Be.k: softer and better than real snow, the bingsu experience

Hi All,

Moi at Be.k

I’m pumped from my last article and ready to blog about what I ate during the Bchum Ben holiday. Thank you for the support! Please follow me 0=)

Do you have childhood memories of shaved ice? I certainly do.

In the summer days of many years past, I lived a carefree life playing all day and chasing ice cream trucks. Sometimes, I hear Mister honking the horn. HONK, HONK; honk, honk. I run down two flights of stairs to catch up with Mister. Mister sells shaved ice. Surrounded by grubby children hands, asking him to take their orders. He would hand shave from a large block of ice into a cone. Then, you can pick the sweet flavous to add on top. That’s a snowcone, folks.

I also remember the Asian shaved ice. It’s covered in siro, condensed milk, and toppings (like boba, fruits, red bean, etc.). Still my favorite on a hot day. I haven’t had one of these for awhile. By golly, the last time was April during the Cambodian New Year. We went to Angkor Wat to join the festivities. A few of the gals walked to the nearby temple to take photos. Another friend and I got shaved ice instead and just.stood.there eating. Then we walked like 10M => saw another shaved ice stand => and asked them to top us off. They were confused but did it for us anyway. Afterwards we were creepers that stared as people ate at the food stall with our shaved ice hahaha. It was just THAT hot.

And being hot works for bingsu. Bingsu is a popular shaved ice dessert from Korea that’s new in Cambodia. I was skeptical to try it….mainly for the price. Justifying to myself ice being worth X amount of dollars was a bit tough. Also, Cambodia had other shaved ice/ice cream (like the Taiwanese one) and I thought bingsu was like this to.

Taiwanese style

Actually, I was wrong. Bingsu is not just ice. It was like a delicate snowflake melting in my mouth. I literally have no clue how it became so soft and how they’d mixed the flavors into the bingsu. And really, I don’t care how it came about but it has BORN into my life! I love how finely shaved the ice was. I love how the flavors were all encompassing already without feeling that it’s a separate entity from one another. Condense milk, snow ice, fruits, cheesecake, etc. rolled onto my tongue like ecstasy candy. After that first bite, it justified the cost alright. Everything I knew about shaved ice changed.

sweet already, no need for extra milk

Scrolling through their FB, this caught my attention:

Be.k HAPPY U !!!

You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy bingsu. And that’s kind of the same thing <3 <3

I accept the happiness you give me

Clap clap clap [my hands are clapping]

Facebook, why did you have to be so right?!? You’re always tempting me with delectable sweets. And now, I’m trying to convince people to eat there again on a rainy day.

choose your fave~

Space: Wow, airy 2 floors with high ceiling. I opted to sit on the 2^nd floor so I could enjoy the view. Felt like a tropical bird perched on a high tree (it’s woodsy upstairs and spacious downstairs).

Service: Acceptable; it’s new.

Taste: Enjoyed BUT I have to make a huge sidebar.

*Sidebar: Getting pumped from seeing their menu, I was upset when it arrived on our table. I ordered the mango cheesecake bingsu. #1 fault: the spacing between mango and cheesecake was too wide and not plentiful like the pictures. #2 fault: it wasn’t the ripe mango that’s supposed to go with binsu. It was [deathly] Cambodian green slightly sour mango. They attribute because they ran out. That’s never an excuse for me. It should have been informed to me earlier. Not delivering what’s shown is not acceptable to me. Especially if you’re a brand-name from overseas like Korea.

Parking: It’s ok, pretty decent. Didn’t have a problem when I went in the afternoon.

Upsetting: Browsing through the FB page I noticed they have a stamp card. I WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THIS. If they gave them freely to customers, I think they would attract more people to come back. Someone like me, wants to fill it up to get that free item.

Bonus round: Be.k is on the same street as (newly opened) Sushi Chef, Bonchon, BBQ Chicken [in that order!] and across the street is MoMo Paradise Steamboat and Dance Bakery. Seriously it’s a 4 in 1 win. Happy eating! May the odds be ever in your favor. [Did you catch my Hunger Game’s Effie Trinket persona?]

Bingsu enjoyed: Mango and Cheesecake bingsu – regular size

kamsamnida! [KR thank you]

Shared with 2 other friends, it’s a good dessert for 3. Split between us was $2 each. Not bad.

always fun with the gals

I wished it was the ripe sweet mango. If it was, I would be a happy camper. I’m not giving us on this place. I’ve heard the chocolate strawberry is good. I’ll let you know once I go there again.

Be.k also serves food such as toast, chicken wings, pasta, mini burgers, etc. I didn’t try them yet. Feel free to browse their FB page because they look cute.

Alas, my photographer wasn’t with me so please enjoy these phone photos.

