MIYAHARA OPTHALMOLOGY DEPARTMENT

Having just arrived in Taichung, we decided to check out one of the local recommendations that was close to where we were staying - Miyahara Opthalmology Department, otherwise known in Chinese as 宫原眼科 (Gong Yuan Yan Ke).

Located a few minutes walk from the Taichung Train Station in the Central district of Taichung, this red brick building was previously used as an eye clinic that was constructed by Miyahara, a Japanese optometrist, in 1927 during the Japanese occupation period.

The name was pretty deceiving at first, but today, the newly renovated building houses the flagship store of the famous “Dawn Cake” (日出蛋糕), and sells other interesting treats such as pineapple cakes, chocolates and cookies.

The interior inside, which is based on the original clinic and pharmacy design, is absolutely exquisite - fitted with high ceilings, medicines chests, wooden wall book cabinets, and the warm lighting which gave it a tranquil library atmosphere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is also an ice cream parlour on the 1st floor, from which there are dozens of flavours to choose from - from various varieties of chocolate-based ones such as Venezuala 72% floral & fruity, to Miyahara Special flavours such as Honey cheese. There were also some rather intriguing sounding tea-based flavours such as 'Tomorrow will be better' and 'Between dreams and life'.

We were served by staff that were all dressed in uniform, and  were very friendly and efficient.

 

The queue was thankfully not too long, so I stood in line waiting excitedly for my order to be taken.

Almost as excited as this little cutie that was in front of me...

The order sheets that they handed out were in Mandarin, but thankfully there were also some leaflets with English translations.

 

 

There is then a selection of tasty toppings to choose from, depending on how many scoops of ice cream you have ordered. We went for three scoops in a waffle bowl, where we then could choose four complimentary toppings. I skipped the sauces as I had my eyes set on the interesting looking pastry and biscuit toppings...

 

 

There is also a restaurant on the 2nd floor, which we missed out on, but I would definitely like to check out should I visit again in future.

Deliciously good ice cream, and a bit of a history lesson - what's not to like?

Miyahara is located at No. 20, Chung Shan Road, Chung District, Taichung City, Taiwan, and is open from 10:00 - 22:00.

The Cheekster, signing out x

SUMMER IS HERE!

It's official - the clocks have turned and summer is finally here!

Got up early with short of an hours lack of sleep and manically got ready to catch the train to Scarborough. A rather foggy start to the day again, but that didn't stop this sun worshipper from baring her legs in a short denim skirt when it was 5 degrees celsius in the morning! Met up with Piotr my Polish friend - last minute decision made the day before as we both clearly didn't have much else to do. 

We barely made it onto the train with only a minute to spare because someone forgot to announce the change in platforms! 

We made it!

We got the earliest train on a Sunday where we had to switch trains at York - this is one of the rare occasions where I didn't have my breakfast so I grabbed a hot chocolate from Pumpkin Cafe.

Early morning start

Piotr and his tea!

The weather was still a bit chilly when we arrived but at least there was sunshine and clear blue skies. The seaside was about a 15 minute walk from the station which wasn't too bad. We decided to walk barefooted on the beach - not quite realizing how cold the water was! But that's ok, I think my feet went a bit numb after a while.

Not wanting to ruin my brand new leather GOEX shoes, I brought my spare cheap New Look pumps as a sacrifice! - it had to endure hours of my wet sandy feet. Piotr was kind enough to help me carry my shoes (and later on my jacket) in his backpack and lent me his towel as well - this man clearly has better insight than me!

We had lunch at Winking Willy's - the name still makes me smile when I think of it! We both ordered the Chunky Monkey - monkfish served with chips, salad garnish and tartare sauce, for the price of 9.35 pounds. Not sure why my portion of chips appeared to be double the size of his, but he helped me to finish mine anyway! Service was good as we were attended to promptly by the waiters/waitresses.

Chunky Monkey!

 There's nothing better than a nice cold ice cream on a (not-so-warm) summer's day. I had a strawberry whirl which didn't have much of a strawberry taste to it but wasn't too bad for 1.40.

We had a short laze under the sun as we let the food settle down in our satisfied tummies.

Utilizing his towel again!

We walked up the hill and visited the castle - 4.80 entrance fees for adults, shame we're no longer students. The view from above was gorgeous as we had a good view of Scarborough town and the sea.

Unsurprisingly, we had MORE ice cream - the earlier soft ice cream wasn't quite as satisfying so we optioned for the proper scooped one. I had a double scoop of coconut and sticky toffee crunch which cost 3.00 pounds - amazingly rich and yummy.

I didn't eat them all I swear!

After a few very relaxing hours in the sun we caught the train back to Leeds, a bit tired but happy. Here's hoping the weather stays this way all summer - then again you know what British weather is like.

p.s.: Thank you Piotr for being my kind, patient photographer for the day. If anyone is looking for a gentleman I can introduce you to him - trustworthy recommendation from yours truly! 

Right, I have just a few hours left to list my eBay items for free this weekend!

Lotsa love xoxo