Yizhong Feng Ren Ice

Review

Yizhong Feng Ren Ice sits in Lane 3 of Yucai Street, diagonally across from the main gate of Taichung First Senior High. Chen Te-wang started it in 1946 with a wooden cart selling black-tea ice with ice cream; in the 1950s he added a pineapple version, and around 1970 he switched to a sour plum base because pineapple was seasonal. The third generation runs it today. One story says customers who ate ice even in winter earned it the nickname of crazy people's ice, later renamed with a homophone. About 500 meters away on Shuangshi Road is a separate Feng Ren original shop, and since the two tell different origin stories, they are often compared.

The menu has just three items: the signature, a dry version and plain sour plum ice. The signature pours house-made sour plum syrup over finely crushed ice, adds honeyed beans and finishes with handmade milk ice cream. The beans stay whole, soft yet chewy, and the tart, slightly salty plum balances their sweetness while the ice cream is rich and smooth. The dry version halves the plum ice and doubles the ice cream, so it is sweeter and richer. Sources list prices from NT$40 to NT$51, so check on the day.

Praise centers on the sweet, sour and salty balance and the nostalgia; one author has chosen this shop for twenty years, and a blogger who walked past hundreds of times fell for it at first taste. Critics find the plum syrup too salty and the choices limited, preferring the rival shop's wider toppings such as taro balls and tapioca.

There is no proper shopfront; seats sit beside a building arcade, shaded, worn but clean. Summer and weekends are busy, but tables turn quickly, so waits are usually short. Hours run roughly noon to 10 p.m., though some list a 10 a.m. opening, and days off are given as Tuesday, Tuesday and Saturday, or irregular; check before you go.

Best for a nostalgic iced dessert while exploring the Yizhong area. First-timers should order the signature to taste all three elements together; if you dislike tartness, try the dry version, or go for plain sour plum ice for something lighter.