Tuesday 7 June 2011
Sunday 5 June 2011
Saturday 4 June 2011
Thursday 26 May 2011
Coco Bruni
I was strolling from Itaewon to Hanganjin station in search of a non chain coffee shop or cafe and I tried to go into a few between 10:30am and 11am but they still were not open for business so I kept walking and I came across Coco Bruni. This cafe is a chain but a small chain. I think it only has a few branches, the one that I went to was near Hanganjin station. Check out : http://www.cocobruni.co.kr/community/store.asp for all the store locations (only in Korean).
Apparently, Coco Bruni is well known for it's chocolate and cakes. Unfortunately, it was so hot that day I didn't feel like having anything with chocolate which makes a change for me. Instead I tried their Skinny Vanilla Shake which was delicious. The theme for the decor seemed to be monochrome with a bit of wood. One whole side of the shop has top to bottom glass windows giving the cafe a very spacious feel to it. Having read a few other bloggers posts and comments about the cakes I think I'm going to have to give this cafe another try. The cafe is not as expensive as I imagined it would be. The shake was 5,800 won and the cakes were around a similar price.
This cafe doesn't have a cosy feel to it but would be a great place to go for coffee and dessert after going to one of the many restaurants surrounding Itaewon and Hanganjin station.
How to get there:
Hanganjin station, Line 6, Exit 2, walk for 5 minutes, its on your left.
Apparently, Coco Bruni is well known for it's chocolate and cakes. Unfortunately, it was so hot that day I didn't feel like having anything with chocolate which makes a change for me. Instead I tried their Skinny Vanilla Shake which was delicious. The theme for the decor seemed to be monochrome with a bit of wood. One whole side of the shop has top to bottom glass windows giving the cafe a very spacious feel to it. Having read a few other bloggers posts and comments about the cakes I think I'm going to have to give this cafe another try. The cafe is not as expensive as I imagined it would be. The shake was 5,800 won and the cakes were around a similar price.
This cafe doesn't have a cosy feel to it but would be a great place to go for coffee and dessert after going to one of the many restaurants surrounding Itaewon and Hanganjin station.
How to get there:
Hanganjin station, Line 6, Exit 2, walk for 5 minutes, its on your left.
Sunday 22 May 2011
Justins
My friend had been wanting to visit this cafe for some time because according to her it looked a bit posh from the outside but I have to say that once we went inside it was a bit disappointing. It was too big (for my taste) with harsh lighting and not at all cosy. The only upside of Justins cafe was that they had several desktop computers that you can use but this isn't particularly unusual in Seoul as other cafes have computers available as well. The other good thing about Justins is that it opens at 7am and doesn't close until midnight. It can be quite hard to find coffee shops that are open early in the morning in Seoul, at least near my home.
My friend ordered a Kopi Luwak coffee which she said didn't taste very good but I don't know if this was because she was not used to the taste or because the coffee bean comes out of the rear end of an animal (sorry but there really is no delicate way of saying that). My friend is somewhat or a coffee connoisseur so I tend to believe her if she said it wasn't good. I would have had a taste of it myself for investigative purposes (basically for this blog and whoever is out there reading it) but I was not feeling well that day and it couldn't work up the motivation to try it once I was told by my friend that it really wasn't very good.
I ordered a cranberry cake and my friend ordered a cheesecake to see whether the cakes were any better than the drinks. Unfortunately, she took one bite of her cheesecake and said it was mediocre and I agreed that both her cake and my cake were both mediocre after having tried them both. All in all the cafe was just ok. If you don't mind or even prefer being in huge cafes packed with people with not much atmosphere then this is the place for you.
How to get there:
Seoul National University Station, Line 2, Exit 2, walk straight out of Exit 2 for about 5 minutes, it will be on your left.
My friend ordered a Kopi Luwak coffee which she said didn't taste very good but I don't know if this was because she was not used to the taste or because the coffee bean comes out of the rear end of an animal (sorry but there really is no delicate way of saying that). My friend is somewhat or a coffee connoisseur so I tend to believe her if she said it wasn't good. I would have had a taste of it myself for investigative purposes (basically for this blog and whoever is out there reading it) but I was not feeling well that day and it couldn't work up the motivation to try it once I was told by my friend that it really wasn't very good.
I ordered a cranberry cake and my friend ordered a cheesecake to see whether the cakes were any better than the drinks. Unfortunately, she took one bite of her cheesecake and said it was mediocre and I agreed that both her cake and my cake were both mediocre after having tried them both. All in all the cafe was just ok. If you don't mind or even prefer being in huge cafes packed with people with not much atmosphere then this is the place for you.
How to get there:
Seoul National University Station, Line 2, Exit 2, walk straight out of Exit 2 for about 5 minutes, it will be on your left.
