Click HERE to read about re-visiting Benkei and trying out an incredibly dilapidated Bubble Tea Shop!
It may be possible that I'm an exception, but I personally find the opening hours of many businesses in Richmond to be completely random and inappropriate. The standard opening hours for lunch spots in the suburbs back home range between 11:00 AM and 12:30 PM, while bubble tea and specialty dessert shops won't open later than 2:30 PM.
The market is undeniably different in the smaller city: peak and off-peak hours play no part in determining traffic times nor periods of high (customer) volume. Specialty food stores tend to only operate in the late afternoon and evening hours, but do not extend their services into late-night; restaurants are only fully functional past noon, and never prepared to open past 10 PM.
The market is undeniably different in the smaller city: peak and off-peak hours play no part in determining traffic times nor periods of high (customer) volume. Specialty food stores tend to only operate in the late afternoon and evening hours, but do not extend their services into late-night; restaurants are only fully functional past noon, and never prepared to open past 10 PM.
Snowy Village had been our primary destination of the day, and happened to fall precisely within the category of shops with inappropriate store hours. But for the purpose of experiencing authentic Korean bingsoo, we had devised a plan revolving around their extremely odd store hours of 1:00 PM on select days of the week and 5:00PM on all other days.
We began our trek from Superstore around 4:45 PM, unaware that a lineup had already begun to form outside the green-hued establishment.
As we marched across the final stretch of shops, a small vehicle pulled into and promptly stopped at the entranceway. The passenger door was flung open, revealing a thin-framed, short-shorts-wearing girl with a messy bun. She took one glance at the steadily growing lineup, grimaced, and absentmindedly took a step forward.
We began our trek from Superstore around 4:45 PM, unaware that a lineup had already begun to form outside the green-hued establishment.
As we marched across the final stretch of shops, a small vehicle pulled into and promptly stopped at the entranceway. The passenger door was flung open, revealing a thin-framed, short-shorts-wearing girl with a messy bun. She took one glance at the steadily growing lineup, grimaced, and absentmindedly took a step forward.
"I detest having to wait." would be an understatement. In a world where modern society is directly influenced by individual and collective productivity levels, efficiency is key to the constant development of our current and future generations. As someone whose aim is to reduce congestion for the sake of reduced waiting times, the sheer presence of a lineup was a nuisance to me.
Bolting across the parking lot, I managed to snap into the queue just before the thin non-commuter and another middle-aged lady joined the lineup. Approximately several minutes after 5:00 PM, the doors opened and customers slowly filled the dessert parlour.
Bolting across the parking lot, I managed to snap into the queue just before the thin non-commuter and another middle-aged lady joined the lineup. Approximately several minutes after 5:00 PM, the doors opened and customers slowly filled the dessert parlour.
I guess we had lucked out, seeing as we were the last group to obtain a table for dine-in. Others were either put onto a waiting list (indeed, the community addiction to bingsoo was severe) or requested to take the coveted shaved ice creations to go.
The Melon Bingsoo was the single item on my mind: a towering pyramid of fluffy ice decorated with small, spherical melonballs enough to feed five. The cashier at the Robson outpost had informed me that the twenty-dollar creation was an item exclusively limited to the months of June to August, and ensured that it was available at both locations.
Contrary to his words, I was devastated when we were told the opposite. To make matters worse, only specific flavours of bingsoo could be ordered in a large size - quantity control was executed to prevent particular items from selling out too rapidly.
I longed for a mix of Blueberry and Cheesecake, seeing as Melon was no longer an option. Unfortunately, only fruit flavours could be compiled in a half-and-half format.
The Melon Bingsoo was the single item on my mind: a towering pyramid of fluffy ice decorated with small, spherical melonballs enough to feed five. The cashier at the Robson outpost had informed me that the twenty-dollar creation was an item exclusively limited to the months of June to August, and ensured that it was available at both locations.
Contrary to his words, I was devastated when we were told the opposite. To make matters worse, only specific flavours of bingsoo could be ordered in a large size - quantity control was executed to prevent particular items from selling out too rapidly.
I longed for a mix of Blueberry and Cheesecake, seeing as Melon was no longer an option. Unfortunately, only fruit flavours could be compiled in a half-and-half format.
The final decision lay with me, so I ultimately settled for two regular bingsoos - one Blueberry and one Cheesecake - and three pieces of Croissant Taiyaki.
Taiyaki, or bungeoppang in Korean, was given a unique twist with the addition of a layer of flaky pastry that I hadn't witnessed being done anywhere else (at least, not in the GTA anyway). Priced at $10 for three pieces, the crisp, rectangular pieces of carby goodness were quite economical in my opinion.
