This is another coffee story; except this coffee story
is not really about coffee. Yes, it’s a café but what kept people coming are
their international flavours. Give it to the Koreans to have an Italian café name,
Italian Gelato, Belgian Waffles, their own South Korean Bingsu, and toasts that
at this point should probably be promoted as French (they’re toasts, just not
French). This is the story about Caffébene, a popular Korean brand that has
made their name in China, U.S.A, Saudi Arabia and South East Asia. A few years
later, with multiple branches up their sleeve and projects for more across the
world, Caffébene are adding to the Korean cult.
The signature
dish at Caffébene is definitely its Korean Bingsu, translated as shaved ice. If
we have ABC and Cendol, the Koreans have Bingsu to be proud of. The most common
is called Pat Bingsu, ‘pat’ means red beans, and the shaved ice is served along
with chopped fruits and drizzled with milk. It is a very popular dessert, but even
the South Koreans are now popularising different flavours to this centuries-old
dish. At Caffébene, they gave it a fresh take by adding strawberries. Other
varieties available are Cookies and Cream, Green Tea and Coffee. When
a shop brings together flavours of the world it’s expected to have fusion foods.
The Belgian Waffles are served together with Gelato, or Korean rice cakes (‘tteok’)
that gives it its chewiness. If you need something more fulfilling, you can
choose the crowd favourites, Garlic and Cheese Honey Bread, or the Caramel
Cinnamon Honey Bread. Of course, Caffébene is still a café that serves coffee
so go ahead and choose from their selection of coffee and non-coffee beverages.
Then there’s their Green Tea Latte and Sweet Potato Latte, perfect for those
looking to try something different.
