Living on a tropical island like Singapore, nothing screams happiness like a sweet, icy dessert on a hot and humid day. And recently Korean dessert shops have been popping up in Singapore, providing a much needed relief to the heat wave (go away El Niño). One of them is O’ma Spoon.
O’ma Spoon is a newly launched Korean dessert café chain which takes the trendy bingsu or Korean shaved ice desserts. Its first outlet in Singapore was opened at Marina Square in March this year and its second outlet at 313@Somerset recently opened in June. The shop is named O’ma Spoon (pronounced “oh my spoon”) because the quintessential eating utensil is used to enjoy a bingsu. Tapping on Korean owner Chris Chun’s understanding of bingsu culture, the brand aims to bring the Korean bingsu trend, a core part of the Korean pop culture, to Singapore.
1. O’ma Spoon serves bingsu made with fresh premium milk.
Photo © Kat Goh
For those of you who are unfamiliar with bingsu, it is the Korean version of shaved ice dessert with toppings (similar to Singapore’s ice kacang). Traditionally, it is made with ice and topped with red bean paste and ground nut powder. At O’ma Spoon, they go a step further and make theirs with fresh milk ice.
The milk is poured into a specially-designed machine, and flash freeze at -25°C, forming tiny shards of milk ice. The flake-like texture keeps the bingsu light yet retaining the creamy milky flavour.
2. There is a bingsu for everyone.
Photo © Kat Goh
One of the O’ma Spoon’s most popular and a crowd pleaser is their Green Tea Bingsu. This icy delight has a right balance of matcha powder, red bean and matcha ice-cream. If you think it ends there, you’re wrong. Almond flakes and cashew nuts are also added to give that extra bite.
If you are a fan of chocolate, you cannot miss their Choco Brownie Bingsu. It is a chocolate addict’s dream where they packed Oreo cookies, brownies, chocolate ice-cream, sliced bananas and whipped cream, all in a bowl.
It will not be a Korean dessert café without a taste of Korea. The Koreans favour Injeolmi Bingsu, which is essentially bingsu dusts with toasted Korean injeolmi or soya bean powder. The soya bean powder creates a mild savoury taste that complements the sweetness of the milk ice.
3. O’ma Spoon does more than bingsu.
Photo © Kat Goh
Besides bingsu, O’ma Spoon also offers a range of toasts. One of the stars on its menu is the Choco Strawberry Honey Butter Bread. The toast is slathered with Nutella, and topped with strawberries and vanilla ice-cream, and served with whipped cream and chocolate sauce.
Photo © Kat Goh
Another crowd favourite is the Injeolmi Toast from the Oven-Baked Toast selection. This dessert features chewy injeolmi rice cakes which are sandwiched between two slices of bread. It is a gooey chewy and addictive snack.
O’ma Spoon 313@Somerset
313 Orchard Road #04-20/32
Singapore 238 895
Opening hours: 11.30 am to 10 pm (Sun to Thu); 11.30 am to 12 am (Fri and Sat)
O’ma Spoon Marina Square
6 Raffles Boulevard #04-102
Singapore 039594
Opening hours: 11.30 am to 10 pm, daily
