Taiwan, Taiwan
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There are over 3,000 restaurants worldwide and at least one Michelin star. Only one of them is dedicated solely to ice cream, so you will need to travel to Taiwan to experience it.
Located in an alleyway in Taichin city, next to the wood-lined Calligraphy Greenway Boulevard, the minimalist Spartan grey and dark charcoal facade are in stark contrast to the sweet and colorful treats offered inside.
Founded in 2021 by chef Irvin Wang, it is included in the 2024 Taiwan edition of the Michelin Guide, which was released last August. But just a few months after receiving the star, Wang took a bold step that underlined the pressure many chefs face. He chose to sell only take-out scoops and discontinued the Minimal tasting menu offered in a separate dining space.
“I was thinking about this decision before the (Michelin 2024) ceremony,” Wang tells CNN Travel.
“I’ve always wanted to sell only ice cream and ice cream. The tasting menu was a temporary journey to explore the flavors and possibilities of ice desserts. I learned a lot in the process.
The 20-seat dining section on the second floor of Minimal offered a creative 7-course menu focusing on the various temperatures of the dish, including -5ºC (23ºF) shaved iced desserts and a bowl of very cold -196ºC (-321ºF) iced crystals.
The menu, piloted in 2023, was clearly impressed by the Michelin guide inspector.
“The restaurant, which focuses on ice and ice cream, uses unique local ingredients from Taiwan to cleverly layer flavors and textures with variations in temperature and creative combinations,” says the article on Minimum in the Michelin Guide.
“The meticulous taste, subtlety and mature, skilled techniques all impressed us, reaching a higher level and guaranteed a Michelin star.”
Whether he still feels that way even now that he has removed his dining space is off his hands, Wang says that CNN travel has challenged him to spend time on ice cream, his true passion.
He doesn’t have to wait long to find him – the 2025 edition of the Taiwan Michelin Guide will be released on August 19th.
WAN has been fascinated by the cold treats since childhood.
Observing how fewer ice cream shops there were compared to food and drink counterparts in restaurants and bars, he decided to build another.
Since becoming the world’s first Michelin star ice cream shop in 2024, Minimal has become a culinary appeal and has invited ice cream lovers from nearby.
Hopeful patrons line up patiently every Friday through Monday, waiting more than an hour for their final scoop to sell out around 4pm
“After we got the stars, the biggest change for us was the increase in business and attention,” he says.
“Otherwise, I haven’t changed much. I just want an ice cream shop. No one has to wait an hour for ice cream or food.”
When asked if opening another store would help ease the waiting time, Wang says he is not going to use his success to expand his business – at least for now.
Given the complexity of his offerings, his unwillingness to scale up makes sense. These are not your usual flavors.
Take one of his gelatus, featuring olive oil, oolong tea and magnolia leaves. To extract most from each ingredient, he slowly condenses the tea, which is slowly soaked, to maximize its aroma. The milk is then blended in powder form to avoid dilution of the flavor.
To compensate for the reduction in aroma from the tea leaves during the brewing process, magnolia leaves and olive oil are added to enhance the flavor and provide freshness.
“Ice cream is made up of only four elements: fat, protein, sugar and liquid. What I want to do is rethink each of these elements and play it to the extreme for its ideal flavor.
Every batch of ice cream requires a lot of tasting and adjustments, even if you check out the recipes that are being tested. The complexity of each batch makes it difficult for WAN and his small team to produce in bulk.
“Instead of risking quality dips or sacrificing work-life balance, I want to focus on what I can handle for now,” he says.
CNN Travel contacted Michelin to comment on its review process.
According to the official website, Michelin stars are awarded based on five criteria. The quality of the ingredients, harmony of the flavors, mastery of the techniques, the chef’s personality expressed throughout the dish, and consistency of the entire menu.
The Michelin star emphasizes that it is awarded solely to food on plates, not restaurant decoration, style, format or service.
Restaurants do not need to offer tasting menus to receive their stars. However, Minimal’s non-sitting policy could seal Wan’s fate.
“I think about 70% of our stars were awarded for the tasting menu,” Wang says. “But they also sang praises for our ice cream. If we don’t get the stars for (the latest decision), that’s meant. If we still get the stars as an ice cream shop, that makes a lot more sense to me.”
Wang is certainly not the first chef to make an unconventional decision after receiving a star from the industry’s most popular gourmet Bible.
The acclaimed television show “The Bear” offers a fictional, but somewhat realistic explanation of how chefs need to work to get their star. It becomes even more surprising when one of them suddenly decides he is not willing to play the game.
“The obsession of the culinary industry extends beyond the Michelin star to other admirations like “the 50 best in the world,” says Agnes Chi, an international food critic based in Hong Kong.
“It is understandable that chefs and restaurants pursue awareness in both personal outcomes and business success, but problems arise when some chefs don’t have self-awareness.
“They are driven entirely by these rankings, prioritizing constant media and social media exposure to actual cooking and culinary development. This represents the negative impact of such awards on the industry as humanity tends to lose itself with the glare of praise.”
The Michelin Guide star acts as an outcome and often brings lucrative business opportunities, but some restaurateurs talk about the stress of maintaining it.
Chef Michel Lou Jr. surprised everyone by closing Le Gabroche, a two-star Michelin restaurant in London in 2024, “making time for better work/life balance.”
Meanwhile, the owners of Deans Apic, a luxury restaurant that has earned Michelin star in Belfast, Northern Ireland, said it is not financially sustainable for them to continue.
Others took Michelin to court. Earlier this year, chef Mark Veilatt decided to ban Michelin inspectors from visiting his new venture le restaurant after suing the honorable guide for an unfavourable review of his souffle.
In Wang’s case, he still gives the guide an immeasurable respect, but says he believes it should not direct his happiness. His goal has always been simple – make delicious ice cream.
“In this age of overwhelming information from everyone, I think awards like the Michelin Guide serve as objective and authoritative voices to clean up the fog,” he says.
“But at the same time, it may be fascinating for the chef to guess what the guide wants or follow the path they think they might win a star. You may lose your own path as a result. I find it even more frightening to lose yourself than to lose a star.”
Lately, WAN has been pleased and reports that it sells about 300 cups of ice cream per day to CNN Travel.
“We can’t do anything more than we really sell,” he says. He rubs the creamy gelato from the tub, slowly spreading it onto the sides a few times before scooping out the smooth, cold cup.
For this ice cream perfectionist, each scoop must be performed with the right techniques and patience. This ensures that the ice cream texture is very smooth and melts slowly.
“As the temperature rises, the more aromas and flavors are released,” Wang says. “I want to melt the ice cream two seconds after putting it in my mouth, not a second. It tastes better.”
Food critic Chi agrees with Wang’s choice to refocus on his true passion, the ice cream.
“Minimal’s decision may seem ‘unwise’ at first glance, but it actually reflects a very grounded way of thinking,” she says. “Owners understand that their true professionalism is in making great ice cream, regardless of star ratings. Customer satisfaction is ultimately more important than award recognition.”
And, at the end of the day, she says that minimal is really special.
“Preparing ice cream is like having an entire dessert course. It’s very flavorful and delicate.”
