< Visited in Aug 2018 & May 2017 >
In southern Taiwan where it's perpetually hot throughout the year, beating the heat with shaved ice dessert must be a wildly popular activity. At least judging from how customers won't stop walking into kokoni kakigori, a Japanese shaved ice shop with just about 10 items on their menu.
Despite the expected heat, I had bravely planned this Tainan trip with lots of walking. From where I stayed at Zheng Xing Street 正兴街, kokoni kakigori was a leisurely 15mins walk away (not counting the time I spent getting lost and then exploring Xin Mei Street 新美街, also covered in this post). I had in fact missed the turn into this alley below (a few times!), to bring me to my destination.
Passing the blue and red buildings above, you will see kokoni kakigori's very understated shopfront. (It doesn't even look open, does it? But for a good reason, not to let the aircon escape.)
Slide the door gently to reveal the industrial-decor on first floor - quite my type of ID, with raw wall finishings, mishmash of old and non-fancy furniture, and a staircase of oldish charm.
If you don't mind the (rather steep) steps and prefer to sit upstairs, it's quite another ambience. Remember you will still have to place your order downstairs at the counter.
Place your order at the counter on the left - the chalkboard menu has just about 10 items, some being seasonal favourites. The first item on the top left corner, ginger juice with tomato & preserved fruit, sounded very local, but I wasn't quite adventurous and don't fancy tomato. Fruity flavours (kiwi yogurt and grape yogurt) are always lovely against the hot weather, but I wanted something more Japanese, leaving me with three options - matcha lemon ice, soybean brown sugar jelly ice or roasted tea black sesame ice. I went with the last for my love of roasted tea and black sesame.
I wiped the mountain of ice clean, enjoyed the warabi mochi (jelly-like confection made from bracken starch and powdered with kinako) and cleansed my palate with genmai tea. A good hour-plus spent at this cosy little place, before continuing with my afternoon stroll.
Just next door, kokoni cafe serves proper food (and quite a number of customers had come into kokoni kakigori mistaking it for the cafe).
Revisiting in Aug 2018, kakigori seemed to be off limits, but their dessert continues to be served at the cafe. There are some seats on the ground floor but I picked up a menu and moved to the second floor, happy to come down again to place my order.
The food menu offers rice bowls, salads and waffles, complemented by an even more extensive beverage and dessert list. I had come prepared for their rice bowl and shaved ice, didn't take long to decide on a pork rice bowl topped with onsen egg and chinese yam (温泉蛋豚肉山药盖饭) and a pearl milk tea shaved ice (珍珠奶茶冰).
Suffice to say it was a fantastic and satisfying lunch. The rice bowl came in a set with refreshing sides and iced green tea - the onsen egg was done finely (ooooh runny yoke) and I love chinese yam (山药).
Their popular pearl milk tea shaved ice did not disappoint, flavourful to the last drop, with very chewy pearls.
Braving the sun again, the neighbourhood was colourful, with a festive charm. Some of the shops had an eyecatching facade, in an almost unintentional manner, typical of Tainan's rustic charm.
Just a short distance away, where I got myself lost earlier while locating kokoni, is Xin Mei Street 新美街. Found out only later that this was another up and coming quaint street with street art and growing personality.
There is just so much to see in Tainan, and covering the sights on foot is a good way to unravel hidden gems off the main route. I will be back for more!
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kokoni kakigori
Address --- Ximen Road, Section 2, Lane 372, No. 23, West Central District 中西区西门路二段372巷23号
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