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Often, we see copy-cats quickly pounce on a popular trend in town. For instance, the poke craze is probably the best example where there have been so many opening up, it is almost impossible to keep track of them. However, it seems that the bingsoo train has been a bit slow in arriving at the station. Snowy Village burst onto the scene and deserved all the kudos they received. Yet, the copy-cats were not as many as one would think, especially with the popularity of the dessert. Currently, my favourite is My Frosty out on Renfrew, but there is another one I haven't tried up until my recent visit to Arisu. Located a few stores down, Sulbing was the perfect dessert after a filling Korean BBQ meal.
As per usual, we got my favourite in the Mango Cheese Bingsoo and also Girl Smiley's favourite being the Green Tea. Similar to the current size at Jack Frost, the ones at Sulbing can be described as adequate. Personally, I'm not all that offended by the smaller sizes since it is pretty hard to finish them in general. I found the mango to be pretty tasty and sweet with fluffy semi-sweet snow underneath. Little nuggets of cheesecake surrounded the ice cream. Loved how they provided a side of condensed milk on the side to customize the sweetness. With 2 scoops on ice cream on top and bits of mochi with red bean on the side, the green tea was pretty decent. Again, the sweetness level was moderate, hence the green tea came through with a slight bitterness. Usually, I'm not a fan of red bean, but with the mochi, it was good.
For something different, we got the Chocolate Mint featuring chocolate brownie bites, Oreo bits and mint ice cream. This was the sweetest bingsoo of the bunch due to the ingredients involved. Not one that I would necessarily order for myself, but the kiddies devoured it. Beyond the usual chocolate sugariness of the Oreos and brownies, the mint ice cream added a nice balance. Overall, we were satisfied with the items we tried at Sulbing and wondered why there are so few bingsoo options along North Road (it's like K-Town after all).
The Good:
- More than respectable bingsoo
- Lots of options
- Customizable sweetness with side of condensed milk
The Bad:
- Portions are smallish
- Parking in the complex sucks
- Tables are narrow and flimsy
All aboard the Bingsoo train!!! Yes, that is right, yet another Korean Bingsoo joint. I know it is not unique to Vancouver, but it just seems to me that we get into these trends so quickly (like poke). The latest to join the party is Sweets & Beans Cafe located right underneath Oyama Sushi on Kingsway in Burnaby. Now, unlike the rest of the Bingsoo spots in town, Sweets & Beans offers hot savoury food as well as brunch (and of course coffee too). Hence the "cafe" in the name. I originally checked it out in the Summer and once recently to try at least one of their non-sweet options.
My first visit was after a meal just above at Oyama Sushi. We earmarked Sweets & Beans for dessert as we walked past it after parking our car. This was still in the Summer, so we got both the Mango and Strawberry Bingsoo (in large). Both were comparable to most of the other spots in town in terms of size and presentation. Due to the overload of condensed milk and toppings, the whole thing was a mess with things leaking off the side. I thought the mango was a touch less ripe, but it didn't matter to me since I like it a big tangy. There was plenty of it since it was layered in the middle and bottom as well. The strawberries were more ripe, hence it was sweeter. Mind you, it could've been due to the melted ice cream too... The snow itself was fluffy and light while not overly sweet.
For the kiddies, they wanted the Oreo Bingsoo which wasn't exactly photogenic. Personally, I prefer the fruity bingsoo options over chocolate ones. However, if you love Oreo, I can see the appeal. This was loaded with Oreo cookie dust throughout. Hence, with the bingsoo acting as the "creme filling", it ate pretty much like an Oreo, but less sweet. On my second visit, we went for another non-fruit bingsoo in the Red Velvet. This was loaded with firm and crunchy chocolate wafers (due to the cold bingsoo), dark chocolate shavings and cocoa powder. Yes, this was certainly chocolatey and surprisingly not overly sweet. The snow was super cold, so it was a bit dry to start. It did start to melt, where it became softer. On top, the 2 pieces of red velvet cake were a bit mealy, but moist and just sweet enough.
