When we say, ‘cold treat in New Orleans,’ we bet you think of a snoball. And you’re spot on for what New Orleans is known for during the summer. But New Orleans has been hiding a cold treat from y’all, specifically the Westbank of New Orleans.
Let us present to you: bingsu. No, that wasn’t a typo. Bingsu is a Korean dessert: milk-based shaved ice dessert with sweet toppings that may include chopped fruit, condensed milk, fruit syrup, and more. So you can see, it’s similar to snoballs at least in the base of the dessert. It is perfect. It is refreshing. It is filling. It’s everything you need on a New Orleans summer day.
What’s the catch? There’s only one place in the entire New Orleans Metro area to get it. Thus, we present: Le Cafe Eblouir, a wonderful small cafe tucked away in a strip mall in Gretna run by Hyemin Torroll. Hyemin comes from a strong pastry chef background, working in renowned hotels such as the Ritz-Carlton, Royal Sonesta and Hyatt Regency. Luckily for us, she’s from South Korea and has brought her unique and wonderful knowledge of bingsu to all here in New Orleans.
Presently, you can find multiple flavors of bingsu, such as mango (our personal favorite), watermelon, strawberry, matcha, and tiramisu. Each one is made to order and carefully crafted. For example, when you get a mango bingsu, you’ll get the most fluffy milk-based shaved ice, then atop it you’ll find little pieces of mochi, mango syrup, condensed milk, and a generous helping of mango chunks. It’s absolute heaven, especially during the summer.
So yes, get your snoball in New Orleans, but do not sleep on Hyemin’s bingsu. It changes the cold treat game and is absolutely worth a trip to the Westbank. Don’t blame us when you can’t go a week without bingsu. A huge, huge bonus is all the other treats you will discover upon entering Le Cafe Eblouir from their macarons banana pudding to their divine basque cheesecake (sorry, just got some drool on the keyboard).
Make sure to check out the bingsu at Le Cafe Eblouir and as always, stay hungry and fit!