Saturday 7 May 2011
나무 Cafe
나무 Cafe is one of the many 2nd floor cafes that line Insadong's main shopping street. I had passed this cafe many times thinking "I'll go next time I'm in Insadong". I had the perfect opportunity as I had a few hours to kill before the Lotus Lantern Parade started so I decided to go and check it out. I had seen some photos of this cafe on my friends facebook page and the waffles looked great. Unfortunately I didn't order one as I was too full from lunch but maybe that was a good decision after all as the couple next to me ordered one and they had to send it back as it wasn't cooked all the way through which didn't leave me with a very good impression.
I ordered an espresso which was really good but a bit expensive at 3,800 won. This is not expensive by Insadong standards but it is compared to the coffee shops I usually frequent which are surrounding university areas.
Because I was there for a while I also ordered a mango smoothie which was 5,500 won. Anything less than 6,000 or 7,000 won usually means it's not made with real fruit but I risked it just to see what I got. I know I could have asked if it was made from real fruit but I keep forgetting the Korean word for fruit (Note to self: I must write it down) In Korea it's quiet common to have artificial fruit flavored syrup pumped into the drink and mixed with yogurt or ice, whatever else they are using to make the smoothie with. You can usually tell from the price whether it will be made from real fruit or fruit flavored syrup. I didn't see them making my drink as I sat down and it was brought over to me but it wasn't overly sweet so I'm going to assume it was real.
This cafe has approx. 30 seats. The best seats are by the windows where you can look down onto the busy Insadong street which is great for people watching. The only drawback of this is that it's extremely noisy inside the cafe because of the open windows overlooking the street. The tables and chairs are also extremely close together which also adds to the noise. I don't know what it is normally like in this cafe but it definitely wouldn't be place to go for some peace and quiet or to get any work done. To be fair, I was visiting the cafe on one of the busiest saturdays of the year. Lots of people were in Insadong for the Lotus Lantern Festival which had events going on all day.
Decor wise the cafe had a few cute decorations but nothing overly impressive. The atmosphere of this cafe was not that great. I can't quite put my finger on it but it felt a bit impersonal and not at all cosy.
How to get there:Jogno-3-ga station, Exit 5, walk under the Nakgwon Building and straight to the main Insadong street, turn right and keep walking. It is about half way down Insadong main street. It will be on your left hand side on the 2nd floor.
You can also get to this cafe by Anguk station, Exit 1. There is a zebra crossing near Starbucks, cross to the other side of the road and walk down the main Insadong street, it is about half way down and it will be on your right hand side on the 2nd floor.
Add: 179-2
Insadong
Jongno-gu
Seoul
Tel: 02-734-0740
Website: http://cafe.naver.com/namuwabinu
I ordered an espresso which was really good but a bit expensive at 3,800 won. This is not expensive by Insadong standards but it is compared to the coffee shops I usually frequent which are surrounding university areas.
Because I was there for a while I also ordered a mango smoothie which was 5,500 won. Anything less than 6,000 or 7,000 won usually means it's not made with real fruit but I risked it just to see what I got. I know I could have asked if it was made from real fruit but I keep forgetting the Korean word for fruit (Note to self: I must write it down) In Korea it's quiet common to have artificial fruit flavored syrup pumped into the drink and mixed with yogurt or ice, whatever else they are using to make the smoothie with. You can usually tell from the price whether it will be made from real fruit or fruit flavored syrup. I didn't see them making my drink as I sat down and it was brought over to me but it wasn't overly sweet so I'm going to assume it was real.
This cafe has approx. 30 seats. The best seats are by the windows where you can look down onto the busy Insadong street which is great for people watching. The only drawback of this is that it's extremely noisy inside the cafe because of the open windows overlooking the street. The tables and chairs are also extremely close together which also adds to the noise. I don't know what it is normally like in this cafe but it definitely wouldn't be place to go for some peace and quiet or to get any work done. To be fair, I was visiting the cafe on one of the busiest saturdays of the year. Lots of people were in Insadong for the Lotus Lantern Festival which had events going on all day.
Decor wise the cafe had a few cute decorations but nothing overly impressive. The atmosphere of this cafe was not that great. I can't quite put my finger on it but it felt a bit impersonal and not at all cosy.
How to get there:Jogno-3-ga station, Exit 5, walk under the Nakgwon Building and straight to the main Insadong street, turn right and keep walking. It is about half way down Insadong main street. It will be on your left hand side on the 2nd floor.
You can also get to this cafe by Anguk station, Exit 1. There is a zebra crossing near Starbucks, cross to the other side of the road and walk down the main Insadong street, it is about half way down and it will be on your right hand side on the 2nd floor.
Add: 179-2
Insadong
Jongno-gu
Seoul
Tel: 02-734-0740
Website: http://cafe.naver.com/namuwabinu
Tea Therapy
This place is an absolute gem. I cannot stress this enough. I visited this cafe on Children's Day after visiting a Hello Kitty exhibition. My friend and I were looking for a cafe that served food as we had not yet eaten lunch. I could see some people eating food from the doorway of the cafe so we decided to go in which was the best decision we could have made. Unfortunately their lunch time finishes at 2pm which is about the time that we entered the cafe. The exhibition was in a different part of town which is why we were searching for a place to eat lunch that late. The kind girls working behind the counter said that they could make some sandwiches as it was just only 2pm but that the time for serving hot food had finished. My friend asked if they had sandwiches without meat as I'm a vegetarian and they said that it wasn't on the menu but that they could make some. Whilst we were perusing the menu one of the girls mentioned there was in fact one portion of vegetable curry left so I ordered that and my friend suddenly decided she wanted something sweet so she ordered a papbingsoo. I also ordered a seasonal fruit tea and a pot of todays tea (which was date tea) came free with our food.