Onto one of their brunch items, we had the Maple French Toast with sweet berries, Maple syrup, raspberry sorbet, mint and fresh whipped cream. Surprisingly, this was not as sweet as it sounded. Some might want more syrup, but this was perfect in my opinion. The toast itself was lightly crispy on the outside while soft on the inside. I would've liked to see more egg soaked in as well as some sort of custard filling. But it was still good for what it was. Lastly, we tried their Chicken Wing Tower soaked in "marine" sauce. I wasn't exactly sure what a marine sauce entailed, but it was a bit spicy and vinegary. There was a dusting of spice which was definitely impactful but the meat itself needed more salt. Although the exterior was crispy, I found the batter to be too dense while the skin wasn't fully rendered. The meat was juicy though. In general, Sweets & Beans is a worthy addition to the bingsoo scene and offers up something different in brunch as well as more coffee options.
The Good:
- Competitive bingsoo
- Large space
- Brunch options
The Bad:
- I wasn't a fan of the wings
After the initial onset of Korean Bingsoo in the GVRD started mostly by Snowy Village, there was a rash of similar joints opening up such as Sulmida, Passion8 and My Frosty. Let's not forget one could get this at Midam as well including a few lesser known places. Then all-of-a-sudden, there has been a lull of sorts when no new places entered the scene. However, with anything that is hot, there will be a rush of imitators (think Poke...). One of the newer spots is Jack Frost in Richmond, which I visited several months ago, but never go around to blogging about it. We dropped by recently, so it was a good time to finally write it up.
My initial visit was when it first opened with Joyce, Nora and Lesley. We ended up trying 2 of their bingsoos including the Matcha Red Bean and Mango. First and foremost, I found the sizing to be on the smaller side when compared to places such as Snowy Village and My Frosty. However, with that being said, they were still more than enough and they didn't skimp on the ingredients. I found the matcha to be good with enough tea flavour without being bitter. The ice itself was light and just sweet enough. Of course I'm biased towards My Frosty and their flavoured Bingsoo, but this was good nonetheless. Originally, when we had the mango for the first time, there was cheesecake, but the second time, there was none. Mangoes were ripe and plentiful though being layered underneath the snow as well.
On our second visit, we did got the Strawberry and it did include a slice of cheesecake. As such, the bingsoo was more "filling" and less light to eat. However, I love cheesecake, so I much prefer it being there. Similar to last time, the milky snow was fluffy and light while not overly sweet. That was a good thing as the strawberries and condensed milk ensured there would be more than enough flavour. For the kiddies, they wanted the Oreo Bingsoo over the dipping dots, so we didn't get the dipping dots... :( Anyways, this was good too being overloaded with whole Oreos and layered with even more bits underneath. To top it off, there was Oreo dust on the sides and little brownie bites. This ate a bit sweeter due to the inclusion of so many Oreo components.
We also got a seasonal offering in the Watermelon Bingsoo served in a half-watermelon. It was topped with melon balls, ice cream and condensed milk. Due to watermelon being mild-in-taste and well, watery, this was very light and refreshing. The ice cream was necessary in bringing more sweetness to the table. Overall, we enjoyed the bingsoo at Jack Frost and it is definitely a good addition to the existing spots in town. Despite the smaller portions, the quality is there.
The Good:
- Sweetness level is about right
- Enough fruit on top and within the layers
- People are friendly enough
The Bad:
- Parking for that location is truly a challenge (even more so than other Richmond spots)
- Portions are small
I know I am repeating myself every now and then when I say that we are a society of crazes and copy-cats. Other than the explosion of poke joints and mille crepe cafes in town, the other hot ticket item has been Korean bingsoo. It all started with Snowy Village (now with several locations) and their fluffy snow and delicious tayakis. Then the others jumped on board including Sulmida and Passion8. The newest to join the fray is My Frosty, which to me at least, should be called Mr. Frosty due to their signage. But whatever...
