WHEN traveling and rain pours, do you scrap the day’s itinerary or do you brave the downpour to check the entries on the must-do list?
It would be easier, and perhaps wiser, to stay in, especially when your nest is a posh address like the Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel in Taipei. You can snuggle in bed wrapped tautly in high-count white cotton sheets, and admire the iconic Taipei 101 tower, standing cool and composed under the rain, through the picture windows from across the bed.
Would you give up the comforts of this good life? I did. All because of the Mango Snowflake Ice. Who in his right mind would head out in the rain to get a bite of an ice-cold dessert? Me.
My scheduled visit to Taipei was short. Of the trip’s five days, only three days count. The first and last day would be allotted for travel and transfers, and the days in between were for touring the attractions.
On the list was the Mango Snowflake Ice, one of Taipei’s famous desserts. I bet this was on your must eat list, too, when you planned a visit to the city. It was quite ironic though that I had to try it on a rainy day.
I hopped on the train, went to Yong Kang Street and searched for the Smoothie House. On a gloomy day, the place was easy to spot with its sunshiny yellow façade glowing (in color and affirmations, like “world-renowned” and “food we can't live without’) on a corner of an intersection not far from the main road.
I’m not sure if the two-storey edifice had an indoor dining on the upper level. I didn't bother to check. It was the al fresco area that came into view so that’s where I looked for my space.
It was a full house, believe it or not. I’m not sure if the oriental-looking guests were locals or tourists. Maybe I was the only tourist among the crowd. The camera and the selfies were the giveaways.
The menu offered several preparations of the iced dessert—with strawberry, kiwi, Taiwan sweet taro, red beans, Tieguanyin tea jelly, yogurt, tapioca pearls, lychees and pana cotta. But for first timers it’s always good to select the bestseller. It’s a chance to know for one’s self why the particular item receives acclaim and adoration.
If it were a hot humid day (the normal weather of the place), the Super Mango Snowflake Ice with Sorbet (NT$ 210) would have been a very refreshing treat. I will leave my review at that.
Across the street was a long queue of locals waiting for their turn to be served by two cooks busy pouring batter on a hot cooking surface and flipping pancakes.
The food rulebook states: “where the locals line up, there is good food.” I finished my shaved ice delicacy and joined the line across the street.
The store’s signboard was in Chinese and recently I just found out it read as “Tianjin Cong You Bing”. Cong you bing translates to “flaky scallion pancake’.
These savory pancakes used dough and not batter, and offered with different fillings—with egg, Taiwanese basil and egg, ham and cheese, cheese and egg, with everything on it. The price ranged from NT$30 with NT$50 as the most expensive.
I opted for the original recipe, with nothing added and cost NT$25.
It was the perfect hot meal on a cold, rainy day. It was flavorful, perhaps the coating of oil added to its tastiness. I became an instant fan. I hope they offer garlic flavor.
Having my fill, I returned to my hotel, had some tea and got ready for my spa therapy at Qi Shiseido Salon and Spa. It’s all about the good life…
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