Bi Yun Ice Factory

Review

Bi Yun Ice Factory is at No. 130 Bazhang Street in Jiji, run out of an ordinary townhouse that is easy to miss. Gofunit says it has been operating for more than thirty years, now in the hands of the third generation, and that at the 2003 Jiji lantern festival it made a three-colour ice bar weighing over 1,100 catties, equal to more than 7,500 regular popsicles, which made it famous overnight.

The signature is the traditional popsicle, made without artificial colours or flavourings, with flavours that change by season. Travel Yam especially recommends the golden banana milk made with Jiji's famous bananas, and diners often choose goat milk, taro milk, champagne milk and various fruit flavours. The bars are moderately sweet, old-fashioned and smooth, a cooling snack while cycling around Jiji.

Fans praise the low prices, wide choice, balanced sweetness and natural fruit flavours, the kind of traditional popsicle you can't get in convenience stores, with goat milk often singled out. Critics find some milk flavours light and not very creamy, and the texture simpler than modern ice cream; the shop is in a residential street with nowhere to sit for long.

Online listings show hours of 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; check before going. Travel Yam says nearly everything is under NT$10, but go by the prices posted and bring small change. The shop opens onto a residential lane, so don't block neighbours' driveways; bicycles or scooters are easiest, and you can ask about insulated packing to take some home.

Good for cyclists touring Jiji, families with children, or anyone craving nostalgic ice treats. Start with the golden banana milk and add a goat milk or seasonal fruit bar to compare; on hot days they melt fast, so eat them soon.