As if to celebrate the onset of summer in South Korea, a new venture, Yo! Boba at Girgaon, has introduced the increasingly popular Korean staple, bingsu, to its menu. Last weekend, this writer dropped by the eatery to find it jam-packed with youngsters. It had only been a week since its inception, and the queue was spilling out of the small space, onto the main road.
ADVERTISEMENT We waited for nearly 15 minutes before it was finally our turn to place the order. There is only space for a counter and an open kitchen. With no seating area, customers are required to collect their orders and head elsewhere, or find a spot near the eatery.
A family of four behind the counter was working overtime to navigate the overwhelming response. While the menu boasted of nearly 10 flavours of bingsu (black current, berry blast, strawberry, mango tango, coffee, among others), they were currently only serving their bestseller, choco hazelnut bingsu (Rs 229). Along with this, we placed an order for their other specialties — lychee boba tea (milk-base) (Rs 179) and passion fruit boba tea (soda) (Rs 149).
The crowding within the tiny space made it tough for us to see how the bingsu is made. We managed to snatch a glimpse that revealed machines installed in the kitchen to make these desserts. Our order was ready in five minutes.
A dollop of shaved and flaky ice cream was served alongside a generous amount of chewy boba topped with chocolate syrup. Patbingsu, the traditional milk-based, shaved Kor.