Nunsongyee 눈송이 Korean Dessert Cafe

When I came back to Singapore a couple of months ago, I was informed that bingsu is the new hip food craze that every man and his brother is going nuts over. Bingsu has its origins in Korea: like shaved ice, but made from frozen milk. Unlike the Taiwanese predecessors, bingsu is shaved so finely, they have a powder-like consistency. 

Everybody has their favourite brand, but I was assured that Nunsongyee 눈송이 Korean Dessert Cafe is the most popular one. The one at Bugis is insanely popular, my sister warned. They're open 24 hours, but when she walked into the store at 11.30pm, the staff was so swarmed that she was kept waiting until 1am.

With her warnings in mind, Miss XS and I went to the branch at Tanjong Katong instead, which is super ulu. We were rewarded with an almost-empty cafe and quick attentive service. Score.

Injeolmi Bingsu ($14.90) is the original flavour. I took a bite, expecting - something... Hmm tastes like powder. The shaved ice was so cold, I couldn't taste anything. Miss XS made the exact same comments, and said to give the bingsu a few moments to melt a little, and to root around the sides for the semi-melted parts first. Strange that it may sound, the semi-melted bits taste way better, because the milk taste came across stronger. I like chancing upon the chewy bits of traditional rice cakes embedded all over the dessert. They're the best thing in the bowl. I started digging exclusively for them.   

The bingsu comes with a small cup of sweetened milk (is this condensed milk made runny?), which you are supposed to mix in with the shaved ice. The sweetness of the milk turned the tasteless powdery bowl into a magical concoction. On a return trip to the Bugis branch, we went at 12pm when there was only one other customer aside from us, and they gave us the entire squeeze-bottle of sweetened milk. Score!

While waiting for the bingsu to melt, we had the Honey Butter Signature Toast ($12.90). It was a little disappointing to see it was made from two slices of ordinary bread, but we bit into the toast to reveal the unique, slightly sticky honey butter spread within. It was pretty decent. 

The Verdict
Are the desserts spectacular? Miss XS seems to think so. I think the price tags are more spectacular. Like those movies that is enjoyable as I watch, but leaves me feeling empty and underwhelmed at the end of the movie.