ICE ICE BABY!

ICE! Yes there is something about the Asians and their icy dessert!Japan with their Kakigori, Korea with Bingsoo, Malaysia with Ice Kachang, Indonesia with Es Teler, and of course you can not, let me repeat, CAN NOT forget about the Taiwanese Bīng 冰!!!!

Bīng literally means ice, and just like the word says it is basically a dessert of shaved ice, from coarsely shaved, to the more finely shaved snow ice. There are a lot of kinds of shaved ice in Taiwan but it is known for sure that the most famous one is Mango Shaved Ice (mángguǒ bīng 芒果冰). I'm betting that every tourist that visits Taiwan will most definitely get a taste of this shaved ice! However I am writing this to introduce more than just the famous mángguǒ bīng, get ready to explore the world of icy dessert!!

ROJI KORI NO KAIBUTSU

Address: No. 10, Section 4, Civic Blvd, Da'an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106

Operating Hours: 11.00-22.00

This place is better known as Roji Ice Monster, which is a shaved ice shop that serves Japanese theme desserts. When you come in the store you will be told that each person must order 1 item from the menu, doesn't necessarily have to be the shaved ice, it can be just a cup of coffee. Also the maximum time you can spend inside the cafe is 2 hours.

Well since it is a store that specializes on shaved ice, me and my friend had no second thought and just ordered 2 bowl of shaved ice. On the right sides of the entrance you can see a board on the wall, you just have to pick a card according to the flavor of the ice that you want; I chose Peanut (宮古烏雪塩花生 gōnggǔ wū xuě yán huāshēng) and my friend chose French Cocoa (法國可可 Fàguó kěkě).

Afterwards, you will see a lot of small pictures of the toppings you can pick from. You can choose 2 toppings, and when you made your decision you just have to stamp the 2 toppings in your cards, you can see the different picture stamps on the table in front of the board along with the stamp pad.

My friend chose the Soft Ice Cream and Corn Flakes, while I get the Candied Chestnut and Matcha Jelly & Mochi.

My Friend's Choice of Shaved Ice

Starting with the ice; as you can see it looks extremely cute, with the addition of the eyes that's made from sugar, which kinda look like the store's mascot. The peanut flavored ice was really really nice, you can really taste the peanut and it is quite milky. The chocolate was also very nice.

Unlike the normal shaved ice where plain ice block is shaved then drizzle with some syrup for flavor, this shaved ice is actually shaved flavored ice..

So, I'm guessing the ice was actually a frozen peanut milk (in my case) which is shaved very finely into ripples shape. YES! It is a snow ice version, where the ice is really finely shaved that it was so smooth in texture just like ice cream.

Peanut Flavored Ice with Candied Chestnut, Matcha Jelly, and Mochi

The toppings itself, as you can tell cornflakes and soft ice cream is just corn flakes and ice cream can't really say much about it. Whereas the matcha jelly was okay, the matcha flavor was definitely there, the mochi balls has no filling it was plain but the texture was nice. Candied chestnut on the other hand was sooo good! Well I might be a little bias on that since I always loved chestnut, even if it's just plain roasted. Objectively the candied chestnut wasn't too sweet which I think was perfect when eaten combined with the sweet flavor of the shaved ice.

Overall I really enjoy the flavors and texture of the ice, the only downfall that it was very pricey for a very small portion! Usually shaved ice is shared among 2-4 people because it is usually served in huge portion, but this one is definitely a one person portion for sure....

Price:
- All kinds of shaved ice: NTD 200 (IDR 90,500 or US$ 6.7)

ICE WORLD (冰世界 Bīng shìjiè)

Address: No. 31, Alley 50, Lane 39, Tonghua Street, Da'an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106 

               (inside Tonghua Night Market)

Operating Hours: 18.00-00.00

Mangguo Bing / Mango Shaved Ice

To be honest I haven't tried the famous mangguo bing from Ice Monster yet even though that is like the most go to place.. But I did try mango shaved ice at a night market near my place.

From the outside of the shop it seems like that they sell various kinds of dessert from hot tangyuan to shaved ice. The price was quite alright it was NTD 160, cheaper than other places but I wouldn't say that it's cheap either.  I came from Indonesia where an iced dessert that cost around NTD 50 was already considered expensive, but comparing to other shops that sells mangguo bing in Taipei, I would say 160 is alright.

When we got our ice, I was actually pretty disappointed because the amount of fresh mango wasn't as much as i thought it would be but oh well....

The first thought before I ever try mangguo bing was, "how good can it be?" i mean it's just ice, mango, and condensed milk isn't it? 

But DAMN I was wrong! This shop has pretty good ice for a non-famous, not-so-fancy place!! 

The ice was milk flavor, and to top it of the sweet ripe mango, and quick drizzle of condensed milk, what more could you ask for?

