Eye-catching ice treats at Kaohsiung night markets: Post-90s entrepreneurs serve up popular Thai-style shaved ice

Reporter Yang Xiaorou / Interview & Report

Kaohsiung now has Thai-style shaved ice too!\nThe "38°C Yage Shaved Ice Roll" at Fengshan Youth Night Market serves up the currently trendy Thai-style shaved ice. The preparation method is quite eye-catching, the desserts are vibrant and beautiful, and all items are made to order. Selling around a hundred bowls a day, they are especially popular among younger crowds.

▲ Grace flavor. (Photo / Provided by 38°C Yage Shaved Ice Roll, same below)

▲ Mango flavor.

▲ Passion fruit flavor.

38°C Yage Shaved Ice Roll opened last August. Owner Nian Yihao, a post-90s entrepreneur, started selling Thai-style shaved ice right after graduating from high school. Now, he runs two shops — one at Youth Night Market and another at Ruifeng Night Market. He said that his interest in food and beverage led him to create the business after watching viral online videos of Thai people making shaved ice. It took him five months to develop suitable ice cream ingredients from knowing nothing about raw materials, and through constant practice and experimentation, he finally succeeded in making shaved ice that works.

▲ There are 9 flavors of shaved ice, plus occasional limited-edition hidden flavors.

The shaved ice at 38°C Yage Shaved Ice Roll uses ice cream without emulsifiers, mainly made from milk and pasteurized egg yolk mixtures. The ice cream mixture is continuously stirred on a -38°C ice slab, then flattened and scraped forcefully into rolls using an ice shovel, topped with fruits and cookies to create adorable and eye-catching treats. There are currently nine ice cream products in total, with limited-edition hidden flavors introduced periodically.

▲ The shaved ice is made by flattening the ice cream and then scraping it forcefully into rolls with an ice shovel.

The owner says that dark chocolate and Swiss OREO are the most popular flavors. Dark chocolate is slightly bitter but smooth, while Swiss OREO has a rich milky taste combined with the texture of cookies — absolutely delicious. Many netizens say it looks amazing and isn't overly sweet.

▲ Dark chocolate is very popular.

The owner also highly recommends the limited-summer edition “Summer Duo,” which allows you to enjoy two flavors in one. Pitaya and mango are shaved separately, then combined to create a gradient-colored ice roll. The combo not only looks colorful but also offers layered flavors. Additionally, the owner mentioned that in winter, they’ll focus more on strawberry-based dual-flavor combinations.

▲ 38°C Yage Shaved Ice Roll’s Summer Duo.

38°C Yage Shaved Ice Roll currently has two locations — at Fengshan Youth Night Market and Ruifeng Night Market — and is actively expanding to Tainan, planning to open a shop in a Tainan commercial district next year. The owner said that making a single serving of shaved ice takes about 2–3 minutes and is made to order, so some wait time may be required. Also, since no emulsifiers or water are used in the process, it will melt if not consumed quickly.

▲ 38°C Yage Shaved Ice Roll's stall at Ruifeng Night Market.

38°C Yage Shaved Ice Roll
Youth Night Market Branch
Business Hours: Thurs–Sun, 6 PM – 12 AM
Stall Location: First stall on the right after entering the night market from the parking lot
Ruifeng Night Market Branch
Business Hours: Tues, Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun, 6 PM – 1 AM
Stall Location: 11th row near Yucheng Road