There are so many delicious foods and flavours to choose from in Taiwan
that I wanted to devote an entire video to focusing on Taiwanese desserts.
Totally unique, totally mouthwatering, this video is full of treats to satisfy your sweet tooth.
For more about what to eat and drink in Taiwan check the rest of my Taiwan series
and subscribe for more travel adventures.
I’m going to start with a place in Taipei called Snow King and the name says it all.
This ice cream parlour has been an institution since it first opened in 1947.
Snow King is known for its inventive flavours that you don’t normally find on an ice cream menu.
Flavours like kidney bean, mung bean, sticky rice, date paste, egg, hibiscus, wasabi, curry,
chili pepper, basil, sugarcane, bitter melon, sesame oil chicken, soybean curd, pork floss,
pork knuckle, and Taiwan beer.
Most of the suggestions come from customers who know that the shop can meet the challenge.
They have over 400 flavours in their arsenal
and at least 50 or so are available to scoop at any one time.
The colours of the ice cream aren’t super bright and it’s hard to distinguish them from each other
so you choose less by how they look and more by how you think they’ll taste.
It was hard to choose but we got honey and custard apple.
Oh…oh that’s good.
That was my pick.
Good pick.
At first, I didn’t think it had any flavour and then like two seconds later it popped.
Oh, oh, the build up in your mouth is so exciting.
You can hear like a little string quartet.
Oh my god, are you playing Flight of the Bumblebee?
Yeah.
That is like chugging on a bottle of honey.
Holy kapowgabonza.
Sweet?
The flavour is so spot on, like if there were a target for flavour it would be dead in the centre.
Wow.
It’s just like honey.
It’s not like an imitation of honey or it like reminds you of honey.
This is like sucking on a bee.
Next up is another dessert made with ice cream that also has a totally unique taste.
You’ll find this at street vendors and night markets for about 40 Taiwan dollars or about $1.70 CAD.
You start with a flour wrap, add fresh cilantro - yes, cilantro! -
then scrape shavings off a massive block of peanut brittle using a wooden tool,
and top with three scoops of ice cream.
It all gets rolled together and looks more like a spring roll served in a plastic bag.
It’s basically an ice cream burrito Taiwanese style.
All words I love, especially together.
It’s really weird.
I like it.
You like it?
One of Taiwan’s best known specialties is shaved ice
and I love how many creative ways there are to serve it and eat it.
We had a really memorable experience in Kaohsiung
at a spot where they’re known for serving shaved ice in epically large portions.
I’m not kidding either – the biggest bowl is so gigantic you could practically bathe in it.
And when it’s hot, bathing in shaved ice sounds like a great idea.
The shop was lively and fun with writing scribbled all over the walls
and people packed in tightly to share with their friends.
We had a sweet and creamy mango shaved ice with big chunks of fresh mango on top,
but it looked tiny and normal next to what I will now think of as the T-Rex of shaved ice.
Topped with red bean, taro, and juicy fresh fruit, this felt like a bottomless bowl.
Now I want to introduce you to my new boyfriend – don’t worry, Marc is in love with him too –
his name is Mister Donut.
This chain originally started in the United States in 1955
when two brothers broke their partnership together and started businesses separately:
one started Mister Donut and the other started Dunkin Donuts.
That is a talented family.
Mister Donut is now actually a Japanese chain with over 5500 shops
and it’s really popular in Asia, including in Taiwan.
They sell traditional donuts but what I want to talk about are their signature pon de ring donuts.
I thank the dessert gods for this style of donut
because they are totally different from anything you find at, say, Tim Horton’s in Canada.
They remind me of a baby teething ring
which makes sense even for non-teething adults
because this is something you’re going to want to sink your teeth into as often as possible.
I’m about to say two words that belong together: mochi donut.
It’s a mochi freaking donut.
Mochi is a Japanese food – one of my personal favourites - made of glutinous rice
that has a very chewy texture.
They have regular flavours of these mochi donuts like chocolate, strawberry and matcha
and they also do seasonal flavours too.
Two balls on that one bite.
There’s nothing not to love here:
they’re adorable looking, unique, and taste outstanding.
I realized making this video that there’s no footage of me actually eating a mochi donut, however,
and the only explanation I can offer is that they’re so good
I honestly just inhaled them too quickly and forgot.
Sorry not sorry.
But I did have a lesson in self discipline carrying a bag of them home on the subway
because you can’t eat on the subway in Taipei.
Mister Donut!
One mochi donut costs about 35 Taiwan dollars or $1.50 CAD.
I would suggest buying more than one right off the bat
because as soon as you eat it, you’re going to want another one immediately.
Speaking of mochi, we had ice mochi in Hualien
the day we drove a scooter to Taroko National Park
and ducked into a bakery on the way back to our hotel.
Ok I can’t wait any more.
Oh it’s so cold on your teeth.
Look at that.
Whoa.
That is delicious.
It looks like a giant mochi Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.
That’s exactly what it reminds me of.
It’s like a peanut butter cup with a mochi around it.
Uh those are two of my favourite things in the world.
I know.
Look how much peanut butter’s in there.
I thought there’d be like a little bit of peanut butter.
That’s a lot.
My taste buds had several firsts in Taiwan, one of which was collagen milk
at a cute place in Kaohsiung
that’s bright and cheerful outside with a little fish pond.
The staff there take such care in making sure that each and every collagen milk
looks absolutely picture perfect.
They’re presented beautifully with different toppings
and we had red bean with matcha powder and blueberry.
The taste is like nothing I’ve tried before.
It’s not super sweet and it tastes really light and airy.
On average, one collagen milk is about 130 Taiwan dollars or $5.50 CAD.
There’s a sign outside that says ‘a balanced diet is an ice cream in each hand’
and I think that pretty much sums it up.
Sometimes, however, the ice cream is in someone else’s hand,
which is exactly how I found this next dessert.
Two girls we passed on the sidewalk were carrying something that looked seriously good
so I kept an eye out for it.
When we passed a little stand in Ximen in Taipei
they were serving this mystery concoction for 50 Taiwan dollars or about $2 CAD
and I just had to give it a try.
Oh!
Oh my god, that’s so good.
It tastes like um…
maybe pineapple?
I can’t quite put my taste bud on it but it tastes a lot like pineapple.
And these green little flecks are sort of like candied pieces of fruit.
It’s super refreshing.
It tastes like gelato.
Really cold.
Success!
Another little bowl of happiness came in the form of gelato
at a place called 8% Ice.
They have interesting flavours to choose from like black sesame, mascarpone cheese,
pistachio with white chocolate and hojicha with honey
and a cup goes for 100 Taiwan dollars or just over $4 CAD.
I went for French peach with rosewater and Marc got smoked chocolate.
8% Ice is also located on a little park
in one of my favourite neighbourhoods in Taipei called Da’an.
Cheers.
It’s so satisfying.
Holy cowabunga.
It’s like a peach and a rose had a little baby.
Ooh the peach is good.
It’s really good.
That was a good call.
Yeah.
Two thumbs up.
I hope you’ve seen that when you’ve eaten a good meal in Taiwan,
you can expect to finish it off with a fabulous dessert as well.
From Taiwanese inspired ice cream and gelato flavours,
to shaved ice and collagen milk,
and ice mochi to mochi donuts,
Taiwanese desserts have no trouble hitting the sweet spot.
I’d love to hear what you think of these treats
so leave a comment with your favourite or tell me some others you think I should try.
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Thanks for watching!