A photo of our table full of food and tea
The cafe sell jars of Yuja (citron) tea, Ginger tea, Jujube (date) tea to name just a few. They also sell packets of weightloss tea, tea to combat stress and so on.
The girls also brought us a basket to put our bags in so that we didn't have to put our bags on the floor. After we had finished our food and drinks we asked if we could put our bags behind the counter and we went to use the free foot baths outside the cafe. There are 3 basins where you can soak your feet in either hot or cold water. We were also allowed to bring our free pot of date tea that we hadn't finished yet outside by the foot baths. Lot's of passers by came to talk to us to see how they too could have a go at the foot baths so we told them just go in the cafe and buy a drink! Lots of curious children came to see what was going as well.
I didn't get any photographs of myself in the foot bath but I took some photographs of the actual foot baths after I got out.
The curry and the tea only came to 13,500 won which I thought was very reasonable by Samcheongdong standards and in general. The curry was a good size portion and came with miso soup as well. The service in this cafe was impeccable. The girls were so kind and nothing was too much for them. I can't speak highly enough of this place. I definitely want to visit this cafe again.
The girls enjoying a well deserved break
How to get there: Anguk Station, Exit 1, turn right out of Exit 1 and you will see a Starbucks. Between Starbucks and Amandier there is a little road (not the main road that everyone thinks of when they think of Samcheongdong but this also leads to Samcheongdong). Keep walking until the end of the road, there is a fork at the end of the road, go right and walk for another few minutes and Tea Therapy will be on your right.
Add: Tea Therapy
Haengrang
(Their business card didn't seem to have the full address. Sorry folks!)
(There is another branch in Gangnam. The add for that one is: Ago Building 1F, 616-6 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 135-894. Tel: 02-518-7506 or 02-518-7507)
Tel: 02-730-7507
Opening hours: Monday-Sunday 10am-10pm
Lunch hours: 11am-2pm
Website: www.teatherapy.co.kr
A photo of our table full of food and tea
The cafe sell jars of Yuja (citron) tea, Ginger tea, Jujube (date) tea to name just a few. They also sell packets of weightloss tea, tea to combat stress and so on.
The girls also brought us a basket to put our bags in so that we didn't have to put our bags on the floor. After we had finished our food and drinks we asked if we could put our bags behind the counter and we went to use the free foot baths outside the cafe. There are 3 basins where you can soak your feet in either hot or cold water. We were also allowed to bring our free pot of date tea that we hadn't finished yet outside by the foot baths. Lot's of passers by came to talk to us to see how they too could have a go at the foot baths so we told them just go in the cafe and buy a drink! Lots of curious children came to see what was going as well.
I didn't get any photographs of myself in the foot bath but I took some photographs of the actual foot baths after I got out.
The curry and the tea only came to 13,500 won which I thought was very reasonable by Samcheongdong standards and in general. The curry was a good size portion and came with miso soup as well. The service in this cafe was impeccable. The girls were so kind and nothing was too much for them. I can't speak highly enough of this place. I definitely want to visit this cafe again.
The girls enjoying a well deserved break
How to get there: Anguk Station, Exit 1, turn right out of Exit 1 and you will see a Starbucks. Between Starbucks and Amandier there is a little road (not the main road that everyone thinks of when they think of Samcheongdong but this also leads to Samcheongdong). Keep walking until the end of the road, there is a fork at the end of the road, go right and walk for another few minutes and Tea Therapy will be on your right.
Add: Tea Therapy
Haengrang
(Their business card didn't seem to have the full address. Sorry folks!)
(There is another branch in Gangnam. The add for that one is: Ago Building 1F, 616-6 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 135-894. Tel: 02-518-7506 or 02-518-7507)
Tel: 02-730-7507
Opening hours: Monday-Sunday 10am-10pm
Lunch hours: 11am-2pm
Website: www.teatherapy.co.kr
Monday 2 May 2011
꽃내음 차향기
Oh my goodness. Where do I start? Before my friend and I walked into this cafe it seemed so promising. At first the old fashioned decor seemed kitsch and cool but the longer we stayed there the more we agreed that actually it was like my grandmothers house,well... not my grandmother as she has taste but you get the gist. I digress...
