Simhaksan café in Paju: mango bingsu for 3 generations, Fruit Forest

Fruit Forest near Simhaksan, with my mom and my daughter

Fruit Forest (과일의숲, FRUITS FOREST) Paju Direct Store is a café near Simhaksan. I took a trip to Paju with my mom to run an errand, and after lunch we wanted something cold and sweet. We looked for a café near Simhaksan with my mom and my daughter, and there are tons of good restaurants and cafés around there. I really should put together a list of places worth visiting.

To get to the point, the star of the day was the mango bingsu (shaved ice dessert). Three people from three different generations went together and everyone was happy, which is why this visit stuck with me.

What are the exterior and parking like at Fruit Forest Paju Direct Store?

Fruit Forest Paju Direct Store uses an enormous building all to itself, and the parking lot is big too. It's a fruit dessert specialist near Simhaksan. The exterior is black-toned and looks clean and stylish. Near the entrance there are drawings symbolizing coffee, bakery items and desserts, so it stands out even from far away.

Seasonal fruit and fresh mangoes on display

On one side of the store, seasonal fruit like watermelon, peaches and nectarines was piled up, and it caught my eye more than anything else. It felt less like a regular café and more like a fruit specialty shop. They say they bring in the freshest fruit from auction every day, and you can really feel it. I got the impression that this place is serious about fruit.

Look at how fresh these mangoes are!

At Fruit Forest, there's no way you skip the fresh mango bingsu.

Floor-to-ceiling windows indoors and outdoor terrace seats

The indoor space, with sunlight pouring through floor-to-ceiling windows, left an impression, and I liked the spacious, comfortable atmosphere. There are also outdoor terrace seats that are nice to use on a good-weather day.

The outdoor terrace looks stylish too.

Ta-da! The fresh mango snow bingsu steals every eye

What we ordered was Fruit Forest's fresh mango snow bingsu. The moment it arrived, my mom and my daughter both gasped at the same time.

The mango was piled on so generously that you saw mango before you saw ice. Yellow mango covered the entire bingsu, and with ice cream and toppings on top, it looked pretty spectacular. I was almost too sad to dig in and just admired it for a while, haha. There was no way not to take photos.

Is the ₩28,000 fresh mango snow bingsu worth the amount?

The fresh mango snow bingsu at Fruit Forest is ₩28,000, so I did hesitate a little when I first saw the menu. But once it arrived, I could understand to some extent why it costs that much.

There was far more mango than I expected, and the fruit was in really good condition. It wasn't just a piece or two on top; it felt like filling up my stomach on mango. It was enough for three people to share, so satisfaction was actually high.

Coffee that went well with it, and how to eat the passion fruit syrup

The coffee we ordered with the fresh mango snow bingsu was good too. After the sweet mango bingsu, a sip of coffee felt like it cleaned up my mouth. So I kept going: a bite of bingsu, a sip of coffee, over and over.

Once you've eaten a fair amount of the mango on top and reach the ice underneath, pour over the passion fruit syrup they give you on the side. That turns out to be a treat too.

Great mango means great bingsu

Eating Fruit Forest's fresh mango snow bingsu myself, the first thing I noticed was how sweet the mango was. It was sweet yet the flesh was soft, and mango aroma filled my whole mouth.

The mango is so good. I've never had mango like this in my life.

That's what my mom said, and my daughter kept picking out just the mango. The mango flavor stayed with me for a long, long time too. I'd thought, how different can mango taste, really? But once I tried it, it was nothing like that.

The snow bingsu has a milk base, so it melted softly in my mouth and blended well with the rich sweetness of the mango. When I tried it with the tangy sauce served alongside, the sweetness came through even more. It wasn't just sweet; I could eat it to the end without getting tired of it.

Ugh, I want to eat it again, hahaha

Why I recommend Fruit Forest as a dessert café near Simhaksan

If you're looking for a dessert café near Simhaksan, Fruit Forest Paju Direct Store is worth a visit at least once. I highly recommend it, please do try it.

The fresh mango snow bingsu in particular might make you hesitate if you only look at the price, but once it's in front of you, the amount of fruit and the taste make it easy to accept. Above all, what made it memorable was that my mom, my daughter and I were all satisfied. If I'm near Simhaksan again, I'll definitely go back. I came away totally smitten with the mango bingsu.