One of the more popular desserts in the United States, to come out of Taiwan recently, is shaved snow. Shaved snow, unlike shaved ice is primarily frozen milk.
Probably one of the most talked about shaved snow places in Taiwan is Ice Monster. I got a chance to see what all of this hype was about after visiting the flagship store in Da’an.
This is the sign seen from the street.
Along with a sign of the top sellers. Their mascot is that block of mango snow with peach fuzz.
In typical Taiwanese fashion, the front of the store showcases many of the delicacies you can enjoy including their sweet potato ginger soup (地瓜薑薑好 / di gua jiang jiang hao).
As it was winter time, their signature mango snow was not available. Mangos are bountiful during the summer. Instead, we elected to go with the Fresh Strawberry Sensation (新鮮草莓綿花甜 / xin xian cao mei mian hua tian).
Literally, fresh strawberry silk flower sweet, 綿花甜 seems to be the name given to shaved snow for anyone checking.
Our dish featured strawberry snow, fresh strawberries, tofu hua (豆腐花 / dou fu hua), and strawberry sorbet.
Unlike many shaved snow places in the US that taste more icy, the shaved snow was creamy and delicate. Even after having dessert before, the experience and dish was quite enjoyable.