An essential part of Tokyo's brutal summers, the humble kakigori (shaved ice) has undergone dizzyingly rapid evolution over the past few years. What used to be a simple treat combining finely chopped ice with sweet fruit syrup and perhaps a couple spoonfuls of condensed milk is now often a complex combo of everything from mochi and jelly to pannacotta and puré.
Last year, the city's most headline-grabbing kakigori newcomer was Taiwanese import Ice Monster, with some poor souls enduring up to six-hour queues for a taste of the Taipei-born chain's powdery creations. Looking to capitalise on that phenomenon, the scorching heat and Tokyoites' everlasting fascination for all things new and trendy, this year's pretender to the ice throne is Korean purveyor Sulbing, which set up its first Tokyo outpost right in front of Harajuku Station in late June.
Since starting life in Busan back in 2013, Sulbing has expanded at breakneck pace and now operates over 500 locations in its country of birth, serving up milky, powder snow-like ice with topping combinations like soy powder, almonds and mochi, or fresh strawberries with strawberry paste.
Things got appropriately crazy in Harajuku on Opening Day, with the Strawberry Sulbing – a limited-edition offering that was supposed to be available for a week – reportedly selling out completely by 3pm. Not eager to see the Ice Monster madness repeated, we stayed away for a couple days, but still faced a lengthy queue when visiting late last week.
Sulbing founder Chon Songhi told us how a lot of her inspiration dates back ten years, when she took a study trip to Japan to learn about the history and culture of this country's old-school desserts. Chon then carried these teachings back home and came up with an updated version of patbingsu, a traditional Korean snack that's very similar to kakigori. Her hope was that a Korean-Japanese mix would find support among sweets fiends of all ages – a goal it sure looks to have achieved already.
We had a hard time picking only one from the shop's extensive menu of delicious-looking treats, but couldn’t pass on the Kinako Mochi Sulbing (¥850), their most popular offering that pairs roasted soybean powder with rice cakes and exquisitely powdery frost. Subling ice doesn't melt as quickly as typical kakigori, so you'll have time to savour every bite without having to worry about ending up with a milky mess in the end. Yet each spoonful of the concoction melts away immediately once in your mouth – a real feat of chemistry, we have to say.
Other fab flavours include Mango Cheese Sulbing (¥1,500), filled with mango, cheesecake and yogurt, Black Sesame Azuki Sulbing (¥1,000) and Affogato Sulbing (¥950), while you'll also find seasonal specials throughout the year. The July offering is Maru Maru Melon Yogurt Sulbing, a mean green marriage of fresh melon, silky soft ice, whipped cream and cheesecake, while autumn is supposed to see an all-new lineup of Japan-only delights. Maybe the hype has calmed down a little by then, too.
See here for full details on Sulbing Harajuku