My friend mentioned that they served food at this cafe (which is near her home and mine) so I suggested we meet there for dinner and see what coffees,teas and desserts they had on offer. BIG MISTAKE. We both ordered the Aglio e ollio. It wasn't so bad to say that it was inedible but it was nowhere near good either. First of all, the portion size was so small it was like it was meant for a child. Even my Korean friend who doesn't have a ravenous appetite like me agreed. Secondly, Aglio e ollio normally doesn't have peppers in it. Certainly not huge roughly cut slices of Korean red and green peppers which didn't seem fully cooked, almost as if they were tossed in with the spaghetti as an after thought. Thirdly,there only seemed to a small amount of oil on the spaghetti. Need I go on? I think I have said enough about the spaghetti.
The waitress came to clear our plates and asked us "kenchan at se yo?" the Korean equivalent to "Was everything ok?" My Korean friend smiled awkwardly, as was I if I'm honest. I really wanted to say "Ani. Mad obsoyo" in English "No. The food wasn't good." but of course I did no such thing.
After the disappointment of the spaghetti we discussed whether we should even bother staying for coffee or dessert. My friend then said "I don't think I can trust them to make coffee. I don't think it'll be very good." I countered with "Do you really think they can mess up making coffee or tea?" I looked at the menu once more whilst we were trying to decide whether to stay or leave. It was their waffle menu that did it. We decided to give them one last chance and order a waffle. I guess we thought we were trying to be kind but maybe we are just gluttons for punishment. I said to my friend if the waffle is as bad as the spaghetti this cafe has no chance in hell of receiving a good review from me. We laughed nervously anticipating what disaster was going to come out next. Surprisingly, the waffle looked quite good and it tasted ok. But this is a problem in itself. It was just ok. If I had to sum up this cafe in one word it would be mediocre. Avoid it like the plague.
I normally write the directions to the cafe along with the address and telephone number but I'm not going to do that for this post as I'm sure no one wants to go here.
My friend mentioned that they served food at this cafe (which is near her home and mine) so I suggested we meet there for dinner and see what coffees,teas and desserts they had on offer. BIG MISTAKE. We both ordered the Aglio e ollio. It wasn't so bad to say that it was inedible but it was nowhere near good either. First of all, the portion size was so small it was like it was meant for a child. Even my Korean friend who doesn't have a ravenous appetite like me agreed. Secondly, Aglio e ollio normally doesn't have peppers in it. Certainly not huge roughly cut slices of Korean red and green peppers which didn't seem fully cooked, almost as if they were tossed in with the spaghetti as an after thought. Thirdly,there only seemed to a small amount of oil on the spaghetti. Need I go on? I think I have said enough about the spaghetti.
The waitress came to clear our plates and asked us "kenchan at se yo?" the Korean equivalent to "Was everything ok?" My Korean friend smiled awkwardly, as was I if I'm honest. I really wanted to say "Ani. Mad obsoyo" in English "No. The food wasn't good." but of course I did no such thing.
After the disappointment of the spaghetti we discussed whether we should even bother staying for coffee or dessert. My friend then said "I don't think I can trust them to make coffee. I don't think it'll be very good." I countered with "Do you really think they can mess up making coffee or tea?" I looked at the menu once more whilst we were trying to decide whether to stay or leave. It was their waffle menu that did it. We decided to give them one last chance and order a waffle. I guess we thought we were trying to be kind but maybe we are just gluttons for punishment. I said to my friend if the waffle is as bad as the spaghetti this cafe has no chance in hell of receiving a good review from me. We laughed nervously anticipating what disaster was going to come out next. Surprisingly, the waffle looked quite good and it tasted ok. But this is a problem in itself. It was just ok. If I had to sum up this cafe in one word it would be mediocre. Avoid it like the plague.
I normally write the directions to the cafe along with the address and telephone number but I'm not going to do that for this post as I'm sure no one wants to go here.
Sunday 1 May 2011
Cafe London
I suppose this is a little bit of a special post. Cafe London is located in Gyeonggi-do and not in Seoul but I thought this cafe deserves a mention on this blog. I originally found out about Cafe London through their facebook page. I became a fan of their page and was sent event invitations and reminders as a result of that. I had been meaning to check this cafe out long before now but the fact that it was in Gyeonggi-do put me off a little bit. In my mind I thought it would be really far away and a pain to get to but the reality was not that bad. It took just over an 1 hour from Express Bus Terminal station. Funnily enough what gave me the motivation to go to this cafe was the royal wedding. The strange thing is I have never been a massive fan of the royal family but for some bizarre reason being in Korea has made me what to assert my English-ness (occasionally) so with the help of a Korean friend we made the trip to Cafe London.
Cafe London is a small cafe and when we arrived there were people spilling onto the street. I'm not sure if it's normally like this or because they were hosting the royal wedding event. Luckily, people were going in an out and my friend and I managed to get seats. We had arrived shortly after 7pm so the royal wedding had already started and was being projected onto one of the walls. They had some snacks and nibbles at the front near the counter as it was a special occasion.