I paid them a visit one day and decided to try out the Matcha and also the Mango Bingsoo in small. Prices were around $10.00 which is pretty much par for the course. Portion size was also pretty standard, but at the very least, it was a fair for the price. Most of the time, matcha bingsoo looks the part but hardly tastes the part. Not here though as the airy and snowy flakes were flavourful without being too sweet and not overly bitter either. The red bean was sweet of course, but not overwhelming. I liked the mango as well where it was ripe, but not overripe. The snow was milky and flavourful while being airy and light. Loved how it was refreshing and purposefully sweet.
I returned a few days later and tried the Chocolate as well as the Strawberry Bingsoo. Dressed impressively with cubes of chocolate cake, Beuno, ice cream and a brownie, the chocolate bingsoo looked good. However, I found the snow to be not chocolately enough to match its appearance. Texturally, it was still fine and the cubes of cake were fluffy while the brownie wasn't too sweet. I guess it was par for the course with anything Asian and chocolate. Essentially the same as the mango bingsoo, the strawberry was just a bit more tart and less sweet. I liked how there was ice cream and corn flakes embedded in the snow. If we were to compare with the others, I would say My Frosty gives Snowy Village a run for its money.
The Good:
- Delicate and not-to-sweet milky snow
- Good fruit/topping-to-snow ratio
- Friendly service
The Bad:
- Where's the water?
- Limited seating
Cornering Mijune and actually meeting up with her is super difficult these days. If it weren't impossible before, it takes a Herculean effort now since she is now a resident judge on Top Chef Canada (renewed for another season too!). Now add in a wild card in Nora, who is also super busy, the impossible happened - we all met up for dessert! Lucky me right? Well, we ended up visiting the Richmond location of Sulmida for some shaved ice and dessert toast.
We decided to try the standard in a large order of Mango Shaved Ice (or Bingsoo). This was a decent portion of fluffy and almost creamy shaved ice that was nearly on par with Snowy Village. As evidenced in the picture, the mango was barely ripe which meant it was sweet with a noticeable tang. The conservative amount of mango sauce meant things weren't too sweet. For our second item, we chose the Injeolmi Toast topped with ice cream. I found this version rather flat and lacking in toast. There was a decent amount of rice cake in between that was soft and chewy. The dessert was a lot less sweeter than it appeared, but it wasn't bland. There was a certain powdery nuttiness from the bean powder.
On another visit with Nora, we ended up with another mango bingsoo and also a Strawberry Lava Bread (think toast box) with custard and fruit. I wasn't a huge fan of this as the bread was dense didn't have a good mouth-feel. Inside, the whole thing was sweet where it didn't seem to be enough fruit to provide balance. I gave up on this and decided to finish off the bingsoo instead. That really summed it up though as the bingsoo is the thing to get here. I really wasn't super impressed with the other items. With that being said, I still prefer Snowy Village, but Sulmida does make a decent bingoo still.
The Good:
- Decent bingsoo, fluffy and light
- More options than Snowy Village
The Bad:
- The other items were meh
Here we go with another fad... Sigh, Vancity... I guess I shouldn't be so hard on my hometown since fads do occur worldwide. Somehow, it just gets a bit crazy here with one thing after another. The latest to go nuclear locally has been Korean Bingsoo (shaved ice). Ever since Snowy Village introduced the masses to Bingsoo (and their version of Taiyaki), there have been copycats (of course and why not) opening up. The latest is Passion8 Dessert Cafe on Cambie serving up their amped up versions.
To get a baseline for comparison, Emily and I got a large Mango Bongo featuring shaved ice, cheesecake bites, mango, mango sauce and yogurt gelato. For me, it didn't take much time for me to crown Snowy Village the champion of this comparison. The ice itself wasn't too bad as it was airy and snow-like. It wasn't too sweet which was good since the mango sauce and ripe mango provided enough sweetness on their own. We weren't huge fans of the cheesecake bites as they were overly tart and powdery. The yogurt gelato was okay and did taste like yogurt.
