Popular with locals and tourists, it’s hard to miss the endless long queues forming at this red-brick architectural building that houses Miyahara. It was the largest ophthalmology clinic in Taichung until Japan surrendered in 1945, and subsequently became the city’s health bureau. Over the years, it was left vacant until Taiwan’s pastry company, Dawn Cake, took over and preserved its original red brick wall.

Miyahara has over 60 ice cream flavours of different categories; chocolate, tea, fruits, yoghurt and a list of their own creations. Dark chocolate lovers like us would enjoy this 100% West Africa Dark Chocolate. Powerful, intense, as though tasting the raw cocoa beans. We chose the Lu Gu green tea as a pairing flavour, which has an ineffable fresh aroma. Its bittersweetness and slight vegetal taste are released slowly but leaves a long finishing. By the way, Lu Gu is the most famous of Nantou’s tea region.

Every ice cream dessert comes with up to 5 toppings (depending on the number of ice cream scoops) such as cheesecake and pineapple cakes which are also specialties of Dawn Cake. The waffle bowl is no ordinary waffle base, but a crispy one that’s filled with a fragrant milk flavour. Even with 2 outlets, their queues never seemed to be any shorter at any time.