What I noticed straight away was their wide range of drinks selection not to mention that you can buy wine by the glass, which you can't in a lot of places in Seoul/Korea or you can't find it altogether. They also had a great selection of cocktails, non-alcoholic cocktails, smoothies, coffees and teas. My friend and I were talking about our impression of the cafe and our evening in general on the way home and she said she liked that everyone had made an effort to dress up and seemed in high spirit. Also some girls at the counter near our table were talking about whether William and Kate would kiss and I interjected "Even royalty kiss you know!" and we bantered about that for a bit and she thought that was really great as she said it's not really Korean culture to talk to strangers. The atmosphere of the cafe was more like a pub, lively and fun, again I'm not sure if it's normally like that on a friday night or whether the mood was all down to the royal wedding. Either way everyone seemed to be having a good time.
The Korean staff who work behind the counter also speak English so you can call them for directions although if you can find your way to Dankook University you should be able to find the cafe fairly easily. I really enjoyed myself that evening, my only complaint is that they don't have one of these in Seoul.
Cafe London is a small cafe and when we arrived there were people spilling onto the street. I'm not sure if it's normally like this or because they were hosting the royal wedding event. Luckily, people were going in an out and my friend and I managed to get seats. We had arrived shortly after 7pm so the royal wedding had already started and was being projected onto one of the walls. They had some snacks and nibbles at the front near the counter as it was a special occasion.
What I noticed straight away was their wide range of drinks selection not to mention that you can buy wine by the glass, which you can't in a lot of places in Seoul/Korea or you can't find it altogether. They also had a great selection of cocktails, non-alcoholic cocktails, smoothies, coffees and teas. My friend and I were talking about our impression of the cafe and our evening in general on the way home and she said she liked that everyone had made an effort to dress up and seemed in high spirit. Also some girls at the counter near our table were talking about whether William and Kate would kiss and I interjected "Even royalty kiss you know!" and we bantered about that for a bit and she thought that was really great as she said it's not really Korean culture to talk to strangers. The atmosphere of the cafe was more like a pub, lively and fun, again I'm not sure if it's normally like that on a friday night or whether the mood was all down to the royal wedding. Either way everyone seemed to be having a good time.
The Korean staff who work behind the counter also speak English so you can call them for directions although if you can find your way to Dankook University you should be able to find the cafe fairly easily. I really enjoyed myself that evening, my only complaint is that they don't have one of these in Seoul.
How to get there:
Jukjeon station, Bundang Line, come out of Exit 1 (any exit is ok really), take a bus to Dankook University (there are several), there are many cafes and eateries lining the road to the main entrance to Dankook University, Cafe London is a few minutes walk on the left hand side of the road.
Opening times: Monday-Friday 10am-till late (1ish)
Saturdays and Sundays 10:30am-till late (1ish)
E-mail: cafelondoninfo@gmail.com
Website:www.cafelondon.co.kr
Thursday 28 April 2011
Cafe Kanana
Cafe Kanana is one of the many cafes surrounding Sangdo station. I happen to go to a lot of cafes in this area because it is near where I live and work. I found myself going into Cafe Kanana on my day off to sample some of their food and drinks. Their food menu is quite limited. The cafe only have 7 or 8 different pizzas and pastas available on their menu. I ordered a cheese pizza which had olives and onions on when it arrived at my table. Personally I didn't really mind as I love olives and veggies but some may be a bit surprised to get this when they supposedly ordered a plain cheese pizza.
On the day that I visited the cafe, which was a thursday I tried to order a Cafe Gelato or
카페젤라또 in Korean. The lady told me that they couldn't make that. I'm assuming that they didn't have any gelato as it's probably not something that a lot of customers order. I was a little bit disappointed by this as most customers don't like to be told what they want to order is not available. As a second choice I ordered the Cafe Kanana 카페카나나. I didn't ask what kind of coffee this was, I just thought I'd see what I got when it came out.
What I got was this:
The best way I can describe this drink is a mix between a cappucino (frothy milk on the top) and a latte with some random sweet syrup on the bottom hence the red swizzle stick in my drink. It wasn't altogether unpleasant but I couldn't really figure out what it was and there are probably better coffees to drink at this cafe and elsewhere.
I wasn't particular bowled over by this cafe although the decor was nice and the proximity to the station is useful. I don't want to give the cafe a bad review as such but I would say it's a fairly average cafe. There was nothing that made the cafe stand out from all the other chain coffee shops in Seoul.
How to get there: Sangdo station, Exit 5, do a 180 so that the stairs and escalators are behind your and walk around the corner, it will be immediately on your right hand side.
On the day that I visited the cafe, which was a thursday I tried to order a Cafe Gelato or
카페젤라또 in Korean. The lady told me that they couldn't make that. I'm assuming that they didn't have any gelato as it's probably not something that a lot of customers order. I was a little bit disappointed by this as most customers don't like to be told what they want to order is not available. As a second choice I ordered the Cafe Kanana 카페카나나. I didn't ask what kind of coffee this was, I just thought I'd see what I got when it came out.
What I got was this:
The best way I can describe this drink is a mix between a cappucino (frothy milk on the top) and a latte with some random sweet syrup on the bottom hence the red swizzle stick in my drink. It wasn't altogether unpleasant but I couldn't really figure out what it was and there are probably better coffees to drink at this cafe and elsewhere.
