If you’re a fan of Korean banana milk, or melon milk, you might enjoy the frozen popsicle versions of them.
Photos via oh_my.store/Instagram and Zheng Zhangxin
The company that produces the banana milk that most Singaporeans are now familiar with is called Binggrae.
Binggrae offers more than banana and melon milk.
Established in 1967, the company offers a wide variety of frozen ice cream products, ranging from popsicles to ice cream sandwiches that come in fish shape.
Photo by Sumita Thiagarajan
Most recently, they have brought in the B.B.Big popsicles which are now available in all supermarkets such as FairPrice, Giant and Cold Storage, as well as, selected mini markets, convenience stores, and Korean specialty stores (such as Shine Korea).
B.B.Big (S$1.40/pc, S$9.90/pack of 8)
It’s quite a mouthful to read the name of this series of popsicles but here’s a short story behind its name.
B.B.Big stands for “bigger ice bar”. While the popsicle is of a typical potong size today, it was launched in 1975, a time when Korea was still not as developed as today.
Back then, this ice bar was considered pretty value-for-money for its size as not many could indulge in ice creams.
The bar has largely stayed unchanged, as seen from this retro TV advertisement for B.B.Big from the 1990s.
B.B. Big ice bar had some pretty whacky advertisements in the past. Screenshot via 최종학/Youtube
B.B.Big popsicles are available in two flavours in Singapore:
- Red bean
- Matcha with red bean
Photo by Kane Raynard Goh
We tried the Matcha with Red Bean flavour, which tasted like creamy Matcha latte ice cream with generous amounts of whole red beans.
The green tea flavored popsicle is only exclusively available outside of Korea.
The sweet red beans really neutralised the bitter flavour of the green tea flavoured ice cream.
It was no surprise that this flavour was one of top three favourites amongst the staff at the Mothership office.
As for the Red Bean flavour, it really tasted a lot like eating local red bean potong but just slightly sweeter - something that those with a sweet tooth will welcome.
Does it taste better than our red bean potong? Try the Korean version too and judge it yourself.
Other ice cream brands under Binggrae
You probably have seen ice creams from B.B.Big’s sister brands.
With 365 days of summer in Singapore, you will not get bored of just one or two flavours from Binggrae.
Melona fruity popsicles and Samanco fish ice cream sandwiches are available in Singapore too and here’s what we think of these ice creams.
Melona (S$7.65/pack)
Similar in taste to their fruit milks, these popsicles serve as a frozen alternative for hot days in Singapore.
Photo by Kane Raynard Goh
There are five flavours in total and the Melon flavour emerged as a hot (or cool) favourite at the top of the list in our internal office poll.
Photo by Kane Raynard Goh
We liked the natural flavour and milkiness of their melon popsicle.
It was easy to bite into too. Shiok.
The Banana flavour was the third favourite flavour at our office, which tasted exactly like “frozen banana milk on a stick”, according to one of our colleagues.
Photo by Kane Raynard Goh
Samanco ice cream (from S$7.90/pack)
Other than the popsicles, Binggrae’s Samanco is here in Singapore too if you have not realised.
Photo via Binggrae Korea/Instagram
The name ‘Samanco’ is a mix of two words: ‘Sa’ (‘싸다’) which means ‘cheap’ in Korean, and ‘Manco’ (‘많다’) which means ‘big volume’ in Korean.
Since this product was introduced to customers in Korea in 1991, it has been one of Korea’s top three selling ice cream products.
In Singapore, Samanco is available in four flavours: red bean, strawberry, chocolate, and green tea.
So, what does it taste like?
The Strawberry flavour came with a well-proportioned amount of vanilla ice cream and strawberry syrup.
We tried the Chocolate flavour and found that the sweet vanilla ice cream complemented the bitter dark chocolate-flavoured syrup.
As for the Green tea flavour, we felt that the taste of the green tea is mild, so this might be great for those who might not like the strong flavour of matcha.
At the same time, it came with a perfect amount of red bean syrup which did not overpower the flavour of the green tea ice cream.
One thing we really liked about the ice cream was that they were very easy to eat and they were not messy to hold (unlike a popsicle that melts easily and drops on your hand).
Samanco, which serves as a filling dessert, also really lives up to the meaning of its name.
This made them convenient snacks to consume when you’re on-the-go.
Other mouthwatering desserts from Binggrae
Yomamte Yoghurt cone
Other than popsicles, Binggrae offers yoghurt-flavoured desserts, such as the Yomamte yoghurt cone.
The yoghurt cone comes in two flavours: Plain Yoghurt Cone and Mixed Berry Yoghurt Cone (as seen below).
Photo via Binggrae Korea/Instagram
If you’re looking for the yoghurt cone in Singapore, which costs S$2.70 per cone, it can be found in selected mini markets, convenience stores, and Korean specialty stores (such as Shine Korea).
Pangtoa
As for those who like old-school ice cream, such as ice with rainbow bread or wafers, Binggrae also offers ice cream sandwiched between two slices of sponge cake.
Drool.
Pangtoa can be found in selected Fairprice Finest stores, convenience stores, and Korean specialty stores.
It is sold individually for S$2.60 per piece and comes in Milk & Cookie, Red Velvet and Chocolate Chiffon.
Do note that this packaging has been updated recently. Photo via mundogourmetcordoba/Instagram.
The writer of this sponsored article by F&N Creameries, the official distributor of Binggrae ice creams, has had one too many ice cream popsicles.
Top photo by Kane Raynard Goh.