My take: try, share, and selfie with the dessert

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bek.cambodia2016/?fref=ts

instagram it: https://www.instagram.com/be.k.cambodia/

Address: #16, St 306, BKK 1, Phnom Penh, Cambodia  

Specs: open until 10pm!

location is important

Let me know your thoughts. Shout it out in the comments below.

Thanks for reading.

XoXo V

* Sunny Up with V *

If you would like me to visit your place, let me know! I’m more than happy to check out and eat your delicious food =)

it's calling you

KAIFUN: cool hangout spot

Hi All,

I’m back from my hiatus! Please look forward to more reviews - no matter how sporadic they’ll may be. I have soooo much to update like places to go, where to sleep and things to eat in Hong Kong and Korea bbbuuuuuuuuttttttttt I’ve honestly been a bum. #sloth #deadlysin

Overthinking as to how much should I really eat???

I tried out newly minted KAIFUN in Phnom Penh. It’s located in BKK1 near Burger King. KAIFUN calls themselves “a casual eatery of small plates ranging from tacos, pizza, burgers, curry rices, kimchi to BBQ beef.” I agree with their statement. They had small plates of food where it’s kinda wanna-be tapas but they’re not Spanish so they can’t be called tapas sort of place.

A/C cottage that seats about 20 

Street parking is limited. Spaces for motos are plenty. Wide open courtyard in the front reminisce American’s summer days where you relax to a BBQ. A bbq cart, antique VW minivan for cooking, and a fire pit for pizza. Back lot is the small shop for probably 20 people. Really felt like I was at a friend’s countryhouse.

VW minibus serving up $1.50 delicacies.

The owner didn’t interact with me as he attempt to make his first paella. From the oohs and ahhs of the big party, you’d think it was spectacular. However, I’ve been to Barcelona, Spain and that’s not a paella. No, no, no.

Loved the atmosphere. It’s a cozy warmth feeling where you can chitchat with your friends and enjoy the night. Light snacks with one or two cocktails = PLEASANT evening. I went on a weekday so don’t know the weekend crowd. Presumably the same unpretentious vibe.  

peekaboo boo

What’s enticing is the big signs and simple menu that states practically EVERYTHING is $1.50. But when you start ordering a lot, those $1.50 plates add up. Especially if you add drinks. 

Let’s countdown to my favorite from KAIFUN:

#5 Coconut Salad: it sounds more exotic than the actual taste. It’s package cutely. A handful of sald is placed in a hard-shell cracker. I’m not sure where the coconut was, maybe it was suppose to be toasted coconut topping. The coconut was underwhelmed by the strong dressing.

beautiful but not lasting

#4 Clams: from an accountant’s point of view, 100g of these white claims for $1,50 is overpriced what’s selling at the local market. However, because it’s in a resturant, it’s a great deal. I think it’s cheaper than Lobster Bay prices. I also realised that these imported clams are becoming popular in Cambodia.

satisfying clams

#3 Mini Burger: it’s a mini burger and tastes what a burger is suppose to taste like. I actually assumed it was a beef burger - because most burgers are beef UNLESS specified otherwise. Think again my friends. Middle of the line, safe bet.

mini chicken burger

#2 Cuban Sandwich: I was probably expecting too much because I was thinking of Portos (SoCal love) and the cuban resturant where I use to live. I was disappointed because this was not the Cubana I was eagerly waiting for. Maybe I was wrong to judge. It said Cuban not Cubana. But still, where are my plaintain bananas? I do love the cheese in this sandwich but would love it more if it had more meat.

Cuban or Cubana: is there a difference?

#1 Hawaiian Pizza: My favorite for the night. It was just so small and CUTE. I may be bias because of my penchant for pizza though. Carbs (dough), Diary (cheese), little bit of Meat (ham) and a touch of Fruit (pineapple). Almost a homerun if they added some sort of veggie on it. But seriously, why would you want to add veggies to my hawaiian pizza? 4 out of 5 ain’t bad my friend. 

pizza!

Bonus Drink: Passionfruit tea. This was probably the best I’ve ever had. If they added liquor in, it would be the best passionfruit mojito in the world. Lots of passionfruit pulp and mint. [I forgot to take a picture because it was PHAT good]

Maybe KAIFUN does have something going on. It’s cheap so you can share and enjoy a variety of items from the menu. It’s bite-size so you get just a taste. Everything’s better when you’ve only had a little. Enjoy the weekends~

My take: try it once or twice to feel like you’re not in Phnom Penh; not on my list to be my fave hangout spot.

https://www.facebook.com/KaifunCambodia/?fref=ts

Address: Street 334, No.25, BKK I, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia 12302

Specs: delivery available, open until 9pm for lunch and dinner, cash only

Let me know your thoughts. Shout it out in the comments below.

Thanks for reading.

XoXo V

* Sunny Up with V *

If you would like me to visit your place, let me know! I’m more than happy to check out and eat your delicious food =)

See you next time!