Taiyaki, or bungeoppang in Korean, was given a unique twist with the addition of a layer of flaky pastry that I hadn't witnessed being done anywhere else (at least, not in the GTA anyway). Priced at $10 for three pieces, the crisp, rectangular pieces of carby goodness were quite economical in my opinion.
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Our party had requested fillings of sweet potato, injeolmi (Korean rice cake) and red bean, and custard. The boy at the cashier misheard my order though, and we eventually ended up with Nutella instead of an eggy custard cream. Sweet potato was decent; Nutella was sticky and chocolate-y, as expected. The combination of injeolmi and red bean was the filling we found to be the most intriguing: the exceptional degree of chewiness was very much unexpected from such a buttery snack.
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vWe had barely begun to slice into the bungeoppang (with our plastic knife) when the waitress came around to deliver our glamourous bowls of Korean shaved ice.
Contained within the first metal bowl was a mountain of soft, milky ice flakes topped with cheesecake crumbs, slice almonds, cubed pieces of crust-less cheesecake, and a generous squirt of airy whipped cream. As one would have assumed, the texture was almost identical to that of the Green Tea Bingsoo I had tasted at the Robson location. The sole difference was that its downtown counterpart seemed to possess an even fluffier, more flavourful base.
Contrary to its appearance, the cheesecake itself was light and largely refreshing. Instead of adopting the rich creaminess of New York-Style Cheesecake, Snowy Village had founded a recipe that was equal parts satisfying and silky smooth. Digging deeper, it was discovered that extremely fine graham crumbs had been spooned in alternate layers within the chilly dessert.
Contained within the first metal bowl was a mountain of soft, milky ice flakes topped with cheesecake crumbs, slice almonds, cubed pieces of crust-less cheesecake, and a generous squirt of airy whipped cream. As one would have assumed, the texture was almost identical to that of the Green Tea Bingsoo I had tasted at the Robson location. The sole difference was that its downtown counterpart seemed to possess an even fluffier, more flavourful base.
Contrary to its appearance, the cheesecake itself was light and largely refreshing. Instead of adopting the rich creaminess of New York-Style Cheesecake, Snowy Village had founded a recipe that was equal parts satisfying and silky smooth. Digging deeper, it was discovered that extremely fine graham crumbs had been spooned in alternate layers within the chilly dessert.
Next was the Blueberry Bingsoo. Expectations were particularly high for this item since blueberries make up a majority of British Columbia's seasonal summer produce. Stacked high in the shiny bowl was a heaping portion of shaved ice topped with trails of plump blueberries drizzled in a mix of condensed milk and deep purple blueberry sauce. As with the Cheesecake Bingsoo, alternating layers of ice and syrup-coated blueberries were found with each invading scoop.
Where the Blueberry Bingsoo filled the void for fresh fruit, the Cheesecake Bingsoo catered to our cravings for something substantial. Both were devoured in earnest, casually escorting bitter feelings for the absence of Melon Bingsoo out the door.
Where the Blueberry Bingsoo filled the void for fresh fruit, the Cheesecake Bingsoo catered to our cravings for something substantial. Both were devoured in earnest, casually escorting bitter feelings for the absence of Melon Bingsoo out the door.
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View the full album HERE !
Throughout our munching, it wasn't uncommon to see customers leech into the shop and trudge back out to their vehicle(s) with insulated takeout bags of shaved ice. Given that the waiting list was constantly growing, it was almost as if the shop owners themselves preferred customers opt for to-go items instead.
Throughout our munching, it wasn't uncommon to see customers leech into the shop and trudge back out to their vehicle(s) with insulated takeout bags of shaved ice. Given that the waiting list was constantly growing, it was almost as if the shop owners themselves preferred customers opt for to-go items instead.
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Besides the odd hours, lengthy lineup, and reduced assortment of menu items, Snowy Village proved to be a notable spot on my vacation list. Some reviewers had complained immensely regarding their long wait times and supposedly "mediocre" offerings, though I found their "reasons" feeble considering they were simply expressing angst instead of evaluating their orders in a peaceful state of mind.
Seating is comfortable and Wi-Fi is stable. Most importantly, the washroom is clean, easy to locate, and visually appealing - the brick wall applique is especially noteworthy. Service was friendly for the most part, but lacking in enthusiasm when compared to the shy smiles down on Robson.
Seating is comfortable and Wi-Fi is stable. Most importantly, the washroom is clean, easy to locate, and visually appealing - the brick wall applique is especially noteworthy. Service was friendly for the most part, but lacking in enthusiasm when compared to the shy smiles down on Robson.
Snowy Village owes its immense success to an insufficiency of competitors, but all in all, their products were far tastier than any bingsoo spot I've tried in Koreatown.
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