We are already half way through February, and the summer heat has started to settle in. It is that time of the year where we are battling with our inner self over fan speed and blanket covers.
And as we all are aware of, summer in Karachi is unbearable. It gets really hot and humid and to cool ourselves down we go for ‘thanda thanda Rooh Afzah’.
However this time, we have discovered a new dessert place in Karachi that is offering some really cool desserts (pun intended) to fight the summer heat. And it’s called *drumrolls* Bingsu.
Lets check out what is Bingsu about.
Korean ice-creams anyone?
Bingsu is a Korean dessert bar located in Khayaban-e-Nishat, Phase 6, DHA.
As the name suggests, the place sells bingsu, a Korean frozen dessert.
“Patbingsu is a popular Korean shaved ice dessert with sweet toppings that may include chopped fruit, condensed milk, fruit syrup, and red beans. Varieties with ingredients other than red beans are called bingsu.” – Wikipedia.
They have some interesting beverages too.
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A Korean Dessert Place in Karachi, Really?
Yes people, it is true. Actually Bingsu has been around for a year now. But how did it start? Who is behind this venture? There are so many questions to answer but we will get to them one by one.
There are not one, not two but five friends behind this venture. We talked to one of them and he told us the back story of Bingsu.
“A friend told me about Bingsu and I did some research on it and it looked really different and interesting. So we decided to look into it.” – Mufaddal Darbar
How did they come up with the idea of introducing an unfamiliar dessert to Pakistanis?
“We took inspiration from the original product and wanted to innovate on the flavors… We came with our own unique flavors.”
Some of the most popular flavors they got on offer include:
- Chocolate brownie,
- Strawberry cheesecake
- Cookies and cream.
- and many more.
- Note: All of their sauces, purees and syrups are made in-house.
The restaurant also has some ‘fan favorites’ so if you are confused about what to get, you can easily opt for their best sellers.
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Our Experience
Frankly speaking, it’s a treat for your sweet tooth. However, it’s a tad bit pricier for a dessert. If you look at the basics, bingsu is a healthier version of ‘gola ganda’ with a lot of ‘fancy’ toppings and syrups.
We tried three of their flavors and all of them had some unique characteristics. Starting with Strawberry Cheesecake, this one really had all the goodness of a cheesecake.
From the cream to the graham crackers and even the strawberry syrup, it was really delicious. Those who like their things sweet, but not too sweet, should definitely go for this one.
The second flavor we tried was Very Berry and boy oh boy, we are in love with this one. It was sweet and sour like the berries and with the syrup, everything was perfectly blended. One of our colleagues tried this and said,
“It was perfectly balanced especially with the syrup added to it and I loved how light this dessert was. P.S. The brain freeze was real.”
People who really enjoy that ‘khatta meetha’ fusion in their desserts, this should be your pick.
Now, it’s time for the third one and it’s called Matcha. Matcha is basically finely ground green tea leaves powder and it is used to flavor food, both savoury and sweet. If you love green tea, you should really experiment with this one.
It’s a little hard to share an opinion on this one because it’s really different from all the conventional flavors available out there, but it was definitely worth a try. Our colleague said,
“The Matcha was unique. It doesn’t go overboard with its sweet flavor, opting instead for a very restrained taste that only becomes apparent once you’ve had your fill of it.”
Can there be more flavors? Of course, there should always be room for more options. We would love to eat a peanut butter or lotus flavored bingsu. We hope the owners take note of these suggestions.
Ambiance
The atmosphere was great actually. Sitting by a blue wall and eating bingsu will really calm your overworked mind. The blue walls accompanied by wooden benches really serve up the mood.
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The place is small though, so if you feel claustrophobic, you already know how it’s going to be in rush hours. Therefore, we recommend you visit in the evening as it can get busier after dinner.
And since it’s a ‘Korean’ dessert place, you will get to hear a lot of K-pop songs, which is a bonus for K-poppers. Woohoo! You can also find their playlist on Spotify.
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Taste
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Ambience
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Service
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Value for Money
Verdict
Bingsu is a lovely place – the food is good, the service is delightful and the ambiance is very calming. However, since it’s a small place, it can get crowded easily and you can’t fully enjoy your time there.
For the price, it’s a bit on the expensive side. But for the experience, we recommend trying it out for those SPECIAL occasions nonetheless.
