Yan Zhong Mian Cha

Review

Yan Zhong Mian Cha began by roasting mian cha, a sweetened toasted flour, by hand the traditional way. Its flagship on Putou Street in Lukang's old town is easy to spot by its retro sign in big red characters, a popular photo backdrop. It later opened a second shop on Zhongshan Road beside the Tianhou Temple and a third next to the flagship in a Minnan old-house style. Supertaste has featured it several times for turning old-fashioned mian cha into shaved ice, slushes and soft-serve, making it a leading example of Lukang's new takes on traditional snacks.

The mian cha is roasted for about four hours with no preservatives, in flavors including original, sesame, almond and fried shallot, plus sugar-free versions; all but the shallot flavor suit vegetarians. The headline item is the milk-foam mian cha shaved ice, NT$250 for two: shaved ice and mian cha heaped into a mound, topped with milk foam and sugar torched into caramel, and the mian cha forms crunchy little clusters when it meets the icy water. The mian cha slush is fine and creamy, topped with colorful puffed rice; the mian cha shaved ice comes with five-grain puffed rice and tastes refreshing; and on holidays there is a float that combines the slush with soft-serve.

Media and bloggers mostly praise the authentic aroma of the traditional mian cha and the nostalgic storefront, and the float is seen as good value for delivering two signatures in one cup. The usual reservation is price: NT$250 for the milk-foam ice is not cheap for a tourist-area dessert, and it is a lot for one person. The soft-serve itself is mildly sweet, and the mian cha aroma comes through more clearly in the slush.

The flagship opens around 10:30 am to 6 pm on weekdays and 10 am to 6:30 pm on weekends and holidays. The old street is crowded on holidays and the shop is small, so a short wait is possible. Besides eating in, it sells boxed mian cha, single-serve packets and popsicles; with no preservatives, boxed mian cha has a short shelf life, so brew it soon. Sources list the flagship as No. 63 or No. 61 Putou Street; just look for the red sign.

It suits anyone walking the old street on a hot day who wants a distinctive ice dessert or a gift to take home. Pairs can share the milk-foam mian cha shaved ice; solo visitors should get the mian cha slush or the holiday float, then pick up a box of sesame or original mian cha on the way out.