走在台北市敦北靜巷內，大概很難忽略這間以北歐極簡風格打造的店舖-「冰花本舖」。創意冰品靈感不僅汲取自中西式料理手法，另也回望青春光景，這難忘的吃冰記憶來自台北頂級餐飲「海峽會」，甫迎80歲大壽的會長蔡辰男和其夫人蔡陳保枝，店內刨落的清冰就像一片片積累的餐飲人生，傾瀉而下的醬汁則濃縮了年少時的酸甜記憶。
Walking in the quiet Dunbei alley, people can hardly skip the store in its simple Nordic style “IceQueen”. The creative ice menu is inspired by Chinese and western cuisines; also, it has reproduced the unforgettable memories of youth presented by the luxurious “C. S. Club” in Taipei for the 80th birthday party of the Chairman Tsai Chen-nan and his wife Tsai Chen Bao-zhi. The plain unflavored shaved ice and the culinary career over the years are analogous and the pouring syrup over the top is equivalent to the condensed teenage memories of happiness and adversity.
台北頂級餐館「海峽會」會長蔡辰男和其夫人蔡陳保枝因為難忘古早味清冰，而遍尋新北甚至直驅南部食品行，再花費數天熬製醬汁從而還原李鹹冰和麵茶冰，此外還引進「海峽會」頂級食材波士頓龍蝦，以法式料理手法創意製冰，冀望「冰花本舖」不僅能走進常客心中，更能樹立古早味冰品品牌。
穿越時空的復古風清冰
冰店整體裝潢走北歐風格，一到店面會先經過搭建透明屋頂的前廊，天氣晴朗時沿路還能踩著日光走進店內，大面積的刷白牆面和點綴其間的綠色盆景，讓人心安定不少。店鋪風格雖然現代，翻看菜單卻恍如走進時光隧道，一道道復古冰品映入眼簾。就像老饕指定到店必吃的「李鹹冰」，是用清冰淋上以紫蘇梅、烏梅和酸梅等多種果梅熬製的醬汁，鹹甜滋味是溽暑解渴的聖品，再咬下一口脆香的番茄蜜餞，不僅口感豐富更勾起年少時的酸甜記憶。而日式刨冰有黃豆粉，台灣人最甜美的童年記憶則少不了麵茶粉，店內的「黑糖古早麵茶刨冰」是以麵茶粉包覆黑糖剉冰，一旁搭配大豆和米苔目，豐富過往黑糖剉冰單調的滋味。
創意冰品靈感汲自法菜
沿用「海峽會」頂級食材波士頓龍蝦，以法式冷湯手法調製蝦醬，再鋪上香甜緊緻的龍蝦肉，上桌前還有專人服務現刨帕瑪森起司，品嘗一碗「波士頓龍蝦雪花冰」就像一場另類的法式饗宴。由於堅持使用新鮮龍蝦肉，想一睹龍蝦雪花冰的風采還得提前三天預訂，兩人份的龍蝦冰保留霸氣蝦頭和蝦尾，並以牛奶雪花冰作為基底鋪上蝦醬和蝦肉，一入口濃郁蝦醬和清淡奶香竟然不搶風采，反而相互突顯海鮮和牛奶的鮮味；另四人份的龍蝦冰則以鳳梨蝦球為概念，佐以肉質細膩且味道香甜的金鑽鳳梨，讓吃冰成了一場五感體驗。此外還有顛覆川菜經典的創意鹹食「麻辣牛肉湯豆花」，選用美國牛腱芯熬煮三至四個小時，再把香料炒香同鍋浸泡24小時，最終成就一碗肉香、椒麻香四溢的美味，品嘗時將Q彈牛肉和軟嫩豆花一併入口再品湯，濃而不膩的滋味令齒頰留香，解構中西式料理手法演繹出特色甜點和鹹食。
冰品追求15度清甜滋味
「冰花本舖」的冰品除在風味和口感講求創意，更在健康意識抬頭的現今，選用當季水果入料，並透過糖度計把關每一分冰品皆是15度的適口美味，讓每碗冰從上桌至品嘗到見底都保持相同風味。過往給人甜膩印象的香港經典甜品「楊枝甘露」再製成「楊枝甘露雪花冰」，店家早在二月就遍尋風味和品質穩定的芒果，並搭配酸甜適中的西柚，也不忘淋上經典元素椰奶和西米露，吃來滋味就同其名「甘露」二字越吃越回甘。另一款「蜜漬檸檬刨冰」清冰上嬌貴的黃檸檬外型宛如黃蝶歛翅採蜜，費時七天以蜂蜜醃漬付味，品嘗時一併放上手工蜂蜜檸檬凍和蜂蜜珍珠，享受沁人心脾的檸檬清香和多層次的味覺饗宴。
會長蔡辰男和夫人蔡陳保枝結合多年來的餐飲經驗和年少時的吃冰滋味，把一碗簡單的冰品看成一件偉大事業，不僅精挑細選當季食材，並費心研發創意冰品，更費時呈現每一碗冰品，力求在瞬息萬變的餐飲市場，這碗冰品仍會是客人時不時懷念的好品牌、「老」味道。
The Chairman Tsai Chen-nan and his wife Tsai Chen Bao-zhi are strongly bonded with the plain shaved ice based on vintage flavors; therefore, they searched everywhere including New Taipei City and southern Taiwan for the food ingredient shops and spent numerous days making syrups to reproduce the ice flavored by salty-sweet preserved prunes and roasted wheat flour, the Lixian Ice and the Miancha Ice. Furthermore, the top-class seafood ingredient, Boston lobster, served in the “C. S. Club” is used in the creative ice recipe with the French cooking skills. It’s hoped that “IceQueen” can earn the appreciation of regular guests and build up the ice brand of vintage flavors.