The real star of the show was the Tiramisu Shaved Ice not only because it was stunningly beautiful, the tiramisu on top was actually quite good. With a liberal amount of cocoa powder on top, there was plenty of chocolate goodness to go around including the firm chocolate shavings. The ingredients were sweet, but not too much which meant it was easy to eat. To kick things up, the side of espresso did what it was supposed to do. The only thing I didn't like were the bits of cheesecake again, they really didn't go flavourwise with the rest of the dessert.
On another visit, Viv and I got the Strawberry Shaved Ice and it was essentially the same as the Mango except with a different fruit. Comparing to Snowy Village once again, I noticed that the snow was not as creamy. It was similar in texture and consistency though. Being that strawberries can be tangy, this ate a bit lighter than the mango. One big difference was that instead of cheesecake bites, there was a small slice of cheesecake on top. Although I enjoy dense NY-style cheesecake, I believe that a lighter version would work better for shaved ice.
To vary it up a bit, we also tried the Very Berry Soboro Pancake. In reality, it was more like a flaky pastry pie with custard, sugar crumb topping, strawberries, whipped cream, cheesecake and blueberry sauce. Although it was quite the concoction, there was a bit too much going on. Individually, the components were quite good from the pastry to the not-too-sweet custard. Even the cheesecake was fine on its own. All together, it was muddled and confusing.
On a third visit, Grace wanted to try the Chocolate Gateau that featured thin layers of cake encased in a rich and chocolatey ganache. I thought the flavours were quite balanced with mild sweetness and of course a touch of bitterness. However, the cake itself was fairly dry. After 3 visits, Passion8 started to grow on me. Although the shaved ice was not as creamy as the one at Snowy Village, it is still good and is definitely one of the better options in town.
The Good:
- Solid shaved ice with fresh fruit
- That tiramisu shaved ice...
The Bad:
- Not sure about the other stuff
- Love they have a parking lot, good luck finding a space
Posts
Often, we see copy-cats quickly pounce on a popular trend in town. For instance, the poke craze is probably the best example where there have been so many opening up, it is almost impossible to keep track of them. However, it seems that the bingsoo train has been a bit slow in arriving at the station. Snowy Village burst onto the scene and deserved all the kudos they received. Yet, the copy-cats were not as many as one would think, especially with the popularity of the dessert. Currently, my favourite is My Frosty out on Renfrew, but there is another one I haven't tried up until my recent visit to Arisu. Located a few stores down, Sulbing was the perfect dessert after a filling Korean BBQ meal.
As per usual, we got my favourite in the Mango Cheese Bingsoo and also Girl Smiley's favourite being the Green Tea. Similar to the current size at Jack Frost, the ones at Sulbing can be described as adequate. Personally, I'm not all that offended by the smaller sizes since it is pretty hard to finish them in general. I found the mango to be pretty tasty and sweet with fluffy semi-sweet snow underneath. Little nuggets of cheesecake surrounded the ice cream. Loved how they provided a side of condensed milk on the side to customize the sweetness. With 2 scoops on ice cream on top and bits of mochi with red bean on the side, the green tea was pretty decent. Again, the sweetness level was moderate, hence the green tea came through with a slight bitterness. Usually, I'm not a fan of red bean, but with the mochi, it was good.
For something different, we got the Chocolate Mint featuring chocolate brownie bites, Oreo bits and mint ice cream. This was the sweetest bingsoo of the bunch due to the ingredients involved. Not one that I would necessarily order for myself, but the kiddies devoured it. Beyond the usual chocolate sugariness of the Oreos and brownies, the mint ice cream added a nice balance. Overall, we were satisfied with the items we tried at Sulbing and wondered why there are so few bingsoo options along North Road (it's like K-Town after all). 
