Renaissance Seoul Hotel offers bingsu topped with fresh fruit. / Courtesy of Renaissance Seoul Hotel

By Kim Rahn

It’s neither a parfait, nor a sherbet. It’s “bingsu,” ice flakes with various toppings, which is a dessert favorite in Korea during the summer season.

Besides the common one topped with boiled red beans, hotels here present varieties of bingsu made with unique ingredients or presented in different styles.

A 20-centimeter-high bingsu is offered at the Imperial Palace Seoul’s lobby lounge Delmar through Aug. 31.

The ice is piled up to that height in a large bowl, like an iceberg or a snow-covered mountain. While domestic red beans are used as a basic topping, a variety of choices is available, including yoghurt ice cream bingsu; “omija” (A Korean berry known to have five flavors) bingsu; and roasted and ground grains and rice cake bingsu.

They are priced at 18,000 won. For more information, call (02) 3440-8000.



Some ice flakes have unique ingredients, and Millennium Seoul Hotel’s Gingseng Bingsu is one of them.

The hotel’s lobby lounge, Palm Court, will serve Healthy Bingsu until Sept. 2. The Gingseng ice flakes use a half stem of high quality ginseng and grind it into powder, offering a unique ginseng flavor and a mixture of sweet fruit blended together.

Other options at the hotel include Green Tea Bingsu made with green tea grown in the famous tea producing center of Boseong in South Jeolla Province; Fruit Bingsu, a mixture of fresh fruit with jelly and yoghurt; and Coffee Bingsu containing the aromatic flavor of Italian Illy coffee.

The Ginseng ice flakes cost 20,000 won and the rest, 18,000 won. For more information, call (02) 317-3058.

The icy desserts at Hyatt Regency Jeju use the southern resort island’s specialties: mango and green tea.



Through Sept. 20 at the Island Lounge, the Mango Bingsu, which was introduced for the first time, will be a children’s favorite because of its rich mango scent and sweet taste. The Green Tea Bingsu uses the finest green tea produced on the island, while the Wild Raspberry Bingsu is made of iced milk and is flavored with wild berries.

The hotel also has old-fashioned red bean ice flakes with iced milk and chewy rice cakes. Prices start from 30,000 won. For more information, call (064) 733-1234.

At the Sheraton Seoul D Cube City Hotel, ice flakes are served not in usual round-shaped bowls but square-shaped ones.

Customized bingsus are available at Deli by Sheraton: Guests can select from the Summer Splash corner where various kinds of toppings are prepared for them to make their own dessert by choosing their favorite ingredients.

Along with the traditional sweet red bean topping, there are fruits including pineapple, kiwi, peach, watermelon, apricot and lychee, as well as other sweet toppings such as macaroons, marshmallows and cereals. Various syrup toppings are also on offer, including blueberry, raspberry, yoghurt, milk and cherry fillings. There is no limit on the number or weight of toppings.

The DIY bingsu is available through the end of August at 12,000 won. For more information, call (02) 2211-1730.

Renaissance Seoul Hotel offers three kinds of bingsu through Aug. 31 at its cafe Vendome.

The Renaissance Iced Frappe, an old-fashioned bingsu with sweet red beans, rice cake, fruit jelly, milk and roasted grain flour takes guests back to the good old days, while the Malay Iced Frappe is an item for those with a sweet tooth, with red beans, milk, strawberry ice cream, fruit cocktail and strawberry and chocolate syrups on top. The two bingsus are priced at 13,000 won.

The Fresh Fruit Iced Frappe has an assortment of fruit including kiwi, banana, apple and watermelon. It costs 15,000 won. For more information, call (02) 2222-8630.

Grand Hyatt Seoul presents four different kinds of ice flakes at the Lobby Lounge.

Guests can choose from Fruit Bingsu topped with red beans, ice cream, fresh fruits such as kiwi and cherry along with homemade berry syrup; Frozen Yoghurt Bingsu made with mango, banana and blueberry yoghurt and puree; Green Tea Bingsu topped with green tea ice cream and muskmelon; and Frappuccino Bingsu garnished with espresso, caramel syrup and coffee ice cream.

The price starts from 18,000 won. For more information, call (02) 799-8165.

Lotte Hotel Seoul introduces two kinds of ice flakes at the Lounge until the end of August ― homemade “injeolmi” (rice cake with soybean flour) bingsu and berry bingsu. Each of them is priced at 20,000 won. For more information, call (02) 317-7131.

At W Seoul-Walkerhill’s WooBar, three different Woobingsus are on offer ― classic red beans, green tea and Amarula liquor. They cost 18,000 won and available between noon and 6 p.m. through Aug. 26. For more information, call (02) 2022-0333.