I wasn't particular bowled over by this cafe although the decor was nice and the proximity to the station is useful. I don't want to give the cafe a bad review as such but I would say it's a fairly average cafe. There was nothing that made the cafe stand out from all the other chain coffee shops in Seoul.
How to get there: Sangdo station, Exit 5, do a 180 so that the stairs and escalators are behind your and walk around the corner, it will be immediately on your right hand side.
Sunday 24 April 2011
Dunami's
I visited this cafe on a saturday afternoon and not surprisingly it was quite busy. This cafe can seat about 40 people and has a cosy feel to it due to it being a basement cafe. One of the interesting features of this cafe is that they have a seminar room which can seat about 9 people. It has a wall separating it from the rest of the cafe allowing for privacy. At the same time, the seminar room has one side open so it doesn't feel claustrophobic and so that the staff can get in easily to serve drinks and food.
Although I didn't have an opportunity to use it when I visited the cafe, the cafe has a printer and 2 laptops which belong to the cafe which customers can use. Sangdo-dong is a somewhat student area due to Soongsil University being located in Sangdo-dong so the printer and laptops could be of use to students who prefer to study in cafes rather than in the library.
Dunami's is a book cafe but I cannot really comment on what kinds of books they have as the majority of them are in Korean although they had a few Japanese and English books.
On the day that I visited, I was suffering from a sore throat so I ordered a honey lemon tea which I found to be a little bit TOO sweet but that's just my opinion. I stayed in the cafe for several hours and I also ordered an espresso frappuciono which came with some toast and jam which I thought was little bit odd but not at all unwelcome. However, I have a theory about this toast and jam and I have to stress here that this is just a theory. I have a feeling that the staff in the cafe thought I was a reporter of some kind as I got out my HUGE DSLR camera and starting snapping away and in order for the cafe to get a good review I think they put some toast and jam along with my coffee order as I noticed another customer who seemed to order the same thing as me minus the toast.
I don't want to write a bad review about Dunami's because I had an enjoyable afternoon there but I was a little bit disappointed that they didn't offer me a point card at point of purchase, especially as I purchased 2 drinks and I was in there several hours so they had the opportunity to offer me the point card. I don't know if it was because the staff were nervous about speaking to me in English or perhaps thought I wouldn't understand Korean or thought that it was unlikely that I would be visiting again so didn't offer me a card. Either way I wasn't offered one, which is a shame as I live fairly near this cafe and might have considered going regularly had I been offered a point card and if I wasn't on a mission to try as many independent cafes as possible. The only reason I know they even have a point card system is because they were on the counter by the cash register but those cards were alphabetized, meaning that they were the point cards used by regular customers who left their point cards at the cafe but it was not obvious to me where the new, unused cards were for new customers. If so, I would have helped myself.
Most of the drinks prices range from 4,300-5,500 won. They also serve some waffles, salad and sandwiches all at reasonable prices. Dunami's is a cute little cafe that makes you forget about the noisy traffic above you and allows you to relax. Despite the things I wrote above, I would definitely still recommend this cafe.
How to get there: Sangdo Station (Line 7), Come out of Exit 4 and Dunami's is immediately on the left, downstairs in the basement.
Although I didn't have an opportunity to use it when I visited the cafe, the cafe has a printer and 2 laptops which belong to the cafe which customers can use. Sangdo-dong is a somewhat student area due to Soongsil University being located in Sangdo-dong so the printer and laptops could be of use to students who prefer to study in cafes rather than in the library.
Dunami's is a book cafe but I cannot really comment on what kinds of books they have as the majority of them are in Korean although they had a few Japanese and English books.
On the day that I visited, I was suffering from a sore throat so I ordered a honey lemon tea which I found to be a little bit TOO sweet but that's just my opinion. I stayed in the cafe for several hours and I also ordered an espresso frappuciono which came with some toast and jam which I thought was little bit odd but not at all unwelcome. However, I have a theory about this toast and jam and I have to stress here that this is just a theory. I have a feeling that the staff in the cafe thought I was a reporter of some kind as I got out my HUGE DSLR camera and starting snapping away and in order for the cafe to get a good review I think they put some toast and jam along with my coffee order as I noticed another customer who seemed to order the same thing as me minus the toast.
I don't want to write a bad review about Dunami's because I had an enjoyable afternoon there but I was a little bit disappointed that they didn't offer me a point card at point of purchase, especially as I purchased 2 drinks and I was in there several hours so they had the opportunity to offer me the point card. I don't know if it was because the staff were nervous about speaking to me in English or perhaps thought I wouldn't understand Korean or thought that it was unlikely that I would be visiting again so didn't offer me a card. Either way I wasn't offered one, which is a shame as I live fairly near this cafe and might have considered going regularly had I been offered a point card and if I wasn't on a mission to try as many independent cafes as possible. The only reason I know they even have a point card system is because they were on the counter by the cash register but those cards were alphabetized, meaning that they were the point cards used by regular customers who left their point cards at the cafe but it was not obvious to me where the new, unused cards were for new customers. If so, I would have helped myself.
