Shake the summer heat

Ice cream and milkshakes make for great treats. Treats that Cho Sang-hyun developed a taste for while studying abroad in America.

Eager to share his passion for ice cream by opening a parlor in South Korea, Cho searched high and low for what he deemed the right combination of texture, sweetness and flavor.

“I wanted something not too sweet but still rich,” Cho said.

He found what he was looking for in Singapore, at Once Upon a Milkshake, an ice cream parlor chain that first opened in 2009. 

This June, the first South Korean shop was launched, near Noksapyeong Station.

“Response is very good,” Cho, head of Once Upon a Milkshake’s Korea operations, said.

At the new shop on Noksapyeong-daero, patrons can pick from a selection of more than 17 milkshake flavors, including nougat, maple and tiramisu.

According to Cho, durian ― which is available in Singapore and, according to the official website, is a popular flavor ― is not on the menu at the moment.

As for flavors that customers gravitate to, Cho said, “Vanilla is popular. So is our strawberry milkshake.”

Another oft-ordered flavor is salted caramel, a shake option for those who want something sweet and buttery.

At Once Upon a Milkshake, shakes come in mini, regular and large sizes.

Customers can also get their shakes “thick” or “less thick” and also opt to combine two flavors into one cup for an additional 1,000 won.

As befits an ice cream parlor, ice cream by the scoop and soft serve are also available.

Soft serve comes in two flavors: vanilla and chocolate.

The vanilla, a swirl of pure white, is glossy and dense yet surprisingly light, essentially what Cho was looking for ― ice cream that is not-too-sugary but still creamy and thick. 

Details

● Once Upon a Milkshake

● 242 Noksapyeong-daero, Yongsan-gu, Seoul/ (070) 7435-3513

● Open Tuesdays through Thursdays 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., till 11 p.m. Fridays through Sundays, closed Mondays

● Milkshakes cost 4,000 won to 9,000 won

By Jean Oh (oh_jean@heraldcorp.com)