Double Rainbow

Located on the north side of Irving around 23rd Avenue.

Rating: 4 Stars

Type of Meals: Dessert - Bing (Taiwanese shaved ice), Pearl (tapioca balls) drinks, Ice Cream.

Costs: $2-3

Favorite Dishes: If you want to experience an authentic Taiwanese specialty, order the Bing (Taiwanese shaved ice).

At first glance, this dessert looks like a snow cone in a large bowl but it is so much more. When you order this dish, you get to choose from an assortment of "items" that get buried like treasure inside the ice (only to be found when you excavate this dessert with your spoon).

The ice is topped with condensed milk and brown sugar syrup which gives the ice a sublime sweet taste. Some of the "items" you can choose as fillers are red beans (also known as azuki beans), taro (a root vegetable that tastes like but is better than yam), lichee (a sweet fruit that tastes like a mix between a grape and a ripe nectarine), pearls (some call them tapioca balls), green beans, almond jello, pineapple, and others.

The above fillers are described in my order of preference. You can include up to 3 items in one serving of Bing. You might not think of having red beans or taro when you think of dessert but give these "items" a try.

You'll be surprised at how good they make the ice taste! Be sure to say yes when they ask you if you want condensed milk.

It tastes good and you need those extra calories after LITP! Another equally exotic choice is a Pearl drink that is served in a cup with a extra-wide straw that allows you to suck up the pearls as you sip the drink.

I haven't figured out what the Pearls are made out of, I think it is from barley, but I'm not 100% sure. You can choose milk tea, plain tea, coconut and lychee, or other flavors.

If you want the best Pearl drink, you actually have to go to the store next door. They specialize in pearl teas and are so popular that they often have a line stretching out the door. They have a very extensive list of flavors and my favorite is the red beans pearl tea, or just the milk tea pearl drink.

If you're not ready for dessert, Double Rainbow also has curry fish balls on a stick (haven't been brave enough to try it, let me know how it is) or eggs pickled in tea inside a large rice cooker on the counter. The eggs are tasty but I'm usually too full to have them.

If all of these exotic desserts sound too strange for you, you can always choose from the standard fare of Double Rainbow ice cream.

Ambience: Although this store looks like just another Double Rainbow chain from the outside, you quickly realize that something is different when you notice that every menu item is in Chinese (thankfully, most items are also translated into English).

On the counter sits a mechanical doll in blond braids that shakes the Pearl drinks violently. You are certain to hear Chinese pop music from the store speakers (Mark claims he can lindy to it). The owner can sometimes get a little cranky when a large group comes in so we always move the tables/chairs back to their original place before we leave.

Whatever you do, don't bring the better tasting pearl drinks (from next door) to eat in here; she'll definitely kick you out. Trust me. - Ping Chen, March 2001

Quick Stats:
Rating: 4 Stars
Avg cost: $2-3

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