Most of the drinks prices range from 4,300-5,500 won. They also serve some waffles, salad and sandwiches all at reasonable prices. Dunami's is a cute little cafe that makes you forget about the noisy traffic above you and allows you to relax. Despite the things I wrote above, I would definitely still recommend this cafe.
How to get there: Sangdo Station (Line 7), Come out of Exit 4 and Dunami's is immediately on the left, downstairs in the basement.
Friday 22 April 2011
커피별 녹색잔
커피별 녹색잔 is the name of the cafe and is pronounced Copi Byeol Noksekjan which translates to Coffee Star Green Cup in English. This cafe is located in Samcheongdong. I visited the cafe in the evening after work on friday between 9pm-11pm and there were only a few people in the cafe. On the weekends, most of the cafes in Samcheondong are packed so it was nice to be able to visit at a time when it was much less crowded.
커피별 녹색잔 doesn't have any kind of point card system. However, if you have an Alleh account then you can use an e-coupon type thing that you can get sent to your phone (as long as you have a phone that can access the internet) and then you can get 50% off the price of the drinks. I happened to be with a Korean friend who had an Alleh account which is the only reason I know about this offer and there is a poster outside the cafe with the Alleh logo to alert Korean customers to this offer.
커피별 녹색잔 is also book cafe of sorts. There was only a small selection of books in Korean of course. One of them was an Osaka cafe guide which was quite interesting. If I could read Korean it probably would have been more interesting.
Selection of books upstairs
Selection of books downstairs
What attracted us (my friend and I) to this cafe was that it had 2 floors, looked quite airy and spacious and it wasn't crowded which was an added bonus. There were just enough decoration inside to make it interesting to look at without it feeling cluttered or over crowded.
Here are some photos of the inside of the cafe:
Although I enjoyed the 커피별 녹색잔 experience, I have to say that there was nothing that special about it for me. I may visit this cafe again simply for the discount you can get with an Alleh membership. The cafe does have one thing going for it that the other cafes on this street seem to lack and that is space. Other than that, I wasn't really wowed by it.
커피별 녹색잔 doesn't have any kind of point card system. However, if you have an Alleh account then you can use an e-coupon type thing that you can get sent to your phone (as long as you have a phone that can access the internet) and then you can get 50% off the price of the drinks. I happened to be with a Korean friend who had an Alleh account which is the only reason I know about this offer and there is a poster outside the cafe with the Alleh logo to alert Korean customers to this offer.
커피별 녹색잔 is also book cafe of sorts. There was only a small selection of books in Korean of course. One of them was an Osaka cafe guide which was quite interesting. If I could read Korean it probably would have been more interesting.
Selection of books upstairs
Selection of books downstairs
What attracted us (my friend and I) to this cafe was that it had 2 floors, looked quite airy and spacious and it wasn't crowded which was an added bonus. There were just enough decoration inside to make it interesting to look at without it feeling cluttered or over crowded.
Here are some photos of the inside of the cafe:
Although I enjoyed the 커피별 녹색잔 experience, I have to say that there was nothing that special about it for me. I may visit this cafe again simply for the discount you can get with an Alleh membership. The cafe does have one thing going for it that the other cafes on this street seem to lack and that is space. Other than that, I wasn't really wowed by it.
Thursday 21 April 2011
Snail's Coffee
I found this cafe purely by chance when I was walking between Soongsil University station and Seoul National University station in search of a supermarket. What got my attention was the name of the cafe; Snail's Coffee.For those of you who live in Korea you may have heard of Cat Cafes and Dog Cafes so I thought it was another one of those gimmicky cafes. I mean if you can have Cat Cafes and Dog Cafes why not a Snail Cafe?
Luckily, for me it seems that its only a Snail Cafe by name and not because they have snails crawling around everywhere. Phew! The Korean friend who I was with at the time shouted "Oh my god, it says there are snails in the cafe on that sign!" She got me, good and proper.
Once inside, my first impressions of the cafe were good. The decor was nice with hand painted designs on the wall, lots of cute decorations on the tables and all around the cafe. The cafe has lots of books that you can pick off the shelf and read. One side of the cafe houses manga books (in Korean). The other side of the cafe has a big book shelf with lots of Korean books both fiction and non fiction. I spotted 2 books on my table that were in English. Interestingly, this cafe also has some sketch pads and crayons on one of the book shelves that I assume you can use.
I suppose that's enough about the inside of the cafe.