Vintage-flavored shaved ice travel through time
The overall design of the ice shop is in the Nordic style. Through the front transparent roofing hallway, guests are guided to the shop on bright sunny days. The large white walls decorated with green plants create a calming atmosphere. Despite the modern design elements, the menu of a variety of vintage ice reveals a time tunnel right in front of your eyes. Such as the must-try “Lexian Ice,” it is the plain shaved ice topped with the plum syrup made from various preserved prunes, including perilla, smoked and dried plums; the salty-sweet flavor is the best choice for cooling off on hot summer days. With one more bite of the crispy preserved tomato, the teenage memories will emerge through the rich texture. The Japanese shaved ice is added with soybean flour and the miancha (roasted wheat flour) is essential to the happiest childhood memories of the Taiwanese people. The “Vintage Miancha and the Black Sugar-Flavored Ice” available in the shop are served with soybean and mitaimu (thick rice noodles), and the black sugar-flavored shaved ice is wrapped with miancha powder, the monotonous black sugar-flavored ice has become a generous treat.
Creative Ice is inspired by French cuisine
The combination of the top-class food ingredient, Boston lobster, served in the “C. S. Club”, the shrimp sauce prepared by the French cold soup recipe, the snow ice topped by the sweet and tight textured lobster meat, and the freshly grated parmesan cheese served by an exclusive waiter/waitress, the bowl of the “Boston Lobster” is like an alternative French feast. For serving only the fresh lobster meat, guests who want to try the “Boston Lobster Snow Ice” have to make a reservation no less than 3 days prior to arrival. The Lobster Ice for 2 reserves the head and tail of the lobster, the snow ice as the base topped with shrimp sauce and lobster meat. The shrimp sauce with a mellow taste matches perfectly with the light milky aroma and the qualities of fresh seafood and milk share the highlight with each other. Besides, the lobster ice for 4 persons is based on pineapple shrimp balls, it’s served with fine and aromatic golden diamond pineapple to make the ice treat become a five-sense experience. Moreover, the creative salty snack, the “Spicy Beef Soup Douhua (tofu pudding)” has overthrown the classic Sichuan cuisine; by simmering the stewed beef shin for 3 – 4 hours, then soaking the beef with the pan-fired spices for another 24 hours, the soup of aromatic meat and chili scene will be ready to serve. The mix of tender beef and soft douhua (tofu pudding) has a rich taste without dullness and leaves the mouth fragrant, an interpretation of signature sweets and salty snacks by Chinese and western culinary skills.
The ice pursuing the refreshing and sweet taste on 15 degrees
The ice available in the “IceQueen” features creativities in taste and texture; besides, when people are getting more health-conscious nowadays, the seasonal fruits are used as ingredients and the saccharometer controls each ice on 15-degree of quality; therefore, each bowl of ice keeps the same flavor from the serving table to the last bite. The classic Hong Kong snack, Mango Pomelo Sago, makes people impressed with its sweetness; it’s reproduced as the “Mango Pomelo Sago Snow Ice.” The shop has started searching for mangoes with stable taste and quality since February; the mango is served with grapefruit that tastes properly sweet and sour and the ice is topped with classic elements coconut milk and sago for a “Ganlu flavor (a sweet aftertaste)” as mentioned in the name. The other creative ice, “Honey Preserved Lemon Shaved Ice,” is topped with delicate lemon for a scene like the yellow butterfly sipping honey, the lemon has been preserved in honey for seven days to keep the natural sweetness. The mixed bits of handmade honey lemon jelly and honey pearl with the cooling lemon aroma is a multilayered experience for the taste buds.
The Chairman Tsai Chen-nan and his wife Tsai Chen Bao-zhi has integrated their years of culinary experience and teenage memories of tasty ice to make a simple bowl of ice become a great business. Not only spending time carefully selecting the seasonal food ingredients but also dedicating the development of creative ice dishes, the time-consuming effort strives to make each ice dish impress consumers with its enchanting “vintage” flavors in the swiftly changing culinary market.