The mango I realized is not the same type of mango you would get in Thailand. And to be more specific, in Indonesia we have a lot of different kind of mangoes, there's a type called Arumanis which i think a little similar to the Thai mango in terms of flavor. The one I had in this shop however reminds me of another type which is called Golek, it has a distinct aroma to it with the flavor just as sweet as Arumanis.

Best thing about this mango shaved ice is that the boss a.k.a laoban said that they never use frozen mangoes!! (which apparently what other shops are using when they are not in season)

I'm not so sure though, because when it's not in season, does that mean this shop don't sell mangguo bing??

One thing I am sure about is that the mango we had the other night was definitely FRESH! Did not dissapoint, i would definitely come back, plus as a bonus; one of the guy speaks English (YAY!), so there won't be any problem when ordering.

Price:
- 芒果冰 mángguǒ bīng; Mango ice: NTD 160 (IDR 76,500 or US$ 5.3)

ICE TO MEET YOU (遇見 Yùjiàn)

Address: No. 18, Section 6, Roosevelt Road, Wenshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 116 

Operating Hours: 12.30-23.00

Niunai Bing; Pineapple & Zhenzhu

My friend told me about this place when I went to her house for a dinner. She told me that they know a good cheap shaved ice place nearby so then we decided to go. Just like Roji Ice Monster we have to order a menu each but it doesn't necessarily mean you have to order bing. This store has various kind of dessert to offer; hot tangyuan, normal bing, snow ice, and even zhenzhu naicha. 

A lot of the customers order the hot dessert which I never tried just yet, so that will definitely be on my list to eat.

The Old Menu

Altogether I've been there twice already. 

First time round we ordered matcha bing冰, milk (牛奶 niunai) bing冰, pearl milk tea (珍珠奶茶 zhenzhu naicha) bing冰, and a glass of ice pearl milk tea.

My personal choice or bing was the matcha one because I love matcha so much and of course with the anko (Japanese red bean)!! The portion was massive! I should have known that because the guy said it already but you know when greed took over...this happens.. If you wanted to try, better share it among 2 to 3 people.

Matcha Bing; Anko, Tangyuan, & Panacotta

Matcha bing; shaved green tea / matcha flavored ice, white plain tangyuan (no filling), green tea tangyuan (no filling), anko (sweetened Japanese red beans), and matcha panacotta. 

Visually it looks amazing! 

Let's start with the toppings; tangyuan, I can't say much about the flavor because basically it has no flavor. Texture wise it is chewy in a good way, kyu kyu, or how the Japanese would call it mochi mochi.

Anko was sweet and soft. My personal opinion is that the anko didn't actually go well with the ice. I think it would be better if the anko wasn't so soft (yes yes I know anko is meant to be soft..just a thought). 

I love panacotta! It's just amazing how a dessert so simple could taste so good! Although it's hard to get the texture of the panacotta right, there's no way you can get it wrong in terms of flavor! However somehow by some reason this shop eventually messed up with the flavor but managed to get the texture right. The matcha flavor didn't come through.

And the main event is the ice. This wasn't snow ice, it was a slightly coarser ice, but this doesn't necessarily mean a bad thing because coarser ice have its own charm when it's flavored correctly. 

I wasn't sure whether this ice was a flavored ice or was it flavored with syrup after it was shaved. There was a vague flavor of matcha, it was bitter but has no sweetness at all it and it does not have the fragrance that matcha has. It was a little disappointing to be honest... It was a little unappetizing for me that I took too long to eat it that the ice eventually melts and become a soup!

Zhenzhu Naicha Bing; Panacotta & Zhenzhu

Zhenzhu Naicha Bing; shaved milk tea flavored ice, tapioca pearl (zhenzhu), and milk panacotta.

I wasn't the one who ate this, but I did get a spoonful to try. The ice was definitely better than the matcha, it can be stronger but you can taste that it was the flavor of a milk tea. Zhenzhu is just how zhenzhu is suppose to be; chewy and springy. While the panacotta was definitely milky, it wasn't too sweet. I would prefer getting this over the matcha flavored one.

From Top Clockwise; Niunai Bing with pineapple & zhenzhu, Peanut Bing with anko, Niunai Bing with taro ball & kidney bean, Niunai Bing with tangyuan & taro ball

Niunai Bing; milk flavored snow ice, 2 kind of toppings of your choice.

First time I went my friend ordered zhenzhu and pineapple as the topping. Both topping seems like they were covered in simple syrup. There's nothing much to say about it, but the pineapple was definitely canned. The next time I went, I decided to go with taro ball and kidney bean as topping while my friend chose tangyuan. Honestly I much prefer kidney bean rather than anko, because I love it when the beans still has a chunky texture to it, beside it was less sweet than the anko which made it perfect for someone who doesn't have much of a sweet tooth like me. The tangyuan was plain tangyuan, it has a kyu kyu texture, no filling.
The taro ball though!! It was amazing! You can taste the taro in it, it was very very slightly sweet, and the texture kind of remind me of gnocchi. It might sounds weird but it's definitely the best taro ball I've tasted so far!

