, right inside the Flower Expo Park, just a short walk from Yuanshan MRT Station. I’d seen online that the atmosphere looked nice and that they served ice cream, so before heading home I stopped by and even picked up a bunch of bagels to bring back to Hong Kong. The name Rasgulla Ice sounds a bit odd—it’s actually a new take on ice cream sundaes, featuring vanilla soft serve, toasted bagel crisps, and various fruit jams and toppings. All five options are pretty enticing, and the playful naming—inviting you to choose between passion, energy, tenderness, satisfaction, or happiness—just makes picking even harder.

In the end, chocolate is always my favorite, so I went with Happiness. I’m not particularly into rose petal jam, but paired with the ice cream and chocolate, it actually tastes pretty good. Enjoying ice cream on a bench in the Flower Expo Park on a hot summer day, the heat melts the soft serve quickly, making it sticky and sweet—such a great flavor.

INFO
Hao Qiu – Yuanshan Branch
Address: No. 1, Yumen Street, Zhongshan District, Taipei City (Exit 1 of Yuanshan MRT Station)
Phone: +886-02-2585-6661
Business hours: 08:00 ~ 20:00 (Closed on Mondays)
Website:tw.streetvoice.com/writing/goodchos/article/1485338/
→ Facebook fan page

Biluochun (Green Tea) Flavor (NT$90)
Midori is an ice cream brand I've always supported. They make ice cream using fruits and tea leaves produced in Taiwan — natural and delicious, even favorite of Harlem Yu. I like their tea-flavored ice creams, which are quite unique and genuinely carry the tea aroma. I used to always go for their Assam black tea; when mixed with milk, it creates a subtle milk tea flavor. This time I tried the Biluochun one — I only remembered "oh right, Biluochun is green tea" when I saw the green color.

INFO
Midori
Address: No. 54, Songqin Street, Taipei City (inside HowChill)
Business hours: 11:00 ~ 17:00 (Tuesday to Friday), 10:00 ~ 18:00 (Saturday and Sunday)
→ Facebook fan page

* Earl Grey Chocolate Italian Ice Cream (NT$100)
A relatively new ice cream shop on Yongkang Street. I dropped by for a taste. It was packed with people — probably impossible to find a seat on weekends. So I ended up taking my ice cream to Yongkang Park to sit under the shade, which wasn’t bad at all. 8%ice follows a natural, no-additives approach, offering unique flavors for both Italian gelato and sorbets. As someone who would naturally go for chocolate if it’s available, I picked the Earl Grey Chocolate. The bergamot aroma was so strong it somewhat overpowered the chocolate. Next time I’d like to try the tea-flavored ones.

INFO
8%ice Ice Cream Specialty Shop
Address: No. 6, Lane 13, Yongkang Street, Da’an District, Taipei City
Phone: +886-02-2395 6583
Business hours: 12:00 ~ 22:00
Website: 8-ice.blogspot.hk
→ Facebook fan page

miss kitB
Core member of the Not-So-Serious Association, or also known as a “multifunctional cross-media freelance creator.” Believes boredom is the mother of creativity, and happiness is life’s greatest asset. Eats breakfast every day, travels the Earth daily.
Blog:http://kitx.mysinablog.com/index.php