Did Rain Bi and Fan Bing Bing (范冰冰) opened a Korean bingsu café together at Chinatown and named it BiBing? Not really, but this korean bingsu café with a peculiar name is opened by a group of friends, both local and Koreans.
Located at the touristy Chinatown with another similar Korean bingsu café Café Insadong nearby, BiBing has some favourable conditions for a positive start.
A constant human traffic of tourists, hot and humid weather in Singapore (can be unbearable at times!), pretty Korean girls for eye candies and Instagram-worthy desserts.
The interior was decorated like a scene shown in Korean dramas. Tall trees ‘planted’ at each long table along the aisle whereas small potted plants could be seen on the individual tables. It felt like a walk in the garden with the trees sheltering us above.
Their Signature Bingsu, the BiBim ($18), which their café is named after, is the most expensive among the lot.
Other interesting flavours include the Cheese Baileys Bingsu ($16) and Marshmallow Bingsu ($12) and each bingsu comes with a choice of a scoop of pistachio almond, vanilla, chocolate or salted caramel ice cream.
Apart from bingsus, the toasts cost between $7.50 and $8.
The BiBim ($18) was remodelled like a real bibimbap (Korean mixed rice) using fruits of various colours as toppings instead. The egg yolk was created using a slice of mango whereas the egg white was made from yogurt.
Pretty colours and appeitsing huh? Not until we decided to do it the bibimbap way and stir everything together.
While digging our spoons into the bowl, we realized that the shaved ice was so fine, soft and fluffy that we were pretty sure that it would be one of the best Korean bingsu in Singapore. As we thought so initially.
Sadly, the shaved ice turned out to be pretty bland like snow (Yes, I fell face flat onto the ground before and ate some snow accidentally. Yikes.)
Without using similar shaved milk found in other Korean bingsu cafes, the BiBim turned out pretty ordinary like an ice fruit salad. It was citrusy and pretty healthy on its own though (think vitamins and antioxidants).
The Cheese Baileys Bingsu ($16) came with chunks of brownies topped with cheese and almond flakes. Just like the BiBim, the flavour was on the weaker side and taste of Baileys wasn’t really distinct.
We loved the presentation of the Marshmallow Bingsu ($12). Filled with pink heart shaped marshamallows, it seemed like an ideal gift for Valentine’s Day (if it doesn’t melt).
Heart- shaped marshmallows, Saranghaeyo. We wished that you could be a little smaller so that we could swallow you whole- heartedly. It’s a pity that we could not feel your love.
If only the bingsu could be as mashisoyo (meaning ‘delicious’ in Korean) as it looked. The shaved ice was soft and fluffy but the overall taste could be a little weak. More generosity with the ingredients would be appreciated.
BiBing 비빙
50, Smith Street, Singapore 058958 (5 min walk from Chinatown MRT)
Opening Hours: 12pm – 10pm (Tue-Thu), 12pm – 11pm (Fri), 10am – 11pm (Sat), 10am – 10pm (Sun), Closed Mon
https://www.facebook.com/bibingcafe
Other Related Entries
10 Best Korean Cafes In Singapore
10 Korean Bingsu In Singapore
O’ma Spoon Korean Dessert Cafe (313 Somerset)
Nunsaram (Orchard Central)
Snowy Village (Prinsep Street)
* Written by Daniel’s Food Diary Cafe Correspondent Nicholas Tan. Otherwise known as @stormscape, you can find photos of his cafe adventures on Instagram.
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