Bingsu (or bingsoo) is a dessert originated in Korea. It is a combination of shaved ice and other sweet ingredients. In the past, the accompanying ingredient was usually red bean paste (potbingsu), but now it can go almost with everything. Mango bingsu is one of the most popular. While this dessert has been around for decades, in recent years it has become popular outside South Korea and can be found in many Asian metropolis.
The visit
I tried my first bingsu in Seoul in an outlet of the all-popular Sulbing 설빙 Korean Dessert Cafe. There are outlets all over South Korea.
I chose their bingsu tiramisu that came in a huge bowl topped with a large piece of tiramisu cake and along with a shot of espresso coffee. The shot was provided to be added to the bowl (similarly, I noticed that the green tea bingu came with a shot of green tea… not sure if this applied to all of the available flavors).
I was extremely skeptical about this dessert. But after digging into the mountain of shaved ice covered with cacao powder I changed my mind. It was actually quite good. Nothing comparable to artisan ice cream, but a very refreshing dessert.
Below the mountain of shaved ice there was also a good amount of jelly cubes (in this case chocolate flavored).
I could not finish it all by myself.
The check
This bingsu cost 10,900 WON (9.65 USD). This is pretty much the standard price for a premium bowl. More traditional flavors can cost a little bit less. It should be noted that the bowl could be easily shared between two people and the cafe offered comfortable seating, so overall it was not a bad deal.