Cooling Down with Some Fine Frozen Treats
TEXT I JAMES BARON
PHOTOS | VISION
From piles of shaved ice topped with glistening dollops of succulent fruit and old-style popsicles, to European-style, cream-based options, ice-based desserts come in all shapes and sizes in Taiwan. With temperatures still soaring, despite the official onset of autumn, a bowl of icy goodness works wonders for cooling you down. With the delicious locally sourced fruit in the mix, these dishes tantalize the taste buds!
Naniwa Maru
Overlooking the tiny Hobe Fishing Harbor in New Taipei City, this Japanese-style shaved-ice shop started life in Penghu (an archipelago in the Taiwan Strait) before branches were added in Yilan County’s Luodong Township and here at Tamsui, the port town to the north of Taipei City. On a hill just to the immediate northwest, Fort San Domingo presides over the scene. In keeping with its location by the coast, the shop takes its name from a famous replica of an imperial-era Japanese trading ship found in the Osaka Maritime Museum. “Naniwa” is the old name for Osaka and, appropriately, the first two characters of the name in Chinese translate as “sea spray.”
The first thing you’ll notice is the unmistakably Japanese influence on the shop’s colorful design. The mascot is a cutesy dinosaur with a human face, clutching a cup of shaved ice topped with fruit, while the pale-blue walls depict another personification: a rather glum-looking, mountain-shaped wave with a human face surging from the sea with its own tub of ice in one hand and a spoon in the other. Rising from a layer of sea spray, the tsunami-like creature calls to mind the iconic painting The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai.
The ice-based offerings comprise similarly cute designs – one of the most popular being a teddy bear with a small sour plum for a nose, chocolate balls for eyes, and a pair of Ritz-type crackers for ears. The ice is flavored with condensed milk, giving the bear’s fluffed-up “fur” a cream-colored hue, and once you break through the crunchy exterior, a milky filling awaits inside. The ursine-shaped ice treat comes with a small piece of mochi, submerged in milky syrup. The squishy texture is an excellent complement to the grittiness of the ice.
Perhaps the biggest attraction, though, is the shop’s location. Tamsui is not short of perches from which to people-watch or enjoy the sunset; on the edge of Hobe Fishing Harbor, with its sampans gently rocking to the sea’s undulations, this is one of the very best!
Naniwa Maru | 浪花丸かき氷
Tel: (02) 2628-2727
Add: 1F, No. 233-2, Zhongzheng Rd., Tamsui District, New Taipei City
(新北市淡水區中正路233-2號1樓)
Hours: Mon-Fri 1pm-8pm (weekends from 12pm)
FB: www.facebook.com/naniwamaru68
Kakigori Toshihiko
This small but swanky establishment on Kinmen Street, about midway between MRT Guting and Taipower stations in central Taipei City, takes shaved ice to new heights, with a selection of mouthwatering dishes that are piled high with top-notch ingredients.
Simply put, these are gourmet desserts crafted with exquisite care and attention – a testament to owner Wu Chun-yen’s training at culinary institutions and high-end restaurants in both Taiwan and Japan, culminating in a spell at a Michelin-starred French-cuisine venue in Taipei. This background also offers a clue to the eatery’s name: “Kakigori” is the Japanese term for “shaved ice,” and “Toshihiko” is the Japanese rendering of Wu’s given name, “Chun-yen.”
The creations provide sensory overload from both an aesthetic and gustatory perspective, with a range of seemingly incongruous ingredients featured in each selection. Topped with a vanilla tuile, a peanut butter offering, for example, is sprinkled with cilantro leaves to give it an authentic aroma of Taiwan and accompanied by a side of nuts presented in a dainty, flower-shaped dish. A Thai milk tea option combines shavings of sea salt with a disc of creamed coconut to offset the rich chai-type taste of the ice. Taking advantage of Taiwan’s bountiful supply of luscious seasonal fruits, the mango lassi ice expertly balances the sweetness of the golden fruit with the sour yogurt taste of the popular Indian beverage. A petite jug of the mango syrup is on hand, allowing diners to drizzle an extra dose of fruitiness over the whole.
Employing contemporary slatted wood cladding for the counters and furnishings and suspended lighting with patina shades, the décor is understated and elegant. Placed in the center of the service counter, surrounded by pinecones and plants, a chunky ice shaver from renowned Japanese manufacturer Hatsuyuki provides a contrast to the otherwise rustic environment and allows patrons to observe the first stage in the dessert-making process.
Kakigori Toshihiko
Add: No. 2-2, Kinmen St., Zhongzheng Dist., Taipei City
(台北市中正區金門街2-2號)
Hours: Tue-Sun 1pm-8pm
IG: www.instagram.com/kakigori.toshihiko
FB: www.facebook.com/kakigori.toshihiko
Snow Flower Ice
Amid the hustle-bustle of Taipei’s Shilin Night Market, this ice shop offers a chill refuge from the throngs flowing by outside. The interior has a sleek, minimalistic design that contrasts with the generally ramshackle feel of the market stalls that surround the premises. Faux-marble furnishings gleam under the beams of track-rail spotlights, with a long, narrow corridor running alongside the kitchen and serving area, providing a surprising amount of seating. A small side counter at the head of this corridor allows customers to grab their orders without having to return to the main counter – particularly convenient when the place is packed.
