First Bite: BingBing Shaved Ice at Hot and Cold

Months ago, when

outpost

announced it would

because Jeni's Ice Cream had the audacity to open a shop across the street, I worried about the future of my favorite little coffee and dessert store in Hillsboro Village. What would they sell in place of Jeni's? Are their delicious Las Paletas and innovative specialty coffee drinks (get the Sol!) enough to pay the bills? Will Hot & Cold still entice out-of-towners (and their money) without Jeni's well-branded bright orange logo on the door?

Fear not, Hot & Cold fans — the shop has found a new frozen friend in the form of BingBing. Created by Diana Lee Zadlo (a renaissance woman who has done some stellar photography work for the Scene) and embraced by Bongo Java honcho Bob Bernstein, BingBing is a creative take on a traditional Korean shaved ice dessert called bingsu. A traditional version is shaved ice and red-bean paste, but contemporary variations include all kinds of sweet toppings, from fresh fruit to nuts and cereal.

Right now BingBing's menu offers six different combinations (though I bet they'd let you build your own if you asked nicely). There's Black Sesame, with black sesame cream syrup, sweet adzuki beans, cornflakes and mochi; Mango Coconut with mango, Thai basil, coconut cream syrup, mochi and shaved coconut; Berries & Cream with blueberry cream syrup, Bongo Bakery wedding cake, whipped cream and fresh berries; and Bongo Bing with Bongo espresso cream syrup, graham dust, Bongo Bakery cinnamon espresso cheesecake, whipped cream and chocolate covered coffee beans.

For my first BingBing, I got the Milk & Cookies, which features layers of sweetened condensed milk, mocha cream sauce, Oreo dust, vegan chocolate-chip cookie dough, and whipped cream. (I can never turn down cookie dough.) It was refreshing and light with awesome textures. I worried the Oreo dust would feel like licking an icy highway right after the sand trucks drove by, but it wasn't overwhelming at all, probably because it was so finely ground. The cream sauce and condensed milk made the ice taste and feel creamy without being too sticky or thick and the chunks of cookie dough offered great little chewy bits.

My friend ordered the Bongo Bing, which was also awesome. The cheesecake chunks brought the same soft/chewy factor as the cookie dough and it'd surely please coffee fanatics as the flavor of espresso is in everything from the syrup to the cheesecake to the chocolate covered espresso beans. It's awesome to eat a dessert that is as textural as it is flavorful. It reminded me of the time a pastry chef once told me that we eat with our ears as much as our mouths, so it's important to supply all kinds of textures that you not only feel but hear. That's exactly with BingBing does — they give you something to taste and see and feel but also hear.

Another plus: BingBing's shaved ice is every bit as refreshing as ice cream, but it won't leave you with a belly full of heavy cream, which is always great for when the temperature climbs over 85 degrees. (That said, because it's basically lightly packed snow covered in sugar, it melts even faster than ice cream, so either stay in the A/C or be prepared to scarf it down quickly on especially hot days.)