Among the many foods that Taiwan is famous for, none can top its shaved ice for the refreshing factor on a hot summer day. I’ve chosen three of the most famous shaved ice spots in Taipei for a round of ‘Battle of the Taipei Shaved Ices’ — Tai Yi Milk King (臺一牛奶大王), Ice Monster and Eastern Ice Store (東區粉圓).
Tai Yi Milk King (臺一牛奶大王)
Located across from the National Taiwan University, guaranteeing a decent amount of foot traffic, Tai Yi Milk King has been around since 1956. It’s famous for its glutinous rice balls, which are popular in the cooler months, but it’s also known for its large plates of shaved ice. The texture of the shaved ice is somewhere between fluffy and mildly crunchy. What I really love about this place is that it’s got something for everyone. If you’re into the OG Taiwanese flavors, then order the eight treasure shaved ice like me, where a large mound of shaved ice is piled high with 小紅豆(red bean), 綠豆(mung bean), 仙草(grass jelly), 大紅豆(kidney bean), Q圓(chewy jelly), 粉圓(tapioca), 芋頭(taro) and 薏仁(Job’s tears). You can also have them drizzle some sweetened condensed milk on top to make it super extravagant. I will eat this stuff in lieu of lunch in the summertime. If you’re a kid or non-Taiwanese/Chinese, then the shaved ice topped with fresh mango, strawberry, condensed milk and panna cotta may be more your speed. Any way you go, you can’t go wrong here.
Ice Monster
Come here if you love mangoes. There are other flavors available, but Ice Monster is really known for its mangotastic shaved ice. What makes it ‘mangotastic?’ Well, for 250NT (the priciest shaved ice by far out of the three) you get a massive heap of powdery snow mango-infused shaved ice topped with chunks of fresh mango, mango ice cream and panna cotta under a blanket of mango sauce. If you want to experience the famous Taiwanese I-just-swallowed-a-cloud shaved ice, then I would definitely recommend a detour here. If you come on a weekend, though, be prepared for the long line. (Note: Smoothie House on Yongkang St also has fluffy shaved ice with more fruit topping options, but it’s not as flavorful as Ice Monster)
Eastern Ice Store ((東區粉圓)
This is an old school joint with classic Taiwanese flavors serving up generous bowls of shaved ice for more than 20 years. The ice is not so much shaved as it is crushed, a glistening bowl of 1 carat diamonds. Eastern Ice Store is famous for its 粉圓 or tapioca balls. There are no artificial flavors or additives to their toppings, so the fruit toppings don’t have glow-in-the-dark colors. You can choose four toppings, so I went with the tapioca balls, taro balls (the best I’ve ever had), sweet potato and mung beans. Jules had the tapioca balls, strawberries, pineapple and condensed milk. Unlike the other two places the fruit topping here is more of a compote instead of fresh fruit, so the shaved ice here runs a bit sweeter. I don’t usually like the fruit topped shaved ices, but I saw Jules almost collapse from food ecstasy after one bite of his, so I went for it. Hallelujah…call me a believer!
Verdict
It would be wrong to choose one. It all depends on my mood, but I do tend to lean towards the traditional Taiwanese flavors. At the end of the day, there is a place in my tummy for all three of these places, so when that thermometer rises above 30°C you’ll know where to find me.