Serving up hefty portions of snow ice, which, unlike the shaved variety, is already infused with ingredients, the shop presents classic combos such as matcha and adzuki bean alongside innovations such as sesame with Oreo cookie. Other choices include Thai bubble milk tea and a creation in which the malted drink powder Milo is used to flavor the ice. The piece de resistance, though, is the Fresh Watermelon Snow Ice. Presentation is prized here, with the swirling mound of ice buttressing pieces of succulent watermelon that have been carved into spheres and stacked up like a pile of mini cannonballs. The dishes are served on a small wooden tray, and a small jug of milky syrup is provided for those customers inclined to go whole hog in saturating their dessert with sweetness.
Thanks to its location in Taipei’s most iconic night market, Snow Flower Ice is open until 9 pm –relatively late compared to most similar establishments. This makes it the perfect place to cool down after working up a sweat while shopping, snacking on hot treats, and mingling with the market hordes.
Snow Flower Ice | 花藏雪
Add: No. 27, Dabei Rd., Shilin Dist., Taipei City
(台北市士林區大北路27號)
Tel: (02) 2883-3807
Hours: 1pm-9pm
IG: www.instagram.com/snowflowerice
FB: www.facebook.com/snowflower.shihlin
Arjan Gelato
With its tricolor scheme and signage advertising “Gelato Artigianale Italiano,” this small spot in Taipei’s Datong District looks every inch an authentic Italian gelateria. However, a couple of telltale signs indicate the more complicated origins behind the ownership.
Firstly, there’s the name – Arjan – popular in male Albanian nomenclature; then, inside, the perceptive customer might notice an ornate plate on the wall behind the counter. On this decorative dish is a map of Albania – remarkably similar in shape to Taiwan’s sweet-potato-leaf form. This is sandwiched between the blood-red-framed, black double-headed eagle of the Balkan country’s flag and a golden rendering of its national hero, Skanderbeg, in habitually equestrian form.
“We’re a little smaller than Taiwan,” says the eponymous Arjan. “But there are a lot more people here!”
This population density is exemplified on weekends and during peak hours when queues snake along the length of this shop’s alley location, a few minutes’ walk from the Y21 and Y23 exits of Taipei City Mall, with sweet-toothed customers desperate for a taste of the top-notch gelato.
Before settling in Taipei with his Taiwanese wife seven years ago, Arjan Rica had lived in Genoa, Italy, for many years. His reason for opening a gelato shop was simple. “So many places [in Taipei] say ‘gelato,’ but it’s really just ice cream,” he says. “I knew I could do better.”
Eschewing excess cream, Arjan and his cousins instead use minimal milk and finely processed natural ingredients. The state-of-the-art equipment for the manufacturing process was imported from Italy. To fulfill demand, two weekly trips to the fruit wholesalers are required to stock up with carloads of fresh produce. Flavors include nutty options such as pistachio, novelties such as avocado, and nods to local tastes, in the form of oolong tea. For a real burst of local fruit flavor, the mango and lychee flavors are sublime.
Arjan Gelato| 阿洋義式冰淇淋
Add: 1F, No. 17, Ln. 66, Sec. 1, Yanping N. Rd., Datong Dist., Taipei City
(台北市大同區延平北路一段66巷17號1樓)
Hours: Tue-Sun 1pm-8pm
IG: www.instagram.com/gelato_arjan
Tamsui Popsicle
Back in Tamsui and a bit further afield from the town’s central area, but now easily accessible via the Tamsui District Office stop on the Danhai Light Rail Transit line, this purveyor of traditional ice pops is something of a venerable institution in these parts. With its low, red-brick wall, topped by a façade of auburn wooden slats, the exterior perfectly captures the “1950s style” vibe referenced on the signs surrounding the doorway. A pair of cartoon siblings is depicted slurping away at the shop’s popsicles, while a hapless toddler desperately tries to get his hands on an icy treat. These trademarked mascots reappear inside. In front of the building sits a traditional functioning water pump.
Inside, varnished timber framing divides the walls into panels of sepia scenes from Tamsui’s past – a train hurtling down the line before the red arches of the Tamsui River-spanning Guandu Bridge, the verdant curves of Mt. Guanyin beyond; a pair of pristinely uniformed schoolgirls descending the hill on Mackay Street, with the spire of Tamsui Church protruding from the foliage ahead; a pedicab driver for a kindergarten heaving his fully laden vehicle into action.
In addition to a straight-ahead list menu, the store’s wares are displayed on wooden menu paddles above the serving counter and on a row of tasseled bamboo hangings. A range of discounts is available for bulk buys, customers who bring their own containers, and those who have accrued sufficient points through a loyalty card system. A sign next to the counter details the range of conditions, while assuring patrons of the impeccable hygiene standards that the business maintains. Using locally manufactured equipment and a combination of fresh fruit and syrup, the same family has been serving up the refreshing popsicles here for over 20 years. Standout choices are the zesty passionfruit and juicy pineapple – perfect for cooling off on a hot afternoon.
Tamsui Popsicle | 淡水舊鎮50年代枝仔冰
Add: No. 270-1, Sec. 2, Danjin Rd., Tamsui Dist., New Taipei City
(新北市淡水區淡金路二段270-1號)
Tel: (02) 2625-2267
Hours: Mon-Fri 11am-6:30pm, Sat-Sun 10am-7pm
FB: www.facebook.com/fifty.year.gab
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