Taiwan Is Now Home To The Only Michelin-Star Ice Cream Shop In The World
Taiwan has always been known for its fine dining establishments. In the 2024 Michelin Guide, the island had ten establishments gain stars, bringing their total number of establishments with stars to 49.
In the city of Taichung, Minimal has become the world’s first and only ice cream establishment to receive a Michelin star. The restaurant is two stories and has both a takeaway outlet and a dine-in section that offers a seven-course tasting menu.
“Focusing on ice and ice cream, the restaurant skillfully layers flavors and textures through temperature variations and creative combinations, using unique local ingredients from Taiwan,” says the Michelin Guide’s write-up of Minimal.
“The meticulous flavors, delicacy and mature, skilful techniques all impressed us and reached a higher level, warranting a Michelin star.”
Arvin Wan, the founder of Minimal, stated that he’s been obsessed with ice cream since he was a kid.
“My family had a double-door refrigerator with an installed ice-maker. I’d eat ice cubes every day.”
“I grew up in a single-parent household, after graduating from culinary school, I worked as a chef when my mother was battling cancer. The two shifts in the kitchen meant very long working hours. Every morning, I could see my mother for a short while before heading to work, and she was already asleep by the time I got home,” Wan said.
“Before her passing, I didn’t spend much time with her. (After that) I reflected a lot — if I continued on my current path, I wouldn’t have time for people I cherish in the future.”
“Desserts often aren’t the most important part of a meal in a restaurant,” he says.
“They’re more like a finish, a supporting act. I really only love ice. I don’t feel the same way about other desserts. So I just wanted to make ice but that isn’t possible from a restaurant’s perspective — you can’t just serve ice as dessert all year.”
Minimal first opened in 2021. Wan explained that the name was a reference to the amount of elements within ice cream. “Minimalist design may look very simple, but it’s extremely complex if you understand it,” says Wan.
“Similar to ice cream, it goes through a very complex calculation and planning process to obtain such a state and taste.”
On the ground floor, Minimal offers takeaway ice cream from six different flavors that are regularly updated. The second floor opens up to a 20-seater restaurant that serves a seven-course set menu that serves food at mainly sub-zero temperatures.
Wan stated that he experiments with his menu ideas at various temperatures with the help of Minimal’s kitchen system, which is made up of many fridges at different settings. He ensures that everything not only tastes good, but smells good as well.
“Most ice doesn’t have a lot of aroma because fragrance is very inactive below zero,” he says.
“To overcome that, I have to complement it with some other ingredients to create a more complex nose and taste that reminds you of the theme of the dessert.”
“When we were young, most of us loved eating iced desserts. As we grow older, the prospect of eating ice is much less exhilarating – the ice itself hasn’t changed, but the feeling towards it has changed — it’s no longer new and special,” he says.
“I hope that with Minimal, grown-ups can rediscover the joy of eating ice again – as if it was their first ice cream experience.”
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.
