Snow King (雪王冰淇淋) ice cream, Taipei, Taiwan

By
Yuan-Kwan Chan
– January 26, 2018Posted in: Asia, Featured, Food, Travel

Note: This article was originally published on Dec. 30, 2015, and has been updated to include newer information.

Snow King (雪王冰淇淋) is a popular ice cream shop in Taipei with both standard and unusual flavors, several of which draw from locally available fruits and Taiwanese dishes.

The first two characters translate to "Snow King," which is the name of this ice cream joint that is just outside the Ximending pedestrian area. It's on the second floor of this particular building and is currently open from noon to 8 p.m. every day. (photo by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine)
The first two characters translate to “Snow King,” which is the name of this ice cream joint that is just outside the Ximending pedestrian area. It’s on the second floor of this particular building and is currently open from noon to 8 p.m. every day. (photo by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine)

 

Snow King has been around since 1947. It closed momentarily this past summer for about three months while it tried to find a new location...and ended up staying in the same building, moving one floor above. English and Chinese menus are available. (photo by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine)
Snow King has been around since 1947. It closed momentarily during the summer of 2015 for about three months while it tried to find a new location…and ended up staying in the same building, moving one floor above. At the time, if you needed to use an English menu, you would also be handed a Chinese menu because the latter indicated prices which you had to compare to the other card. If it was blank, it was not being offered. (photo by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine)

 

Now it is much easier to go through a menu at Snow King: one doesn't need two menus in two different languages to compare and contrast, so what you see is what you (can) get. (photo by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine)
Now it is much easier to go through a menu at Snow King: one doesn’t need two menus in two different languages to compare and contrast, so what you see is what you (can) get. (photo by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine)

 

The "73" refers to the fact that the shop offers 73 flavors, but this is a bit deceiving because some of these are seasonal depending on the availability of certain ingredients and fruits. As such, if you need an English menu, you'll also be handed a Chinese menu because the latter indicates prices which you have to compare to the other card. If it's blank, it's not being offered. (photo by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine)
The “73” refers to the fact that the shop offers 73 flavors, but this is a bit deceiving because some of these are seasonal depending on the availability of certain ingredients and fruits.  (photo by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine)

 

My first request was the sesame oil chicken flavor, one that was greeted with loads of skepticism and a bit of an educational lesson. The actual sesame oil chicken dish, which is offered in night markets, is intended for colder winter weather (my visit took place in December, and the temperatures at the time were in the low 70's F). The ice cream, I was told, also includes the additional ingredient of ginger. So, I was instead advised to go for "Level 1 saltiness," which meant skipping the pork knuckle flavor in the same category and going for pork floss. (photo by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine)
My first request was the sesame oil chicken flavor, one that was greeted with loads of skepticism and a bit of an educational lesson. The actual sesame oil chicken dish, which is offered in night markets, is intended for colder winter weather (my visit took place in December, and the temperatures at the time were in the low 70’s F). The ice cream, I was told, also includes the additional ingredient of ginger. So, I was instead advised to go for “Level 1 saltiness,” which meant skipping the pork knuckle flavor in the same category and going for pork floss, shown here. (photo by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine)

 

Pork floss is commonly found across SE Asia in addition to Chinese cooking, but I mostly grew up calling it "yook soong" and dumping it into "jook" (rice porridge). It wasn't until I traveled to SE Asia that I discovered it being used as a topping on pastries, much to my horror because it's stringy (like floss) and is really dry. So it was much to my surprise that this was absolutely delicious. No subtlety here - you can definitely taste the pork floss, and it definitely is salty. It's not just a flavor - you can see the ingredient poking out in this photo. (photo by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine)
Pork floss is commonly found across Southeast Asia in addition to Chinese cooking, but I mostly grew up calling it “yook soong” and dumping it into “jook” (rice porridge). It wasn’t until I traveled to Southeast Asia that I discovered it being used as a topping on pastries, to my horror because it’s stringy (like floss) and is really dry. So it was much to my surprise that this was absolutely delicious. No subtlety here – you can definitely taste the pork floss, and it definitely is salty. It’s not just a flavor: you can see the ingredient poking out in this photo. (photo by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine)

 

For my second flavor, I decided to take a risk and order banana. I often do this to test an ice cream joint and of course the results are mixed. A long time ago, I read in a Let's Go guide (remember those?) that the true test of a great gelato shop in Italy was to look at the banana flavor. If it's yellow, it's artificial. If it has a gray-ish tint that looks like you've taken a banana and completely mashed it, then it is the real deal. As you can see, this is the real deal. I never thought I'd make this definitive a statement, but this is the best banana ice cream I've ever had in my LIFE. (photo by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine)
For my second flavor, I decided to take a risk and order banana. I often do this to test an ice cream joint and of course the results are mixed. A long time ago, I read in a Let’s Go guide (remember those?) that the true test of a great gelato shop in Italy was to look at the banana flavor. If it’s yellow, it’s artificial. If it has a gray-ish tint that looks like you’ve taken a banana and completely mashed it, then it is the real deal. As you can see, this is the real deal. I never thought I’d make this definitive a statement, but this is the best banana ice cream I’ve ever had in my LIFE. (photo by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine)

 

Cinnamon ice cream, consumed during a second visit in 2017. (photo by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine)
Cinnamon ice cream, consumed during a visit in 2017. (photo by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine)

 

Visit No. 3: Honey ice cream. (photo by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine)
Honey ice cream. (photo by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine)

 

A lonely ice cream shop on a Sunday, surrounded by stores and offices that have closed for the evening. No English signage, so you'll have to make a note of the traditional Chinese characters. I have to say, these guys really threw it down. That was some serious ice cream. You have to check this place out if you are ever in Taipei. (photo by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine)
A lonely ice cream shop on a Sunday, surrounded by stores and offices that have closed for the evening. No English signage, so you’ll have to make a note of the traditional Chinese characters. I have to say, these guys really threw it down. That was some serious ice cream. You have to check this place out if you are ever in Taipei. (photo by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine)

 

Address: 65 Wuchang St., Section 1, 2nd Floor, Taipei City.  Telephone: (02)2331-8415.  Website: www.snowking.com.tw. They are open every day from 12 to 8 p.m.  Closest MRT station: Ximen (西門).

地址：台北市武昌街一段65號2樓 電話(02)2331-8415 傳真(02)2371-7262 營業時間12:00~20:00

More photos: Snow King (雪王冰淇淋) as of December 2017
all photos by Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine

Taipei Snow King _20171224_01
Taipei Snow King _20171224_02
Taipei Snow King _20171224_03
Taipei Snow King _20171224_04
Taipei Snow King _20171224_05

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