Binggrae Ice Cream – K-Ice-Pops

Categories: Gastronomy;
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We can’t deny it that Korean popular culture or K-pop has already taken Manila by storm.  Can you say kimchi?

For us at En Route, while we glimpse a few Koreanovela episodes every now and then, and go for the occasional bulgogi, the next closest we’ve gone to appreciate what’s from Korea is to eat ice pops from Korea. 😀

Binggrae is Korea’s #1 ice cream brand, the company behind Melona ice cream and more.

Based on the name itself, we had to try the Melon Melona.  First bite was suck-in-your-cheeks sweet!  It tasted of melon, definitely, just a lot sweeter for our taste.  It’s very milky in texture also, unlike some ice pops we have here that are like bricks when frozen (because it’s water more than anything else).  Since Melona is softer, it melts faster too so eat up!

Now, the Encho, for half the price of a Magnum, gives you a chocolate covered vanilla ice cream bar with a chocolate center – a nice surprise once all the vanilla melts.  Like the Melona, the chocolate coating is sweet.  It’s also on the thin side with bits of nuts to add some crunch.  Nice texture, but we somehow inadvertently always found ourselves comparing it to the Magnum.

Our verdict: for half the price, the Encho is a good deal.  We love that chocolate center. But on the chocolate-y flavor, we still go for Magnum’s bittersweet taste and the crunch the big almonds that the almond variant has.

The Melona is best followed by a glass of water.  It’s like getting your wish for flavor when you’re eating melon twin popsies. 😛 But, if you have a really sweet tooth, you’re going to love Melona as is.

Check out Binggrae’s Philippine Facebook page here.

What we’re looking for now is that Korean ice cream that’s shaped like a fish.  We hear that’s good.  Oh, and a place that serves dak galbi, a kind of street food that is like barbecued chicken, because we have a friend who has been on a relentless search for it here.

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12 comments

  1. u8mypinkcookies says:

    i love Melona!!! i gotta try encho next time. i love samanco red bean too!

  2. michiku says:

    I think the Binggrae fish ice cream is called Samanco. Its usually available in mini stop stores, but sometimes they ran out of stock. I also saw a freezer of Binggrae products in SM makati, in the sweets section outside their supermarket. Its also my favorite among all their icecream line. First discovered it from a Korean resto – Kaya. 🙂

    • lynne says:

      Oh, so it’s called Samanco. I spied a Binggrae freezer somewhere along Valero. In Kaya? There’s one near the office! Hmmm…

  3. michy says:

    I think I’ve already tried the blue one. 🙂 There’s a Korean grocery near the office eh. 🙂 Sarap! 🙂

  4. […] after trying the Binggrae brands of Encho and Melona that some have said might be a cheaper alternative to Magnum, here is another Binggrae ice cream, […]

  5. ram says:

    I love the Melona bars. I am unable to find the Mango and Banana flavored bars. I can only find it at an Oriental market. I think I am hooked. How can I get these delicious bars delivered to my home in florida?

    • lynne says:

      They really are addicting. Not sure how it can be brought to Florida though. Maybe you could ask your nearet Oriental store to stock more flavors?

  6. lericajo4am says:

    i have a store and i want to include melona products, please where can i buy/order?

    • lynne says:

      Hi. Unfortunately, we don’t have the information for this. They’re available in most big supermarkets. You might have to look up who the distributor is locally if you want a vendor’s deal, though.

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