Mention Swensen’s and memories of rich ice cream desserts decked with interesting sweet condiments come to mind. When the ice cream chain first arrived in Singapore, I remember hanging out there once or twice a week after tennis sessions with my friends.
It used to offer their desserts in two sizes — standard and Swensen’s size, which is double the normal ones.
We used to challenge each other to take on Earthquake in Swensen’s size. If the person can finish the entire dish in one go, the rest of us will pay for it. One of our friends took up the challenge once and he gobbled everything down — to the last drop! We paid for it with our pocket but he paid for it with a massive calorie infusion.
Looking back, it was kind of a silly challenge considering that our tennis workout was intended to help us stay fit and loose weight.
Must-do
Anyway, I was in Bangkok last weekend and a visit to Swensen’s is usually a must-do, simply because the desserts cost less than in Singapore.
While looking for a place to rest our tired feet at MBK, my wife and I looked for the ice cream outlet and found it at level 3.
Before heading in, I noticed a standee promoting its mango offerings and was drawn to one that comes with bingsu, the Korean-styled ice shaving.
As it was priced at 219 baht (about S$9.20), we decided to share one.
We were told to wait for 15 minutes so I guess the dessert must take some preparation.
When it arrived, we were mesmerised. The bingsu was topped milk and mango syrup plus a couple of mint leaves and a piece of Swensen’s chocolate, and surrounded by chunks of mango.
After digging in, we discovered a large scoop of mango ice cream supported by green sticky rice at the bottom.
Swensen’s accompanied the dessert with additional milk and mango syrup on the side.
Simply heavenly
The taste was simply heavenly! The rich, creamy taste of the ice cream blended so well with the light, cold bingsu and slightly saltish sticky rice.
It was pure delight for the senses. The additional milk and mango syrup came in handy once we cleared the outer layer of the bingsu.
When we were done, there was a craving for a little more. But, on hindsight, the portion is just nice for two persons.
My conclusion is that this dessert is really worth a go, if you happen to be in Thailand. It left me longing for more.
Swensen’s has taken the traditional mango sticky rice and given it a major boost with bingsu and ice cream.
I’m not sure how long this item will stay on the menu though — guess it depends on the mango season.
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