Snowy Dessert

Personally, I had never tried or heard of bingsu before. I'm a big fan of Korean food but this type of dessert has eluded me! VUE Weekly named Snowy Dessert the #1 Best Shaved Ice 2018 and I was more than willing to learn (and taste) more. The only location in Canada, Old Strathcona's (technically it's in CPR Irvine) Snowy Dessert is a part of a famous chain of restaurants from Korea. I visited on a hot and sunny Saturday evening and was determined to make a whole meal out of the experience.

The restaurant is shiny and fresh. They've got a bunch of cute light fixtures in the shape of snow flakes on the ceiling and one that looks like a little alpine town with houses. (Which makes sense because the literal translation of the restaurant's name from Korean is snowy village.) The space is simple and cute with plenty of seating. I found the service to be friendly and cheerful, happy to take our order at the counter.
While bingsu is the main thing at Snowy Dessert, it isn't the only thing. They also offer an array of taiyaki and toasts. I was instantly excited about the taiyaki (something that I have had before). Taiyaki is a classic Japanese street vendor snack. This fish-shaped cake imitates the shape of a Tai fish (or sea bream), which it is named after. Warm and soft, it can contain a variety of fillings. (These get made quite similarly to a waffle.) At this restaurant you can choose from seven different fillings. But they also have a Hot Dog ($3.75) on the menu that seems to fall under the taiyaki umbrella. I was intrigued. I was very pleased to discover that it's basically a corn dog, except Asian style (which makes it better). They take a hot dog on a stick and surround it in the taiyaki batter, which is far more light and flaky compared to the dense corn dogs that we're used to in North America. This thing was DELICIOUS. I could've eaten ten of them. The warm batter is a little bit sweet and the hot dog inside was ultra juicy. There was nothing inherently "special" about this thing... But somehow it was.

I was also sure to order some of the traditional fish-shaped pastries because I couldn't miss out on them. Of the seven flavours I picked Plain Taiyaki and Pizza Taiyaki ($3.75 each or 3 for $10.50). I did begin to notice that the wait to get each part of our order started to take quite a long time. I wouldn't say that the restaurant was excessively busy but the food did take a while. I didn't mind too much since I was enjoying sitting outside in the small patio area.
Finally arrived, I started with the pizza one, the most savoury taiyaki offered on the menu. (I told you that I was intending to create an entire meal out of this visit.) While I enjoyed the pastry itself, I did find myself searching for the filling as there wasn't very much. The taiyaki at Snowy Dessert is less cakey (compared to ones that I have had in the past) and more pie-like. The dough is flaky which reminded me more of a pie crust. I asked the server what the filling is inside of the "plain" one and was told that it's condensed milk. However again, I could barely locate any such filling inside of my plain taiyaki either. Not to say that I didn't enjoy them, I had just hoped that they would have been more bursting with their supposed contents.

Next it was time for Milk Bingsu (which again, took a very long time to be prepared. In fact we were given a buzzer to alert us when it was ready). This shaved ice dessert can be dressed with a variety of toppings and at Snowy Dessert there are at least fifteen different flavours to choose from. When I first heard about this icy treat I assumed that it would be similar to a Filipino halo-halo. It is not. This is truly it's own thing. I selected the Injeolmi Bingsu (Korean rice cake with almonds - $10.00 for regular size) because it sounded the most like their signature dish. Made using a special machine imported from Korea, a "snow" is created as the base of this dessert. If you are imagining a wet, tasteless ice concoction you could not be more wrong. It's more like fluffy, creamy frozen milk flakes. It's light, lovely, not to sweet, and ultimately enjoyable. It must be experienced to be fully understood. The injeolmi version that I chose was covered in classic ingredients. From the injeolmi itself, a sweet rice cake, to the red bean topping, to the mochi on top. The mochi (another type of rice cake) was especially nice, stuffed with red bean and rolled in sesame seeds. This was a whole lot of very key flavours and textures that made a whole lot of sense together. I really loved this brand new discovery and would certainly return to try more of the bingsu on their menu.

Despite the long wait times and the slightly disappointing taiyaki, everything else at Snowy Dessert was so good that I don't even care about the shortcomings. (That hot dog!) I will most definitely return to eat more hot dogs and try more bingsu flavours. What a perfect place to stop at when you're on a stroll of Whyte Ave!

Everyone’s got a secret sweet tooth and shaved ice I think hits a perfect medium. Not too sweet, easy to eat, and it’s mostly just water if you think about it. Snowy Dessert on Whyte is a place that serves bingsu or Korean shaved ice. And it’s not bad at all. The place is cute from the outside with lots of seats. Their menu is ample but it’s easy to get lost in all their choices. I got their Strawberry Bingsu in a large size for $14. And it’s a decent size for at least 2 people. Piled high with whip cream and layered throughout with strawberries, syrup, condensed milk and of course some fluffy shaved ice. Presentation here is obviously key and they take their time in making each one. I had it on a not so hot day but this is perfect in the summer time. Definitely give this place a try!

Sevier time has thankfully decreased since their soft and grand opening.. hot my desserts (to share!) Last night 10min after paying! The soft fluffy shaved frozen 100% Canadian milk (bingsoo) has the consistency of a light ice cream, especially the more denser bits at the bottom of the bowl. Seasonal fruit is featured, though you shouldn't miss out on their traditional bingsoo covered in a powdered malty cereal, sweetened red beans and soft slightly chewy rice mocha bits. They also have a dense crossaint like pastry filled with custard (yum!), sweetened red bean paste, and other fillings such as oreo. Nice place to grab a large cool dessert to share with friends or family!

So happy I tried this place!! For once we get something original and different in Edmonton!! We had the matcha and red beans bingsu. The texture of the milk shaved ice is so unique! It melts in your mouth yet it is so refreshing and not too sweet.

Waited for this to open since I saw the sign. Drive by and saw the soft opening sign so we pulled around to check it out. Took my oldest daughter here for an afternoon treat and loved it. Could have used a tiny bit more flavouring in the shaved ice but fruit was layered on top and a healthy dose underneath. Will be returning again to try the rest of the flavours. $11 for reg which was a good size to share. If you have a healthy appetite go for the large...yum