The World's Only Michelin-Starred Ice Cream Shop Is Tucked Away In The Heart Of One Of Taiwan's Largest Cities

In some ways, Minimal is similar to other restaurants which have received a Michelin star — that is, recognition from the Michelin Guide, a yearly guide to fine dining published by the French tire company. It offers a tasting menu where diners get to enjoy elevated dishes with premium ingredients, all in a rather austerely designed space which some might find intimidating. (With its gray color palette and plain, functional furniture, they don't call it "Minimal" for nothing.) 

But unlike other restaurants given a Michelin star, such as the many restaurants recognized by Michelin in New York City, Minimal doesn't serve the sort of savory food you might expect at a fancy dinner. In fact, it doesn't serve dinner at all. It's an ice cream parlor – the only one currently recognized by the Guide.

Located in Taichung, the second-largest city in Taiwan, Minimal is the brainchild of Arvin Wan, a chef who worked at another Michelin-starred restaurant, Sur-, run by his friend Lin Yi-hua. Wan was inspired to pursue frozen desserts after the death of his mother caused him to question his commitment to the arduous labor and endless hours demanded by a more traditional restaurant. Despite the Michelin star, the restaurant remains a labor of love for Wan – due to offering a tasting menu and a small, six-flavor takeout menu, Minimal is not yet profitable. But for just $30, Wan and the rest of the Minimal team will give you a dessert experience like no other.

While Minimal does offer six flavors for takeout on the restaurant's ground floor, don't go in expecting plain vanilla or quotidian chocolate. The flavors change regularly and seasonally to keep things fresh, but some of the past offerings include a green tea ice cream with sugarcane and mint, as well as a pine needle ice cream with Camellia seed oil. The seven-course tasting menu, however, is where Minimal really flexes its creative muscles.

There's an ice lollipop made from yuzu pear and moroheiya (aka mallow leaf). There's the ice cream made from red flesh plum and walnut, served at -320 degrees Fahrenheit thanks to the use of nitrogen. There's the shaved ice dish made flavored with pineapple, whiskey, and magnolia. And on and on and on, all stemming from chef Arvin Wan's endless search for unique flavor combinations — including a mix of sake and banana that came about once he noticed a similarity in their flavor profiles. And we thought those cow-brushing hippies at Ben & Jerry's had some wild flavors!

Some people might be put off by the presumptuousness of the "elevated ice cream" label — who wants to eat a dessert that thinks it's better than you? But despite the cool modernist decor and the clever flavors, Wan is no snob: He professes a love for the cheap iced treats of his childhood, and simply hopes to bring that sense of wonder and discovery back to the dessert experience.