Bite the Dust: Head to Sanlitun to Treat Yourself to a Smogsicle

Does living in Greyjing and breathing its polluted air make you hungry for tasty treats that remind you of the city's thick, murky air?

Fear not, newly opened Korean soft-serve specialist Remicone has just the thing for you: a concoction we're dubbing the Smogsicle. 

While the cotton candy-topped soft-serve dish looks like it was designed with PM2.5-beleaguered Beijingers in mind, it in fact hails from South Korea, where Remicone By No-Name is a popular soft-serve chain.

Dubbed the “Thunder Bomb” and priced at RMB 32, the Nali patio desert outlet’s signature menu item consists of a cup of vanilla soft serve beneath a billowing serving of slate-shaded cotton candy that measures more than five centimeters high.

The topping, meant to resemble a thundercloud, is crowned by a dainty, lightning bolt-shaped candy stuck in the upper half of the cotton candy mound. But make no mistake: this desert’s texture and appearance evokes a "Beyond Index" Beijing day far more than a thunderstorm.

There are no instructions or explanation from the staff on how to dig into such a bizarre desert, but the uninitiated can take cues from fellow customers who eagerly tear off chunks of the cotton candy by hand before gobbling up the ice cream beneath with a spoon. Patrons can also watch Remicone’s staff stir up globs of that candy floss at both indoor and outdoor counters.

Aside from the Thunder Bomb, Remicone’s menu also features a wide variety of unique takes on soft-serve. More palatable (and less reminiscent of bad air) are the dark chocolate Romantico (RMB 35) and the Honey Crumble (RMB 29). Less adventurous customers can opt for regular cones or cups of plain vanilla (RMB 22), salted caramel (RMB 25) and dark “real chocolate” (RMB 28).

Customizable toppings include RMB 4 globs of syrup available in honey, chocolate, caramel, and mango varieties, RMB 4 dustings of cocoa or raspberry powder, RMB 10 servings of macaroon chunks and RMB 8 sprinklings of honey chips. And if you just can't deal with dessert without a grey blob on top, you can fork over RMB 7 to plop a mass of PM2.5 on any of their combinations.

Remicone’s exterior is marked by fake tires and a gas pump in an effort to evoke an ice cream truck. Inside, the decor is minimalistic with a neon sign declaring the restaurant’s name, four small tables and a bench, along with pipes trailing along the upper walls and ceiling, the latter of which is reminiscent of a dingy coal refinery, which fits well with the gas-guzzling exterior motif and the smoggy consistency of the outlet’s signature cotton candy.

Remicone
Daily 11am-9pm. A102&103 Nali Patio (south side), 81 Sanlitun Lu, near Moka Bros (5208 6037)
三里屯北街81号那里花园1层南门A102&103

Photos: Kyle Mullin