From the CBD to Sentosa Island, you can now combat the sweltering heat at these best bingsu cafes in Singapore that serve Korean ‘ice kacang’
There’s plenty to be grateful for with Korea’s Hallyu-wave. On top of sappy Korean dramas, electrifying K-pop music, sumptuous Korean barbecue and highly addictive Korean fried chicken, we now have yet another obsession to add on to our list of favourite things from Korea. Say hello to bingsu, also known as a sweet Korean ice-shaved dessert. While it may have some resemblance to our local dessert, Ice Kacang, it is certainly in a league of its own. Starting out with just an offering of simple red bean flavours (patbingsu), bingsu has now evolved to encompass an exciting array of colourful and palate-pleasing varieties. Here’s our round up of places to devour these Korean sweet ice-shaved desserts in Singapore. Watch out for brain freeze!
NunSongYee Korean Dessert Café
Receiving countless stamps of approval from various food bloggers in Singapore, NunSongYee Korean Dessert Café (Nunsongyee 눈송이aptly means “snowflake” in Korean) is definitely the go-to spot for Korean bingsu. Though located at the off-city habitat of Serangoon Gardens and slightly pricier than the usual, its pillow-y shaved ice offerings are worth the visit. They also offer an extensive array of toppings; they even have powdered soybean Korean rice cakes as an option! Must-tries include the choco-banana bingsu ($13.90), black sesame bingsu (S$18.90) and not forgetting, the coffee bingsu ($18.90).
NunSongYee Korean Dessert Café, #01-04, 45 Burghley Drive, Singapore 559022, p. 9712 1122. Open Tue-Thu 12pm-10pm; Fri 12pm-11pm; Sat 10am-11pm; Sun 10am-10pm. Closed on Monday
Bing Go Jung Korean Dessert House
One of the pioneers of bingsu cafes in Singapore, Bing Go Jung Korean Dessert House at Guillemard Village has been serving authentic Korean bingsu that keeps patrons coming back for more. Favourites amongst its loyal foodies are the injeolmi bingsu ($11), and milk and red bean bingsu ($11).
Bing Go Jung Korean Dessert House, #01-01, 102 Guillemard Road, Singapore 339719, p. 6440 5509. Open daily, 12pm – 11pm
Snowman Desserts
The all-time favourite bingsu at Snowman Dessert is, without a doubt, its beautiful Melon Bowl Bingsu ($14). Served delectably in a melon bowl with delicately carved balls of fruits, along with a delightful soft serve ice cream and condensed milk served on the side, the first bite will send you to food heaven in no time. And if you’ve a sweet tooth, you’ll surely love its mango bingsu ($12.90) too. Done devouring this delish dessert? Time for some Korean BBQ at Ssiksin Korean Fried Chicken next, just a stone’s throw away – or perhaps it should be the other way round; whichever floats your boat!
Snowman Desserts, #02-04, Serangoon NEX, 23 Serangoon Central, Singapore 556083, p. 6634 4608. Open daily 11.30am-10pm.
One Ice Cafe
Looking for affordable but still tantalising bingsu? One Ice Café is your solution. With two outlets in Singapore – one at JCube in Jurong and the other at Waterway Point in Punggol, you can now have cheap, simple but nevertheless palate-pleasing bingsu. While its patbingsu ($6.80) topped with crunchy cornflakes is good, its Oreo Bingsu ($6.80) will hit you at the right spot.
One Ice Café, 2 locations in Singapore. See website for details.
Nunsaram Korean Dessert Café
Translated as “snowman” in Korean, Nunsaram is indeed a fitting name for this Korean bingsu café. Conveniently nestled in Orchard Central, Nunsaram Korean Dessert Café is known for its unconventional bright purple-coloured sweet potato bingsu ($14.90) that’s made from fresh ingredients such as sweet potato paste and chunks that come from the root itself. Its other specialties include the Injeolmi Bingsu (S$12.90), Strawberry Bingsu (S$14.90) and Black Sesame Bingsu (S$14.90)
Nunsaram Korean Dessert Café, #05-51/52, Orchard Central, 181 Orchard Road, Singapore 238896. Open daily 11am-10pm.
Insadong Korea Town
Showing a friend around Sentosa, or simply having a blast on the popular island-resort with your pals? Just remember to make a detour to Insadong Korea Town and enjoy its bingsu offerings before exiting. Layered with fruits and ice cream and reasonably priced at $10, this Korean dessert is a great way to end off your fun-filled adventure in Sentosa. Not sure what to get? You can never go wrong with the mango bingsu.
