Forget the supermarket pint and the NT$18 soft serve. Taipei’s independent ice cream parlors are churning out small-batch creations using seasonal, local ingredients — think regional produce, teas and native liquors. There’s something for everyone, whether you’re a vegan, a toddler, an office-worker, a creature of comfort or an adventurous eater.
SNOW KING ICE CREAM
Snow King Ice Cream has been around since 1947 and remains one of the foremost representatives of Taiwanese-style ice cream, which has an icier and even slightly chewy mouthfeel. The shop’s wide repertoire includes unlikely flavors like pork floss (NT$125), Thai basil (NT$100) and sesame oil chicken (NT$135).
Photo: Davina Tham, Taipei Times
When I order a scoop of 58-percent Kinmen Kaoliang (NT$150) in broad daylight, the female proprietor shows a look of concern. The ice cream is sweetened just enough to cool the burn of the liquor, although a warming tingle remains. While the kaoliang’s natural fragrance is alluring, it might be difficult to finish the scoop because of the alcohol’s intensity. As the proprietor clears my half-full glass, she says kindly, “Kaoliang is not so suitable for young ladies,” and advises me to hold the staircase railing tightly on my way out.
Taiwanese beer (NT$120) also gets the ice cream treatment here. Not all flavors are unconventional — the shop’s bestseller is kidney bean (NT$95), a common topping on sweet beancurd, and in the summer, lychee (NT$110), mango (NT$100) and watermelon (NT$95) ice creams are made with real fruit.
SNOW KING ICE CREAM (雪王冰淇淋)
Photo: Davina Tham, Taipei Times
Address: 2F, 65, Wuchang St Sec 1, Taipei City
(台北市武昌街一段65號2樓)
Telephone: (02) 2331-8415
Photo: Davina Tham, Taipei Times
Open: Daily, noon to 8pm
Average meal: NT$100
Details: Cash only; English and Chinese menu
Photo: Davina Tham, Taipei Times
On the Net: www.facebook.com/snowkingicecream
ZEIT X LINCK
Located down a chic side street near Zhongshan MRT Station, this is a tiny offshoot of Linck Gelateria in Taoyuan. The gelato here is dense, smooth and fantastically flavored, featuring ingredients like the herb Chinese mesona (仙草), which is used to make grass jelly, peanuts from Kinmen, amaretti or Italian almond cookies, Sicilian pistachios and a mean Madagascan vanilla.
Zeit X Linck specializes in dessert alcohol pairings (NT$160 or NT$180) unique to each flavor of gelato. Apple cheesecake gelato, studded with chunks of the fruit, goes with honey-infused whisky. Chili-inflected chocolate is served with Kahlua, and peanut with a chocolate cream-based liquor. The suggested method is to eat up to a quarter of the gelato first and then pour the alcohol over bit by bit, adding more dimensions to an already stunning dessert.
If this all sounds a little too wild, the gelato can also be eaten neat (NT$110 or NT$140) or in a more conventional affogato (NT$160). The friendly proprietors, who seemed to be having a party of their own when I visited, also serve wine and cocktails, meeting the needs of the most world-weary adults.
ZEIT X LINCK (采 時代)
Address: 35, Chifeng St, Taipei City (台北市赤峰街35號)
Telephone: (02) 2558-9700
Open: Monday to Friday, 4pm to 10pm; Saturday and Sunday, 1pm to 10pm
Average meal: NT$160
Details: Chinese menu; reservations recommended for larger groups
On the Net: www.linckgelato.com
SMALL COURTYARD
Small Courtyard serves only one flavor of soft serve at a time, usually changing it up halfway through the week. This exclusivity works because the seasonal flavors and their accompaniments make for compelling duos, such as lychee with rose port jam, guava with roselle honey, red-skinned mango with moscato and tiramisu with chestnut paste.
It’s almost a relief not to have to choose, but if you want to plan your visit to catch a certain flavor, check the parlor’s Facebook page for updates in Chinese.
When I visit, the flavor of the day is Cuban rum and brown sugar (NT$150), which comes topped with morsels of homemade mochi. The price is a little steep for soft serve, which is airier and less rich than regular ice cream. But it’s worth the occasional summertime treat, especially in an exquisitely picturesque shop.
Small Courtyard also serves cooling aiyu jelly (愛玉, NT$80), grass jelly (NT$60), toasted mochi (NT$50 or NT$90) drizzled with a homemade sauce of your choice, cinnamon rolls (NT$60) and an array of teas.
SMALL COURTYARD (小涼院霜淇淋專門店)
Address: 34, Lane 148, Fuxing S Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市復興南路二段148巷34號)
Telephone: (02) 2706-7623
Open: Tuesday to Sunday, 1pm to 9pm
Average meal: NT$150
Details: Cash only; English and Chinese menu
On the Net: www.facebook.com/jung.yard.softee
NICE CREAM
Nice Cream makes all-vegan ice creams with fresh soymilk, which start at NT$100 for a single scoop. The absence of dairy can barely be felt here, as the ice creams remain rich, velvety and satisfying. Robust flavors like chocolate and tieguanyin (鐵觀音) tea stand up well to the taste of the bean, which becomes a virtue in its own right in the signature soymilk flavor.
Sorbets made with fresh fruit hold their own against the soymilk-based flavors. Lemon sorbet may taste like sunbeam in a cup, but it’s also one of the most effective ways to stave off the heat.
NICE CREAM
Address: 6, Alley 40, Lane 181, Zhongxiao E Rd Sec 4, Taipei City
(台北市忠孝東路四段181巷40弄6號)
Telephone: (02) 8771-7150
Open: Wednesday to Monday, 12 noon to 10pm
Average meal: NT$100
Details: Cash only; English and Chinese menu
On the Net: www.facebook.com/nicecreamtaipei
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