Tainan’s Hugely Popular Honey Black Tea Ice Cream — Every Bite Bursting with Rich Tea Flavor!

Text & Photos byPaperclip ‘Food Photography Joy’

Every time I visit Tainan, I always want to follow the trend and try a scoop of the famous Quanwei (Roll’s) Ice Cream. But either it’s not open for business, or there’s a huge line, and since waiting in line is the last thing I enjoy, I never get to satisfy that craving. Last year, by chance, Quanwei set up a temporary stand at Taipei’s Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Xinyi Branch, and that’s when I finally got to try it — the rich aroma of sesame lingered on my palate and in my memories.

The last time I was in Tainan, I truly felt that the local climate does indeed nurture the love for eating ice cream. While Taipei was already hit with chilly winds, in Tainan you could still stroll around in short sleeves. After finishing our meal of red grouper at a Tucheng seafood restaurant, we really shouldn’t have had any more cold desserts, but we still couldn’t resist driving to Quanwei for a sweet treat.

We visited the Anping branch. It’s a bit away from the Anping Fort and Old Street, with no densely packed buildings nearby, and Quanwei takes up an entire building — it reminded me of the extravagance of Taichung folks, who always go for spacious venues even for something as simple as a snack shop, making you feel like you’re visiting an art gallery even when you're just having a small bite.

Even on a weekend afternoon, there weren’t many people at Quanwei. We parked outside, walked in, and didn’t have to wait long before we could start ordering. That day they offered ten flavors. In addition to their award-winning honey black tea, you could mix and match other flavors. One flavor was 90 NTD, two for 150 NTD. Besides ice cream, they also serve simple light snacks such as bread and sparkling mineral water.

This is the signature honey black tea flavor. The tea-red colored ice cream is drizzled with honey and topped with puffed rice crackers. Despite the addition of sweet lychee honey, the ice cream’s rich tea aroma still shines through. The crispy puffed rice adds a nice texture contrast to the smooth ice cream.

I ordered pistachio and eggnog. Each flavor on its own is quite rich, so I somewhat regretted it in the end — it got too sweet by the last bites.

These are the lemon sorbet and blood orange sorbet flavors. Sorbets have a lower milk content than ice cream, making them very refreshing. Though one friend found the lemon flavor a bit too sour halfway through and even asked us to help finish it.

The shop also provides casual seating for guests to enjoy their ice cream. Some people even bring their own food here (seems not prohibited?). Either way, customers are expected to clean up after themselves and dispose of trash in the sorting bins by the entrance.

There are also outdoor seating spots.

Did this fulfill a wish? Kind of. But I’m still thinking — usually the original flavors of food aren’t all that intense, be it tea or fruit. So how does ice cream made from them end up with such rich and aromatic flavors? Must be some kind of magic, right? :)

NINAO Gelato Quanwei (Roll’s) Ice Cream — Anping Branch
https://www.facebook.com/ninaogelato/
No. 720, Anbei Road, Anping District, Tainan City
0981-015990
11:00-21:00 (Closed Tuesdays & Wednesdays)

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