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www.groovekorea.com / August 2014 36 I’ll bet my bottom dollar that if you’ve rummaged through Seoul, you’ve brushed shoulders with Milkcow at some point. The brand has managed to raise itself above the noise of Hongdae and Gangnam, as well as making itself at home in the upscale back alleys of Ap- gujeong. Its aim? To maintain classy simplicity all the way to ground zero: our stomachs. At first glance, Milkcow looks like it was plucked right from a 1950s middle-America town square — it’s all smiles, milkshakes and bobby socks. The flagship store in Gangnam, however, puts a modern spin on this gold- en era homage; the building, composed of several floors for its consumers’ convenience, is wall-to-wall glass. Put simply, what you can see from the outside — customers taking an hour for themselves with teacup-sized frozen comfort — will entice you to walk in. The names of the flavors add another layer of intrigue: Golden Angel? Greenlight? Snowdrop? These aren’t the typical Smurf monikers you see on menus elsewhere. Golden Angel is made with white chocolate and white My search for soft-serve ice cream has taken us to the center of Itae- won where David Go’s Sweetruck is enjoying a strong second week after its grand opening. Sweetrucks are all over Seoul — the royal blue and gold colors make it an easy chain to spot — but what Sweetruck does with its soft-serve is not common. Make no mistake: this concoction is nothing short of magic. Go, an ice cream enthusiast and opportunist, couldn’t have picked a more action-packed spot for his store. Hailing from the United States, Go hopes to build up a loyal customer base in Itaewon’s regular crowd. “I’ve always wanted to have a place where I could be myself and really relax … This presented the perfect opportunity,” he said. “Itaewon’s the perfect spot for the store. I’m from America, so this area is really com- fortable for me.” He’s not lying. Our conversation gets cut short because the store is inundated with a regular influx of customers salivating for a sweet treat, which Sweetruck is happy to deliver. Go’s secret weapon arrives in the form of the company’s specialty — the honey chip, a growing trend — but rather than having a variety of flavors to choose from, Sweetruck really embraces its honeycomb. It’s so deeply entwined with the brand that they decided to feature a bee in the logo and, according to a Sweetruck repre- sentative, their honey is endorsed by the Korea Beekeeping Association. Go acknowledges that the menu is minimal, but assures us that there’s more to it than meets the eye. “It’s simple, but what makes us stand out is that we offer variety for our ice cream options. We have vanilla, chocolate and we also have a mix of the two.” That mix is a popular request. I decid- ed to go for it and was not let down. The honeycomb was a fine addition too — the waxy texture shook things up a bit while also connecting the three flavors together as if they were one. Among the plethora of soft- serve brands claiming land all over Seoul, it’s a relief to know that classic vanilla isn’t the only option out there for those who want to keep it simple. Despite competition running high in Gangnam, the soft-serve game still remains quite sparse in Itaewon, so Go is hopeful for his location: “It’s easy to access, it’s right by the subway and the ice cream we make here is fantastic.” fOOD & DRINK Edited by Shelley DeWees (shelley@groovekorea.com)