A rural-style ice cream specialty store in the heart of Taichung’s downtown area offers a flavor called: Childhood Taste

Text and photos byGui Xiaosun

Exiting the rear exit of Taichung Railway Station and turning right for a short stretch—about 100 meters—you’ll find it right next to Ba Fang Yun Ji. This week, while visiting 【New Era Plaza (De An)】, I discovered this adorable and cozy little spot called 【Ai Zhi Chu, IceTrue】. The entire store has a Zakka countryside vibe that I personally love, and even amidst the hustle and bustle of traffic and the atmosphere of cram schools, it’s hard not to notice this place. From afar, you can feel the healing charm of this quaint little shop.

We came to 【New Era】 this holiday to watch 【Waiting for Love Café】, and nearby we spotted this little shop. In the end, we had a blast taking photos, and also ordered two smoothies and a cup of papaya milk to go, along with that 【Fire-and-Ice Pineapple】 which was also delicious. I really love these little shops with their own unique style, selling such fresh treats—from the bread and fruits displayed at the entrance, I was truly impressed. ^~^

The Zakka countryside style of the store isn’t just in the wooden interior, but the seating area outside is also super eye-catching. But honestly, considering my weight, I didn’t dare try sitting down—what if I ruined those cute little tables and chairs they worked so hard to find? XD Also, the light blue color scheme is very gentle, giving off an especially refreshing and comfortable vibe. I deeply think bringing the little furballs from home here would make for some amazing photo ops.

The shop’s decor shows a lot of Zakka countryside flair even in the small details, and they’ve even hung up actual photos of fruit-producing regions. Each photo lets you see the hard work and authenticity of the fruit farmers. I really love that aspect. And when you come to the store, you can sample any smoothie or ice cream before ordering, which is super thoughtful. But here’s the catch: since the fruits vary by season and there are daily limited flavors, the available options are based on what’s written on the blackboard that day. The menu lists all possible flavors, but not all are necessarily available every day. It all depends on what the owner brings back from the market and producers that day—that’s how fresh it is, XD.

We sat nearby waiting because we ordered two smoothies (mango and taro), a cup of papaya milk, plus I got a chocolate ice cream and a sesame-flavored 【Fire-and-Ice Pineapple】. With a steady stream of people coming in, we had to wait a bit. There was also a small wooden wishing tree nearby, which was super cute—covered with various little messages, each one bringing a smile.

Nearby were freshly purchased fruits, beautiful mangoes, pineapples, lemons, and taro, truly nature’s colorful palette. It felt amazing. I also saw the staff restocking pineapples in the display cabinet—it felt like stepping into a fresh kitchen at home, where anything you crave, someone is there to prepare for you.

Many parents with kids stop by, and seeing the kids’ excited faces makes me feel reassured about these fresh fruit juices and slushies. And this little shop doesn’t just cater to kids’ tastes—it also offers flavors loved by adults, like peanut, sesame, and taro. Such a small shop with big dreams. It’s just a drink and ice cream store, yet it’s full of ideas and style. That’s the best kind of place.

My favorite is the chocolate flavor—two scoops of chocolate nestled in this white paper cup, with just an IceTrue sticker on top, making it look so simple and pretty. The ice cream is incredibly smooth, the chocolate flavor rich and fragrant. It tastes amazing. I think chocolate would pair really well with the 【Fire-and-Ice Pineapple】 too, XD.

The shop also has a bunch of toys, including this little game. If you get three matching symbols in a row, you can choose any product you want—be it ice cream, juice, or a smoothie.

I was just one cherry away from winning, XD. Can I have another cherry? (Is that a cherry symbol?)

Here come the two smoothies—one is my friend’s favorite: 【Dajia Taro】; the other is mine: 【Ai Wen Mango】. The Dajia taro is actually more on the white side. I say that because I don’t usually eat taro and always thought it was purple, XD.

The Ai Wen mango is fantastic, with actual mango bits on top. After getting it, you stir them up and they melt into the mango smoothie, so you get both the mango pulp and the icy slush texture. The highlight is that the smoothie is really special—it’s finer than regular slush, and you don’t get that separation between ice and juice like you do with typical slushies. This smoothie feels more like the fruit juice is completely blended into a delicate slush, and the texture is really nice. ^~^

I deliberately scooped up some mango, and the smoothie and mango floating on top made my mouth water. Then I looked at the photo of the mango farmer, and it really made me appreciate the people who work so hard to grow such great fruit for us. :)

The ever-changing daily flavors also bring a new surprise every day. There are staples like 【Thai Milk Tea】 (I tried it on-site and highly recommend it if you love Thai milk tea, XD); 【Summer Mango】 (which I believe is only available in summer); and 【Matcha Latte】.

There are also different options on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays—ranging from mung bean, lemon, pineapple, sesame soy milk, vanilla, Taitung roselle, passion fruit, and even one called: Childhood Taste. I definitely need to come back and try these. XD

The 【Sesame Flavor Fire-and-Ice Pineapple】 I ordered felt super unique in hand. Your eyes see a cool, sesame-flavored ice cream, but your hands feel the warmth of the pineapple. Truly a 【Fire-and-Ice Experience】, XD.

The size isn’t as big as a regular pineapple—about two-thirds the size—and inside there are two generous scoops of rich sesame ice cream. One bite and it’s super fragrant. The sesame flavor in the ice cream is deep and authentic, paired with the crispy pineapple crust—it’s delicious. Replacing the usual butter with ice cream gives it a different twist, plus a playful vibe. It’s really creative.

Also, I’m totally in love with this cup of papaya milk. It’s not too sweet, the fresh milk has a rich fragrance, and the papaya blends beautifully with the milk. Looking at the frothy, freshly blended texture around the rim of the cup, along the straw’s edge, it has such an appealing, hearty feel. My longtime friend also loves drinking this, and I definitely need to bring her here to try it.

The color of this cup of papaya milk is something I keep loving the more I look at it. Paired with the shop’s little tables and chairs, it feels like a perfect match. And the transparent cup fully showcases all the colors of the drink inside. It’s a soothing color palette, a relaxing vibe, and I love that holiday feeling of stumbling upon a little shop like this. It’s like turning that little spark of excitement into a tiny story, mapping out every corner of Taichung in my heart like my own personal map of the city.

【Ice True 爱之初 Classic Ice Treats】：
No. 97, Section 4, Fuxing Road, East District, Taichung City (Exit the rear of Taichung Railway Station and turn right for about 100 meters)
0974 020 502

Article author:［Enjoying life without boredom. Gui Xiaosun］