After dinner at Captain Boiled, my wife and I decided to visit Sulbing Korean Dessert Café on Robson Street for a sweet treat. At first, we weren’t sure if the café was even open, but we noticed someone inside talking to the staff.
Upon entering, the menu immediately caught our attention. The visual displays of desserts were appealing and made choosing easier, especially for our first visit. I opted for the strawberry waffles, while my wife was interested in the mango waffles, but they were unavailable, possibly due to seasonal availability. Instead, she went for the Mini Custard Taiyaki.
One disappointment was that the coffee machine was out of order, meaning none of the espresso-based drinks or even black coffee were available. We settled for two glasses of tap water instead.
The café is small but well-organized, with clean and personalized furniture that creates a cozy atmosphere. The service was initially lackluster. The staff member didn’t seem very engaged, almost as if she didn’t want to be there. That said, she wasn’t rude, just indifferent.
Our Mini Custard Taiyaki was decent but didn’t exceed expectations. However, the strawberry waffles were a pleasant surprise. Not only were they beautifully presented, but they were also well-prepared, showing a level of care in the plating. This thoughtful touch changed our impression of the staff member, who turned out to be more friendly than we initially thought.
Sulbing Café offers a decent selection of Korean desserts, but the experience was a mix of highs and lows. The waffles were the highlight, while the lack of coffee options and initial service interaction were underwhelming. The café is worth a visit for a sweet treat, but don’t set your expectations too high for the overall service.
Would we return? Maybe, but only if they had the full menu available.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 3
Frank Han
Do not spend any money at this place. Dining area is tiny and the place look like it hasn't been cleaned or kept up. And the person working there was not polite, no smile to be found. I had to ask for spoons because she didn't even ask if we needed any. But the WORST part was the shaved ice itself. We ordered the red bean injulmi to go and when we came back to the hotel, we couldn't believe our eyes. It was only 2/3 full, shaved ice did not taste like the regular Sulbing bowl - it was chunky ice that was mixed with water. And there was no red bean. The almond nuts tasted old and smelled bad. I paid over $20 for this and almost took the Uber back to demand a refund. Instead, I'm hoping no one else becomes a victim to this business again and writing this review. Do not go there!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Kings Cross†
Their shaved ice comes differently every time you order. Their employees are not properly trained. Hope they’re cleaning their machines diligently and properly. I doubt it when I see their product quality and cleanliness of the store inside.
When you go to some stores, you instantly feel the owner doesn’t work there, and some newbies will serve you without any quality of service nor pride in their work. This management shouldn’t run their business they never answer any calls.
“Winter Bear” on Denman is way better.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Jennifer Park
My pick up order only had 1/3 amount in the cup. This is way less than half of what the usual amount is. I’m not sure whether this is their trainee who made it obviously their quality control is not there. Price isn’t even cheap to make such mistake. I paid over $25 for a cup including tip and this is what they do in return. Not coming back , looking for a new place
Joo Yun Lee
There wasn't enough ice in the shaved ice, so I ate it like I was covered in sticky injeolmi powder. ㅠㅠ I didn't have any expectations about the atmosphere, so I wasn't disappointed, but as you wrote in other reviews here, the taste and service seem to really need a lot of improvement.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Anna
I think she was the owner, but the lady who serviced me and my friends was amazing! Great customer service and such a friendly atmosphere!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
애기치즈6v6
After leaving Korea, I was looking forward to eating Sulbing, but I wonder if the Injeolmi is frozen or has a hardened texture that tastes like rice cake. I was disappointed because it was the same. I don’t think I’ll ever visit snow ice again in Canada. Other than the rice cake, everything was just okay.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
Kirti Gupta
Their timings seems incorrect on google maps, we went there at 6:30pm on a friday and it was closed even though it showed open online, missed checking it out
Toast Hanui
Looks like a lot of improvement is needed A place where there is nothing good about price, taste, or service... .
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Kate Lee
It was pricy for what we got since after the top layer of injeolmi and powder there was very little of it layered into the rest of the dessert, so it was a lot of plain condensed milk eating.
I walked into this place at 9:45 and they told me it’s closed , there is a sign on the window says it closes at 10:00 . Very disappointed.
Mariia Myrgorodska
Be aware it’s not ice cream. This is something like shaved ice
And it’s 80% of the dessert just with different toppings
Mb tasty with another flavor but not with brownie
Tejung Gloria Li
The store is quite small but there are outdoor seats I thought it would be a matcha-based snowflake ice, but I didn’t expect it to be a completely tasteless snowflake ice (maybe I’m spoiled by Taiwanese snowflake ice, so I’m used to snowflake ice having a taste, at least milky...) It’s the condensed milk next to it that gives it the flavor The matcha ice cream also tastes very cheap and is not worth the price.
Food: 2
Chris Yoo
We had the Mango cheese (cake) bingsu and it was quite nice. Plenty of mango pieces and cheesecake laid on top of a mountain of shaved ice. Ideally, there would have been a better distribution of toppings/fillings to make for more balanced bites. Since I mixed the toppings in to the shaved ice very intentionally, it was enjoyable the whole way through. If I hadn't, I would have been left with a massively disappointing mound of ice and naught else after a few bites.Something for the establishment to consider would be to make a smaller mound of shaved ice, add condensed milk, add more ice, then add the toppings.
