Ice, sorbet, shaved ice, ice cream, gelato. Which is your favourite? The subtle flavour combinations and textures are the major differences, and right here I’m going to introduce a great flavoured ice option for you. But first, what is flavoured ice?
We all know that ice in its simplest form is just frozen water, but flavoured kind of ice hits that sweet spot between crunchy shaved ice, dairy based gelato, and (often) alcoholic sorbets. Flavoured ice is such a popular afternoon snack during the oppressive heat of a Taiwanese summer largely due to the fact that it is refreshing, doesn’t melt as quick as many of it’s other counterparts, and doesn’t contain dairy which can sometimes be a gamble in that summer sun.
Get a tub of this flavoured ice right here and you’ll be refreshed, satiated, and most importantly surprised at just how good this is.
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Flavoured ice at 北門鳳李冰
Busy throughout the day 北門鳳李冰 continues to serve throughout the early evening, too. Serving until 21:30, you can definitely get some great food in this area, then head here for an incredible value dessert. More often than not, you’ll end up spending quite a bit on an evening meal around this area (relatively speaking, of course), so a $50-$55 tub of flavoured ice could be just what you’re after.
The menu
The $40 you can see if for their popsicles, whereas the $50 and $55’s that you can see will get you some of their flavoured style of ice and also some of their sweet soups, too. Some of the flavours are as follows:
- Sweet soup
- 綠豆湯 $55 Lǜ dòu tāng (summer exclusive)
- Mung bean soup
- 花生湯 $55 huā shēng tāng (winter exclusive)
- Peanut soup
- 紅豆湯 $55 hóng dòu tāng
- Red bean soup
- Ice
- 荔枝冰 $50 lì zhī bīng
- Litchi ice
- Ice that can choose half-and-half in one bowl:
- 鳳梨冰 $55 fèng lí bīng
- Pineapple ice
- 芋頭冰 $55 yù tóu bīng
- Taro ice
- 綠豆冰 $55 lǜ dòu bīng
- Mung bean ice
- 桂圓冰 $55 guì yuán bīng
- Longan ice
- 李鹹冰 $55 lǐ xián bīng
- Candied plum ice
- 花生冰 $55 huā shēng bīng
- Peanut ice
What we ordered
More often than not I get a half-and-half when I come here. It almost seems a shame to go for a full flavour when you can get half a tub of each of your preferred flavours. You can order this by saying 我要混___跟___ adding in whichever 2 flavours you would like.
Sometimes when you get here, the flavoured ice is left uncovered so that you can point and more easily get your order in, but sometimes it’s like the picture above shows ^ where the lids are on and it makes it a little more difficult. Below is what I think the best order is.
我要混花生跟芋頭. wǒ yào hùn huā shēng gēn yù tóu I want a mix of peanut and taro.
Of course, you should try whichever flavour tickles your fancy, but I don’t think it gets better than their mix of peanut and taro. The peanut is earthy, sweet, and rich with peanut flavour. The texture is more dry than wet, which sounds odd when describing a flavoured ice. But the ratio of peanut to water seems so that it feels almost dry in your mouth as there’s just so much peanut crammed into the flavoured ice. Contrastingly, the taro flavoured ice is sticky and more on the wet side, similarly packed with natural taro flavours.
Taro is definitely one of those flavours that is oftentimes cut with so many other ingredients that the true taro flavour doesn’t come through enough and you’re eating a texture rather than a flavour. However, I think that 北門鳳李冰 have got this taro flavoured ice just right as it tastes so pure and so true to what taro flavour actually is, that it almost feels like they have just taken a taro, pounded it up, and frozen it.
Similarly, the peanut flavour is dense, rich, and true to everything that (hopefully you love it as much as I do) we all know and love about peanut flavoured items.
The bottom line
Is it worth it? Yes, it’s so cheap and so good that it should be your summer staple.
If you have to choose one flavour, which would it be? I don’t care which season it is, it always has to be peanut for me.
Why flavoured ice, and not just ice cream? The exclusion of dairy in this dessert helps to make it more easily digestible and less fatty-rich, but more flavour-rich.
What is flavoured ice?
Flavoured ice is densely packed fine ice that is mixed with other flavours to create a dessert of ice cream consistency, without any dairy products added.
New Taipei City Dessert- He Mei Ice Cream 和美冰菓室, Delicious Old-School Ice Cream, Yonghe District