Cafe Brown Sugar is a Korean Cafe near the Hmart complex in Carrollton, Texas. Since it’s opening, it has been a hot spot for people of all ages to gather, although most customers are Korean or Asian American teenagers. The interior is cozy and homey. There are booths that scatter the walls both on the first and second floors. Then there is an elevated level with tables and chairs. Seating is easy to find for 1-12 people at any time of day.
Now to the food! Many of the food items are inspired by those in Korea.
Sweet Toast & Mini Fish Shaped Waffles
The Sweet Toast is essentially half a loaf of white bread that is cut, toasted, and has butter, honey, and cinnamon drizzled on and around it. It is $5.95 and totally worth it! If you’ve never had Korean style, white bread, it is decadent. Smooth, soft, and oh so delicious. Now add warmth, butter, honey, and cinnamon. My only regret is that I only tried it on my last visit . . . and I’ve been going to Cafe Brown Sugar since it opened years ago!
The mini waffle fish shaped desserts are called bungeobbang. They are made to order and you should eat it while it’s hot! I prefer the red bean ones to the custard, but you can determine how many of each kind you want when you order. These are one of my favorite things here.
The waffles there are pretty good. The green tea ice cream they give you is quality green tea, although it can be a bit icy at times. The waffles are cooked to perfection and have the beautiful golden brown color. The fruit is cut thinly and overall, it’s a good dessert to share with friends (but still TOO EXPENSIVE). Also, waffles definitely lose their appeal after a while.
Now that it’s summer….BINGSOO. Bing soo is Korean shaved ice. Usually, it’s served with red bean paste (it’s actually super sweet and delicious, don’t let the name scare you off!), misugaroo (grain powder), fruits, and mochi pieces. The normal bingsoo’s at Brown Sugar have all of those elements and ice cream. My favorite is the green tea bingsoo which has green tea ice cream but excludes fruit :/ Pro Tip: mix it all into the ice to make a watery, icy consistency. Might as well give bingsoo/Korean shaved ice a try especially since it was named the Best Asian Dessert by Buzzfeed!
Green Tea Shaved Ice
All the drinks I’ve had here were meh. Nothing special and usually over priced. OH AND DON’T EVER GET BUBBLE TEA HERE. The Korean bread they sell is good. I find the macarons to be really small and not worth the price. The cakes and small pastries are also way too expensive. Go with friends and stick to the mini fish shaped waffles, bingsoos, and waffles.
I know I’ll be back to catch up with friends or come for dessert after dinner in the area.
-Solji
