Food and beverage brands are leaning into nostalgia and fresh seasonal flavors—think retro-inspired coffees, cooling summer noodle bowls, low-sugar dressings, and craveable specialty kimchis.
Tom N Toms just launched two Apgujeong Dabang Coffee drinks that capture the cozy dabang (Korean tea-room) vibe of its original 1999 Apgujeong location. The new pair refreshes the brand’s hit Kkondae Latte and includes a Dabang Coffee and a Dabang Mocha. By blending Apgujeong’s heritage with the buzzy newtro and “halme-nial” trends, the menu is designed to appeal across generations.
The Apgujeong Dabang Coffee reimagines the familiar mix‑coffee flavor in Tom N Toms’ signature style, serving up a richer, sweeter profile. The Apgujeong Dabang Mocha—inspired by the café mocha that was popular at the first store—layers mocha notes on top of the dabang coffee’s sweetness. It keeps the Kkondae Latte’s beloved sweetness but smooths the finish for an easy, sip‑worthy experience.
Wonhalmeoni Bossam Jokbal introduced its summer menu item, yeolmu makguksu (young radish buckwheat noodles), on April 16. The dish uses locally grown yeolmu for a crunchy texture and peak seasonal flavor. The brand ferments the yeolmu with its own recipe and adds chilled dongchimi broth to give the bowl a bright, refreshing umami. Buckwheat noodles keep it light and easy to enjoy on hot days.
Yeolmu makguksu is available as a solo dish and in combos—like a half-bossam set that pairs the noodles with boiled pork, or a bossam set meant for sharing. The company also recommends pairing it with the recently released Silbi Bossam: the noodles’ clean, refreshing bite helps tame Silbi Bossam’s heat for a satisfying, well-balanced meal.
Fontana rolled out four Zero Sugar Dressings that contain 0g of sugar and cut calories by up to 50%. The lineup includes Sesame, Oriental, Caesar and Thousand Island flavors. The company says these dressings bring calories down to roughly half of the top five brands in IR KOREA’s individual retail channel, while keeping the familiar flavors people expect from their favorite dressings.
The Sesame dressing mixes sesame, black sesame, cashew and peanut for a toasty, nutty profile. Oriental balances brewed soy sauce with herbs and lemon juice for a bright finish. Caesar layers Parmesan, Romano and Grana Padano cheeses with bacon chips and whole-grain mustard for depth. Thousand Island features tomato chunks, unsweetened pickled cucumber and white vinegar. Fontana will host a Naver Store shopping live at 11 a.m. on the 23rd.
Ourhome launched a specialty kimchi called Ourhome Gat Seokbakji exclusively for Costco. This hybrid combines seokbakji (radish kimchi) with gat (mustard leaf) kimchi, using domestic radish and mustard to deliver a crisp texture and a bright, peppery kick. Key ingredients—seasonal mustard, radish, gochugaru and ginger—are all sourced from Korean farms, and the kimchi is cut into bite‑size pieces so it’s ready to eat straight from the container.
Designed to pair with soups, stews, noodle dishes and rice bowls, the product will be sold at 19 Costco locations nationwide (excluding Yangpyeong). Ourhome is also holding tasting events from April 30 to May 3.
