Cafe Seol Hwa's Bing Su is a Tasty Korean Dessert You'll Love

One day. while I was searching for the top rated Korean restaurants on Zomato, I came across Cafe Seol Hwa - a Korean cafe that scored 4.8 out of 5.0 from 82 votes. I looked over the reviews and people were going crazy about CafeSeol Hwa's Bing Su, a shaved ice dessert loaded with a number of toppings ranging from fresh fruits to decadent pastries that's popular in Korea. Simply put, it's the Korean version of the classic Filipino Halo-Halo.

The Bing Su is served in two sizes - regular and large. In my opinion, the regular Bing Su is good for 2 people (even though they say it's good for just one) especially after enjoying a meal. The large Bing Su, on the other hand, can probably feed 3-4 hungry mouths. 

I had my doubts at first, but here's why you should give Cafe Seolhwa and that delicious Korean Bing Su a shot.

The regular Mango Cheese Bing Su (Php 240) is one of their bestselling Bing Su dishes and it was what caught my attention the most. I mean, look at that beautiful presentation! You really feel like it's money well spent because you get a heaping milky ice bowl full of cheesecake, freshly sliced mango, and topped with vanilla ice cream.

The milky ice itself was so fine that every bite felt like you're enjoying a bowl of snow. I'm not sure why the ice seems like it doesn't melt easily and it's rumored to last at least 30 minutes under the Manila heat (no I won't sacrifice a Bing Su just to test that). 

You would also be pleased to know that if you continue to dig in you will also find pieces of mango and cheesecake at the bottom of the bowl. My advice is you enjoy the toppings first and then you start mixing it together once the ice is level with the bowl. 

We got one regular bowl Bing Su each because we didn't know that it would be a heaping bowl - a big mistake because we had a hard time finishing up a bowl all by ourselves. 

The regular Caramel Coffee Bing Su (Php 220) was also a bowl of finely shaved ice topped with coffee crunch, nuts, cheesecakes, ice cream, and drizzled with caramel sauce. It was also quite delicious, but I thought the coffee flavor was a bit too subtle for my taste. You do appreciate the interplay of different textures in this bowl. 

I personally loved the freshness of the Mango Cheese Bing Su a lot more. I also heard that the Brownie Bing Su is a sinful, tasty heap of chocolatey goodness! 

You can also enjoy your Bing Su with a cup of coffee. I got a Grande Caramel Macchiato (Php 155) and I loved it. It's actually quite flavorful and not too sweet. It has a strong coffee flavor, something that I look for in a good cup of coffee. Don't get your hopes up though if you're looking for something at par with specialty cafes.

The service was nice and I appreciate the recommendations from the staff on what to get since at the time Bing Su was quite new to us. The place itself, was beautiful and very conducive to either work or conversation. 

Food Quality: 5.0
Service Quality: 4.5
Ambiance: 4.5

Overall Quality: 5.0

I have been craving to come back and have another go at their other Bing Su flavors (I heard that the Strawberry Bing Su is magical). Cafe Seolhwa will always be on my list of top dessert places in Metro Manila because it's both unique and delicious.

Would you recommend other great Korean restaurants that also offer delicious Bing Su? If you've been to Cafe Seolhwa, let me know what flavor you loved the most in the comments. I would love to try it out!

Further reading you might like:

• Wildflour Cafe + Bakery: Where Brunch Meets Perfect
• Single Origin: A Cafe With Excellent Specialty Coffee, Craft Beer, and Delicious All-Day Breakfast
• Farmacy Ice Cream and Soda Fountain: A Nice Place For Ice Cream, Coffee, Soda and Beer

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Cheers,

Chef Jay