Huasheng / Peanut Bing

Huasheng Bing; peanut flavored snow ice, 2 kind of toppings of your choice, sprinkle of peanut powder on top.

I love this ice! I'm on the verge of don't know whether to choose the milk flavored one or peanut..

It has a really creamy nutty flavor but not overly strong. If you are a fan of peanut you will definitely love this! 

The toppings I chose this time were; taro ball (of course!) and xian cao 仙草 or also known as grass jelly. This time round the taro ball is mixed with yellow colored ball (it's not really ball shaped) which I felt like was a sweet potato ball, it was also good! The grass jelly is placed on the bottom of the shaved ice. I really love grass jelly, but Taiwan do really have the best grass jelly! It has a smoother texture than the one I had in Indonesia. I really love this combination especially with the different texture from the taro, ice, and jelly, yumm!!!!

Xian Cao 仙草 on the bottom of the Bing

Chocolate Bing

Chocolate Bing; chocolate flavored ice, 2 kind toppings of your choice.

I wasn't the order this but my friend did. I got a taste of it and I wouldn't recommend it. Roji has a better chocolate flavored ice. This store's chocolate ice doesn't have a very strong chocolate flavor, it taste more like a watered down milo. If you don't like the darkness and intensity of chocolate, you can give this a try since it is not so strong and it is slightly sweet.

 New Menu; Updated Price

Price: (new price)
- 宇治金時冰 yǔzhì jīn shí bīng; Matcha ice: NTD 140 (IDR 67,000 or US$ 4.7)
- 刨刨珍奶冰 páo páo zhēn nǎi bīng; Pearl milk tea ice: NTD 110 (IDR 52,500 or US$ 3.7)
- 牛奶雪花 niúnǎi xuěhuā; Milk ice: NTD 80 (IDR 38,000 or US$ 2.7)
- 花生雪花 huāshēng xuěhuā; Peanut ice: NTD 80 (IDR 38,000 or US$ 2.7)
- 巧克力雪花 qiǎokèlì xuěhuā; Chocolate ice: NTD 80 (IDR 38,000 or US$ 2.7)

YU PIN YUAN BINGHUO TANGYUAN (御品元冰火湯圓)

Address: No. 31, Alley 50, Lane 39, Tonghua Street, Da'an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106 

               (inside Tonghua Night Market)

Operating Hours: 18.00-00.00

Tangyuan with Coarsely Shaved Ice, Jiuniang, and Osmanthus Syrup

This last ice I would say is the most unique of them all! 

Have you heard of tangyuan? Of course you have, it's a round mochi like dumpling that is usually filled with different things, commonly peanut, red bean, or sesame. Indonesian would be more familiar by calling it ronde.

The store is located inside the Tonghua night market. It is always packed with people no matter what time you come, but do try t come around 6 there will be less crowd.

Anywayy..tangyuan is usually served hot with a sugar syrup, or some ginger water. But the unique thing about this store is that they served this cold as well with shaved ice. The one that caught my attention the most is the 酒釀芝麻湯圓 (冰) jiǔniàng zhīma tāngyuán (bīng). It is shaved ice topped with 酒釀 jiǔniàng which is fermented rice that is a bi-product of rice wine. It kinda taste similar to Indonesian green tape ketan. It literally taste like alcoholic sweetened rice, those who likes to drink would either like it or find it weird. I personally was okay with it. 

Beside the jiǔniàng of course there's the tangyuan. I chose the one with sesame filling which was soooooooooooo GOOD! YES it's THAT good! The filling I guess was a mixture of white and black sesame, grounded into a paste, creamy with a slightly sandy texture. It was really sweet which I usually dislikes but I don't mind it at all,  it was a perfect sweetness when combined with the ice. 

The outer part of the tangyuan must also be complimented, it was the best textured tangyuan. It's chewy, but soft at the same time. The proportion of the skin and filling was just perfect. This is definitely A MUST TRY!

Moving on to the ice; it was coarsely shaved. At first I was confused on whether the ice was just for decoration since there was so much ice with only 5 tangyuan. It looks pretty plain as well, so i was just imagining it would be just eating tangyuan with water. Surprise! Surprise! The ice was really flavorful! Apparently the ice was seasoned with syrup that is called osmanthus syrup. 

Osmanthus is a type of flower which is known as a wedding flower in Taiwan, and it is said to be representing the aroma of peach and apricot. To be honest it doesn't have that strong of an aroma, but you can tell that it is not plain syrup.

Because One Picture is Never Enough

I was actually disappointed the second time I came because the ice wasn't flavored well unlike my first visit, talking about consistency and all.... But you know what, you can add as much syrup as you like on your own, it's just a little disappointing in terms of service consistency you know...

Price:
- 酒釀芝麻湯圓 (冰) jiǔniàng zhīma tāngyuán (bīng); Sesame mochi balls topped with fermented rice, osmanthus syrup, served with shaved ice: NTD 80 (IDR 38,000 or US$ 2.7)