Insadong Korea Town, #01-30/31/32/33, Resorts World Sentosa, 26 Sentosa, Gateway, Singapore 098138, p. 6238 8221. Open daily 11.30am-10pm.
Toms N Toms Coffee
Tucked away at a hidden corner in Tanjong Pagar, one of South Korea’s big coffee chains, Toms N Toms Coffee, offer authentic Korean bingsu here in Singapore. While jamming to its looped playlist of dancey K-pop tracks, enjoy a bowl of its creamy yogurt cheesecake bingsu ($12.90) or its popular milk tea bingsu ($10.90). But if you prefer something familiar, there’s always green tea bingsu ($11.90) or mango bingsu ($10.90) for you to devour.
Toms and Toms, Icon Village, 12 Gopeng Street, Singapore 078877, p. 6225 6313, Open daily 7am-11pm.
Cafe Insadong
Generous servings and relatively cheap prices (less than $10) – what’s not to like about the bingsu at Café Insadong? For a bingsu that costs around $8.50-$9.50, you’re in for a treat – a good portion of ice shave with a massive scoop of ice cream, some red bean, red dates and a dash of crunchy almond slices. The must-try here is certainly its famous Sweet Potato Patbingsu ($9.80), ice shave stuffed with rice cakes, sweet bean paste, sweetened nuts and sweet potato mash – daebak!
Cafe Insadong, 279 South Bridge Road, Singapore 058828, p. 8533 2003. Open Tue-Thu 12pm-9pm; Fri-Sat 12pm-10pm; Sun 2pm-8pm. Closed on Mon.
One Thing Coffee Kids Cafe
With an indoor playroom, free Wi-Fi and its great selection of bingsu, this family-friendly café is indeed a great place to chill during the weekend (or any time of the week for that matter). The hot-seller goes to its matcha patbingsu ($8), served in a lab-like glass beaker – how cute! Otherwise, you can try its flavourful Raspberry bingsu for a sweet treat.
One Thing Coffee Kids Café, #B2-17, Bukit Timah Shopping Centre, 170 Upper Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 588179, p. 9788 1276. Open Sun-Fri 10am-9pm; Sat 10am-10pm.
Chick N Ken
Aside from its scrumptious Korean fried chicken, Chick N Ken also has the most creative Korean bingsu dessert ever, providing you with a unique bingsu-binging experience. You won’t be drizzling the condensed milk onto your bingsu from a tiny cup, but instead, injecting them into your ice shave using syringes – now, you can adjust how sweet you’d want your bingsu to be. Try their Cha-Yen Bingsu (S$12.90), a fusion of Thai and Korean flavours with honeyed Cornflakes, homemade red rubbies and Thai tea agar. Exotic!
Chick N Ken, Raffles Park, 21 Lorong Telok, Singapore 049033, p. 9150 7257. Open Mon-Fri 12pm-3pm & 6pm-10pm; Sat 12pm-10pm. Closed on Sun.
Banana Tree
Prefer a coarser and crunchier ice shave? Then head straight to Banana Tree. While they offer more than just banana-flavoured items, the only bingsu you’ll find here is its Instaworthy Banana Tree’s Read Bean Pot BingSoo ($12.50). Served in a flower pot with a generous scoop of tasty Häagen-Dazs ice cream, its Pot BingSoo is uber milky while the iced shavings are slightly rough.
Banana Tree, 26 Keong Saik Road, Singapore 089133, p. 6221 5020. Open Tue-Sat 11am-9pm; Sun 12pm-7pm. Closed on Mon.
O’ma Spoon Korean Dessert Café
Also known as mother’s spoon, O’ma Spoon Korean Dessert Café is known for dishing out bingsu that is silky smooth, soft and truly melts in your mouth. While its patbingsu ($12.80) is pretty plain, the sweet flavour and smooth texture of the ice shave makes up for it. Also, try its Mango Berry Cheesecake ($18.80) – it’s almost impossible to resist such sweet flavours!
O’ma Spoon Korean Dessert Café, #04-20/32, Somerset 313, Orchard Road, Singapore 238895, p. 6333 0995. Open Mon-Thu 11.15am-10.15pm; Fri & Sat 11am-11pm; Sun 11am-10pm.