One of the most popular desserts to take off in Tokyo over the last two years has been shaved ice from outside Japan. Taiwanese baobing, via the chain Ice Monster, kick-started the trend, and a few others have appeared as of late. Korean chain Sulbing, which creates bingsu (Korea's take on the treat), has been one of the more notable arrivals over the past year, and has gotten so popular that they opened a new store in Sendai earlier this month.
The chain has rolled out a special offering for the month of July. It is a dessert featuring mango and grapefruit with a particularly enticing scoop of sherbet plunked on top. Officially titled the Mango Grapefruit Snowflakes Sherbet, this hearty offering (¥1,500) can be had at their Harajuku outpost (or the Fukuoka and Sendai branches) until August.
Mango has been a fixture in these sort of dishes since they first started getting buzz in magazines and on websites, and the fruit tastes just as pleasantly sweet here as it does in similar creations. But the grapefruit is a new twist that really makes this Korean treat worth the trip, as it adds a nice tartness that blends well with the mango and the rich sherbet.
