14.283 Taste Test : Rich Milk Ice Bar vs Original Milk Ice Cream

Cycle 14 – Item 283

15 (Sun) October 2023

Rich Milk Ice Bar vs Original Milk Ice Cream

4.0

at home

-Changgok, Sujeong, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea-

with IZ

The DIY 24-hr snack shop is an increasingly common thing around Seoul, mostly in residential neighborhoods, near schools (target = children).

Located 652 m from home.

I recall fondly our first family outing upon emerging from quarantine when we came back to Korea in June 2020.  After seeing our new apartment, we walked out in search of a restaurant for dinner, eventually settling on Cheongdam Lee Sang (see 11.162 Modeum Sashimi).  Along the way, we encountered this snack shop, which was new to us, apparently having become a thing while we were in the Philippines – we were like, “Huh?”

Ostensibly a place to buy ice cream, at heavily discounted prices, but also candies, crackers, and other junk food.

A business like this could only be possible in a country like Korea, where shoplifting is exceedingly rare and customers can be expected to pay for what they take.   To be sure, cameras are installed throughout the premises, and law enforcement’s AI systems are quite capable of identifying anyone with a facial photo on file (i.e., any citizen/resident/visitor over the age of 18) – though someone could come in wearing a mask and get away with stealing the entire stock.

During the late 1970s to early 1980s, the Korean food industry experienced a Golden Age that led to development of various ice creams that are still popular today.  These include Bibibik, Nougat Bar, Jaws Bar, Screw Bar, Bravo Cone, Polapo, and Seoju Ice Ju (Original Milk Ice Cream).  (Reminds me of how certain American junk breakfast cereals created in the 1950s-1960s, such as Cap’n Crunch, Frosted Flakes, Lucky Charms, Cocoa Puffs, are perennial favorites.)

Payment is made by credit/debit card at self-scanning registers.

Since I was a kid, Seoju Ice Ju (Original Milk Ice Cream) bars have always been my favorite.

However, for some reason, they are (seemingly) no longer found at mainstream stores, so I’d believed them to be discontinued, but lo and behold they’re available at these snack shops.

20 items for only 11,700 won.

At some point, Lotte launched a competing product, Sunsu Milk (Rich Milk Ice Bar).

So, we decided to compare the two in a blind taste test.

Hands down, the Seoju wins.  Densely creamy and richly sweetness, like condensed milk.  By contrast, the Lotte was icy/crumbly in texture, and bland in flavor – I can’t believe that a company of Lotte’s reputation would put out such a vastly inferior product.

(See also FOOD GLOSSARY)

(See also RESTAURANTS IN KOREA)

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