After dinner at Captain Boiled, my wife and I decided to visit Sulbing Korean Dessert Café on Robson Street for a sweet treat. At first, we weren’t sure if the café was even open, but we noticed someone inside talking to the staff.
Upon entering, the menu immediately caught our attention. The visual displays of desserts were appealing and made choosing easier, especially for our first visit. I opted for the strawberry waffles, while my wife was interested in the mango waffles, but they were unavailable, possibly due to seasonal availability. Instead, she went for the Mini Custard Taiyaki.
One disappointment was that the coffee machine was out of order, meaning none of the espresso-based drinks or even black coffee were available. We settled for two glasses of tap water instead.
The café is small but well-organized, with clean and personalized furniture that creates a cozy atmosphere. The service was initially lackluster. The staff member didn’t seem very engaged, almost as if she didn’t want to be there. That said, she wasn’t rude, just indifferent.
Our Mini Custard Taiyaki was decent but didn’t exceed expectations. However, the strawberry waffles were a pleasant surprise. Not only were they beautifully presented, but they were also well-prepared, showing a level of care in the plating. This thoughtful touch changed our impression of the staff member, who turned out to be more friendly than we initially thought.
Sulbing Café offers a decent selection of Korean desserts, but the experience was a mix of highs and lows. The waffles were the highlight, while the lack of coffee options and initial service interaction were underwhelming. The café is worth a visit for a sweet treat, but don’t set your expectations too high for the overall service.
Would we return? Maybe, but only if they had the full menu available.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 3
Do not spend any money at this place. Dining area is tiny and the place look like it hasn't been cleaned or kept up. And the person working there was not polite, no smile to be found. I had to ask for spoons because she didn't even ask if we needed any. But the WORST part was the shaved ice itself. We ordered the red bean injulmi to go and when we came back to the hotel, we couldn't believe our eyes. It was only 2/3 full, shaved ice did not taste like the regular Sulbing bowl - it was chunky ice that was mixed with water. And there was no red bean. The almond nuts tasted old and smelled bad. I paid over $20 for this and almost took the Uber back to demand a refund. Instead, I'm hoping no one else becomes a victim to this business again and writing this review. Do not go there!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Their shaved ice comes differently every time you order. Their employees are not properly trained. Hope they’re cleaning their machines diligently and properly. I doubt it when I see their product quality and cleanliness of the store inside.
When you go to some stores, you instantly feel the owner doesn’t work there, and some newbies will serve you without any quality of service nor pride in their work. This management shouldn’t run their business they never answer any calls.
“Winter Bear” on Denman is way better.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
My pick up order only had 1/3 amount in the cup. This is way less than half of what the usual amount is. I’m not sure whether this is their trainee who made it obviously their quality control is not there.
Price isn’t even cheap to make such mistake. I paid over $25 for a cup including tip and this is what they do in return. Not coming back , looking for a new place
There wasn't enough ice in the shaved ice, so I ate it like I was covered in sticky injeolmi powder. ㅠㅠ I didn't have any expectations about the atmosphere, so I wasn't disappointed, but as you wrote in other reviews here, the taste and service seem to really need a lot of improvement.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
I think she was the owner, but the lady who serviced me and my friends was amazing! Great customer service and such a friendly atmosphere!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
After leaving Korea, I was looking forward to eating Sulbing, but I wonder if the Injeolmi is frozen or has a hardened texture that tastes like rice cake. I was disappointed because it was the same. I don’t think I’ll ever visit snow ice again in Canada. Other than the rice cake, everything was just okay.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
Their timings seems incorrect on google maps, we went there at 6:30pm on a friday and it was closed even though it showed open online, missed checking it out
Looks like a lot of improvement is needed
A place where there is nothing good about price, taste, or service... .
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
It was pricy for what we got since after the top layer of injeolmi and powder there was very little of it layered into the rest of the dessert, so it was a lot of plain condensed milk eating.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
I walked into this place at 9:45 and they told me it’s closed , there is a sign on the window says it closes at 10:00 . Very disappointed.
Be aware it’s not ice cream. This is something like shaved ice
And it’s 80% of the dessert just with different toppings
Mb tasty with another flavor but not with brownie
The store is quite small but there are outdoor seats
I thought it would be a matcha-based snowflake ice, but I didn’t expect it to be a completely tasteless snowflake ice (maybe I’m spoiled by Taiwanese snowflake ice, so I’m used to snowflake ice having a taste, at least milky...) It’s the condensed milk next to it that gives it the flavor The matcha ice cream also tastes very cheap and is not worth the price.
Food: 2
We had the Mango cheese (cake) bingsu and it was quite nice. Plenty of mango pieces and cheesecake laid on top of a mountain of shaved ice. Ideally, there would have been a better distribution of toppings/fillings to make for more balanced bites. Since I mixed the toppings in to the shaved ice very intentionally, it was enjoyable the whole way through. If I hadn't, I would have been left with a massively disappointing mound of ice and naught else after a few bites.Something for the establishment to consider would be to make a smaller mound of shaved ice, add condensed milk, add more ice, then add the toppings.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Cheesecake, Mango Cheese Bingsu
Very small inside but delicious!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Green Tea Ice Cream
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