#snowflakeice

I am actually back in Tianjin, China now, spending some personal time.  I will return to the U.S. this upcoming Sunday.

Even after I come back to Chicago, I will probably continue to write about some of the amazing spots I went to in Taipei.  I have a few big entries that I wanted to write up, but haven’t found the time.

But I still wanted to give regular updates, so this update might be a tad bit shorter than normal.  Don’t worry though, I will have a lot more time to give more robust entries on my adventures.

So for anyone who has been in the Yongkang area in Taipei, he/she may have heard of a place called Smoothie House.

The name is a little misleading as their primary products are mango snowflake ice, and not smoothies (although they do have a mango smoothie).

The story I heard behind the Smoothie House is that it was opened by a couple.  During its success, the couple had some trouble in paradise, and they decided to split.  The husband opened a rival snowflake ice chain which also happens to be extremely successful, called Ice Monster.

Side Note: Ice Monster is delicious.

The Smoothie House is actually global, so their are plenty of spots in other countries, and they are currently rising in popularity in countries like South Korea.  Though Taiwan is famously known for their mangoes, so it would only make sense to visit a mango snowflake ice spot in a region that is known for top notch mangoes. 

I have had fresh mangoes around Taiwan, and I don’t like to throw the term “best” around, but Taiwan has the BEST mangoes I have ever had.

I have been to Smoothie House, not once ...

... but twice this visit. 

We always had some version of their Mango Snowflake Ice desserts (only differing on the type of fruit that we added in).  The dessert consists of fresh fruit, shaved ice, and mango ice cream.  I think the Smoothie House captures an incredible amount of flavor, and does great justice for the quality of the mangoes in Taiwan. 

The dish has enough ice cream to satisfy any ice cream craving, but gives enough levity with the ice and fruit mixed in, so you don’t feel any guilt.  You also don’t feel bogged down by all the fat and butter a normal cold dessert (like ice cream) binge would have.

Although the dish is HUGE, a big portion of it is ice, so eat away with less worry!