Snow Bowl guarantees a chilly delight

Treat yourself to delightful snacks and elegant desserts at Snow Bowl, a new family-run venue that recently launched its soft opening in San Ramon, offering a diverse menu of Korean favorites.
As the name suggests, this restaurant sells milk-based shaved ice varieties, also known as bingsoo. Other items found on the menu include drinks such as slushies, smoothies, and tea, and snacks such as gyoza, creme brulee toast, and chicken wings.

Personally, I ordered the mango bingsoo, which cost $12.95, and snacks including popcorn chicken, $8.50, and fried calamari, $10.95, totaling up to $32.40.

When savoring the crunch of crispy popcorn chicken, or trying the refreshing drinks also offered, the obvious stand out at Snow Bowl is their bingsoo dish, a milk-based Korean shaved ice dessert. The bingsoo is definitely good to share, as Snow Bowl does not skimp out on ingredients. Heaping on a generous mountain of shaved ice and beautifully layering mango slices surrounding the top, the delicate dessert is nothing short of a masterpiece. Underneath, house-made mango sauce soaks the ice, creating a sweet but light melting pool of flavor on the bottom.

I really liked how I could customize the sweetness level of the bingsoo too, and have the option of ordering the condensed milk topper on the side. Snow Bowl does a great job at allowing for customer personalization, which only adds to the perks.

However, aside from their palate-pleasing desserts, the savory dishes such as popcorn chicken and fried calamari could use some tweaks. There were some pieces of chicken where the flavoring fell short, or wasn’t present at all, and for some pieces of calamari, the crunchy exterior lacked the well-anticipated crunch. Additionally, as a small shop just opening, Snow Ball is understaffed, and each dish has a long wait time before being brought out to customers.

Overall, what really draws me back is the bingsoo dessert. The dish elevates itself from the rest with careful attention to detail when putting together each bowl of blended ice and fruit. I highly recommend trying out Snow Bowl and can’t wait to see how they expand and grow the small restaurant.