SomiSomi is a Korean-American desert chain with 30 locations in the U.S. Founded in LA in 2016, the Korea chain specializes in a version of Japanese tayaki (fish-shaped deserts) that’s stuffed with soft serve ice cream and covered with a choice of toppings. Called bungeo‑ppang (붕어빵) in Korea, SomiSomi’s version is known as “ah‑boong” (아붕), a take on the dessert.
At SomiSomi, you can choose whether you want the soft serve inside the fish or served on top — and they call it “filling” or “topping” style. Not many dessert chains give you that kind of choice!
Also, the fish-shaped cone is made fresh for each order, using a custom iron mold — just like traditional Korean street vendors do. The name for the fish + ice cream combo in Korea is “ah-boong” (아붕), a mash-up of “ice cream (AH-iseu-keurim)” and “bungeoppang.”
Tayaki is a Japanese fish-shaped pastry that began at a shop in Tokyo in 1909. Korea has a similar snack called bungeoppang (붕어빵), which means “fish pastry.” It was inspired by Japanese taiyaki and became popular during the Japanese occupation of Korea (1910–1945). Today, it’s a common winter street snack in Korea.
Vocabulary:
–Fish-shaped pastries in the winter
-Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree (and a fish-shaped analogy)
