When you are in Taichung (Taiwan), do drop by Xin Fa Ting Honey Bean Shaved Ice 幸發亭蜜豆冰本舖 to rest your heels and enjoy traditional Taiwanese ice desserts at one of Taiwan's oldest ice dessert brands. 幸發亭蜜豆冰本舖 founded in 1938 is a family run business, now in the third generation.
The 79 year old brand is now housed in a large modern two storey dessert parlour in the heart of Taichung 台中市中區. This is the flagship shop - Singfa.ting has several branches around Taichung City.
There are many memorabilia and nostalgic touches like sepia coloured vintage photos and hand cranked ice shaving machines dotted around the modern ice dessert parlour.
But, the biggest link to heritage is in 幸發亭蜜豆冰本舖's menu.
There are old school coarse cut shaved and crushed ice desserts as well as modern fine snow or cloud ice desserts (smoothies). There are some 40 ice desserts on 幸發亭蜜豆冰本舖's menu.
幸發亭蜜豆冰本舖's customers span across generations from trendy youth to elderly seniors. 幸發 has the ice desserts for every generation.
Third generation owner 陈微珠's grandfather 陳溪 founded 幸發亭蜜豆冰本舖 which began life in 1938 as a push cart stall on the streets of old Taichung. Ms 陈微珠 started working at her grandfather's push cart stall since she was 7 years old. Now, Ms 陈微珠's own children are helping out in the shop, so 幸發亭蜜豆冰本舖 is transiting into the fourth generation.
Besides, the trendy, younger set, Ms 陈微珠 shared that she often see elderly emigre here at the shop, visiting Taichung after decades in their adopted countries such as USA, Canada etc.
Warm tears roll down the old lady or gentleman's eyes as they savour the cold cut fruits under a mound of roughly shaved ice. They couldn't believe that they could still taste the same old dessert of their youth, today.
And, that's the thing about food - it is never just a matter of tasty or not.
The looks, taste and smell of food is closely tied to the personal experiences of the diner. It is linked to the place, time, events and people associated with the food and the eating. It's closely tied to the person's identity, self image and indeed, his/her soul and beliefs. So, little wonder then that discussions about food are often so passionate.
Needless to say, 幸發亭蜜豆冰本舖 too went through a lot of trials and tribulations in their 80 years. The shop was originally named 辛發亭 which means "prosper through hard work". Then, 40 years ago, there was a fire at the shop. On reopening after repairing the fire damage, the shop was renamed 幸發亭 which means "prosper through good fortune". In Chinese culture, a change of name hopefully brings a change of luck.
One thing for sure, Singfa.ting is still prospering and thriving.
Singfa.ting's ice desserts are basically crushed, shaved ice or smoothies served with different combinations of local seasonal cut fruits. There's mangoes, banana, pineapple, water melon, pear and lots more.
Other ingredients include boiled red beans, green beans, sugared tapioca, sweet potatoes, yam, rice balls etc. The snow ice can also be infused with matcha etc
The ice desserts can also be topped with crushed peanuts, sesame and other seeds.
Muachi - hand kneaded sticky rice dough coated with sugar and crushed peanuts.
👉 Singfa.ting 幸發亭蜜豆冰本舖 is a nice place in downtown Taichung to chill and enjoy a icy bowl of fresh fruits or sweets. I have a sweet tooth, and enjoyed very much the layers of sweetness from the many combinations of fruits and sweets in the ice desserts. The icy cold makes the desserts addictive in the humid heat of tropical Taichung. Through something as humble as a bowl of ice fruit dessert we can get an insight into the story of Taiwan and Taichung, more specifically.
Restaurant name: Singfa.ting Xin Fa Ting Honey Bean Shaved Ice 幸發亭蜜豆冰本舖
Address: #137, Section 1, Taiwan Boulevard, Central District, Taichung City, Taiwan 台中區台灣大道一段137號 (靠近自由路)
GPS: 24°08'22.7"N 120°40'57.8"E | 24.139643, 120.682727
Tel: +886 4 2229 3257
Hours: 10:00am to 10:00pm daily
No pork, no lard, no Halal cert
Date visited: 19 Jul 2017
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