For those who love anything Korean, Hanbing is a cafe you ought to visit. This recently opened dessert cafe serves a variety of Korean bingsu, snacks and beverages.
Hanbing originates from Hong Kong and their outlet in Bangsar is actually their first oversea branch. As of now, most of the items you see on the menu are more suitable for sharing and we were told that a new hot food menu is scheduled to launch by end of this month.
Topokki is the quintessential Korean street food so it’d be wrong not to order it, especially if you haven’t had it before. It’s basically a savoury rice cake dish and at Hanbing, it comes in three flavours to suit your taste: spicy, cheese (mildly spicy) and creamy. We thought it’d be nice to try something in the middle so we had the Cheese Topokki @ RM26.
While it looks red hot, it’s not as spicy as you’d think. Besides rice cakes, it also comes with a handful of ramyun and served with two pieces of kim mari seaweed rolls. We enjoyed the Topokki’s soft and chewy texture, it’s somehow satisfyingly comforting.
The Cheese Garlic Bomb @ RM17 took us by surprise because we did not expect it to be this good. After all, it’s just a bread right? But what you don’t see is the creamy garlic filling that only reveals itself after you cut into the bread that’s covered in melted cheese. Even the bread is delicious just by itself – it’s so soft and melts in your mouth.
While more sweet than spicy, the Korean Spicy Fried Chicken is still a worthy dish to order. For an extra kick, simply pop one with bits of bird’s eye chili. We also liked the fact that it was prepared with only boneless chicken thigh so you know it’s going to be tender and best of all, easy to eat.
Crispy fried Korean Dumpling @ RM11 – crispy thin skin with a moist and flavorful filling, there is nothing not to like about this.
And here’s what everyone comes for, and there are six flavours to choose from: Blueberry Cheese (shown above @ RM26), Green Tea, Injeolmi Red Bean, Injeolmi, Mango and Oreo. Hanbing’s milky snow ice is seriously soft and fluffy void of annoying ice bits – melting as soon as it hits your tongue. The sweetness is just right for our liking too so there’s no guilt involved in this icy treat!
Presentation wise the Blueberry Cheese snow ice is without a doubt the best and makes a great Instagram photo. That said, we still prefer the Green Tea version for having a richer and more complex flavour.
As far as portion size goes, Hanbing’s snow ice is definitely smaller than what you can get at other places but it’s still large enough to be shared between two. If the bingsu is too big, it’s gonna melt into a pool of milk before you could finish it anyway.
Not in the mood for food or dessert? There are plenty of drinks to pick ranging from smoothies to soda, coffee and tea. Reasonably priced, too.
All in all, Hanbing is a great cafe to linger over desserts, snacks and conversation no matter the time of the day. The decor is minimalist modern and feels cozy with all the wooden furniture and warm lightings. No wonder it’s always busy and full of life even when it’s approaching midnight.
33 Jalan Telawi 3
Bangsar, 59100 KL
Tel: 03-2202 0238
Business hours: Mon-Thurs (12pm-12am), Fri-Sat (12pm-1am), Sun (12pm-12am)
Is it halal?
I believe they are pork free