What is the coffee like you say? Snail's Coffee has one of the widest selections of drinks I have ever seen. They have about 6 pages of the menu dedicated to the different kinds of coffee that they have on offer and a few pages at the back for their waffle menu, tea and juices. The other great thing about this particular cafe, apart from the wide selection of coffees is that it is quite cheap. Most of the coffees are between 3,500 won-4,500 won. Their most expensive coffee is the Dutch coffee which is hand dripped at 8,000 won. Snail's Coffee doesn't have any point card system, but their cheap prices and relaxing atmosphere more than make up for this.I tried their Affogato for 4,500 won which was superb ^^
This cafe is located on the 2nd floor of a building so if you were not looking for it, you could easily miss it. It's only about a 10 minute walk from Seoul National University station (Exit 7, walk towards Soongsil University) but it's far away enough from the station that not a lot of people seem to know about it. If you want to sit in a quiet coffee shop to get some work done or to just have some peace and quiet in this busy city then this is the place to go. Snail's Coffee doesn't open until 1pm which may be a drawback for some but it stays open until 1am according to the sign on the door. Obviously I didn't visit the cafe at 1am but for those of you who love to drink coffee late at night then this would be a great place to do it. It has a great ambience and I would urge anyone who happens to be around Seoul National Univ. area to visit it.
How to get there: Seoul National University station (Line 2) Come out of Exit 7 and walk approx. 10 minutes towards Soongsil University OR Soongsil University station (Line 7) Come out of Exit 4 and walk approx. 20 minutes towards Seoul National University.
Add: Snail's Coffee
2nd Floor
36-21 Haengundong
Gwanak-gu
Seoul
Tel: 070 7569 4841
E-mail: kdhljp@hanmail.net
Luckily, for me it seems that its only a Snail Cafe by name and not because they have snails crawling around everywhere. Phew! The Korean friend who I was with at the time shouted "Oh my god, it says there are snails in the cafe on that sign!" She got me, good and proper.
Once inside, my first impressions of the cafe were good. The decor was nice with hand painted designs on the wall, lots of cute decorations on the tables and all around the cafe. The cafe has lots of books that you can pick off the shelf and read. One side of the cafe houses manga books (in Korean). The other side of the cafe has a big book shelf with lots of Korean books both fiction and non fiction. I spotted 2 books on my table that were in English. Interestingly, this cafe also has some sketch pads and crayons on one of the book shelves that I assume you can use.
I suppose that's enough about the inside of the cafe.
What is the coffee like you say? Snail's Coffee has one of the widest selections of drinks I have ever seen. They have about 6 pages of the menu dedicated to the different kinds of coffee that they have on offer and a few pages at the back for their waffle menu, tea and juices. The other great thing about this particular cafe, apart from the wide selection of coffees is that it is quite cheap. Most of the coffees are between 3,500 won-4,500 won. Their most expensive coffee is the Dutch coffee which is hand dripped at 8,000 won. Snail's Coffee doesn't have any point card system, but their cheap prices and relaxing atmosphere more than make up for this.I tried their Affogato for 4,500 won which was superb ^^
This cafe is located on the 2nd floor of a building so if you were not looking for it, you could easily miss it. It's only about a 10 minute walk from Seoul National University station (Exit 7, walk towards Soongsil University) but it's far away enough from the station that not a lot of people seem to know about it. If you want to sit in a quiet coffee shop to get some work done or to just have some peace and quiet in this busy city then this is the place to go. Snail's Coffee doesn't open until 1pm which may be a drawback for some but it stays open until 1am according to the sign on the door. Obviously I didn't visit the cafe at 1am but for those of you who love to drink coffee late at night then this would be a great place to do it. It has a great ambience and I would urge anyone who happens to be around Seoul National Univ. area to visit it.
How to get there: Seoul National University station (Line 2) Come out of Exit 7 and walk approx. 10 minutes towards Soongsil University OR Soongsil University station (Line 7) Come out of Exit 4 and walk approx. 20 minutes towards Seoul National University.
Add: Snail's Coffee
2nd Floor
36-21 Haengundong
Gwanak-gu
Seoul
Tel: 070 7569 4841
E-mail: kdhljp@hanmail.net
Sunday 17 April 2011
Cafe Karen
The cafe normally has some tables and chairs outside but this photo was taken on a sunday when the cafe is closed. It was the only time that I could get a clear shot of the outside of the cafe as there are normally lots of students walking past.
The thing that attracted me to go inside this cafe was that it was not part of a chain. I could tell even from the outside that it had a really cute, kitsch, individualistic feel to it so I decided to go in and I was not disappointed.
Here are some photos of the inside of the cafe.
The cafe offers coffee, tea, juices, smoothies and snacks all of which are reasonably priced and are cheaper than a great deal of chains in Seoul. Most of the drinks prices are between 3,500 won and 4,500 won. The most expensive drink on their menu is the home made Omija (five flavored) tea for 5,000 won. Their cheapest being an espresso for 3,200 won. The cafe is quite small and can only seat 26 customers but it has a very cosy and intimate feel to it and for me that just adds to the charm of the cafe. Cafe Karen offer a point card system as do a lot of coffee shops and cafes in Seoul. For every coffee purchased in Cafe Karen you get a stamp on your point card and after 12 stamps you get a coffee FREE OF CHARGE. Unfortunately you can only get a stamp when purchasing coffee and not other things on their drinks menu.
The staff are very friendly and at least one of the members of staff who I spoke to can speak English. There is also free wi-fi in the cafe, so you will often see students who prefer to work in cafes rather than in the library hanging out in this cafe. I have been to this cafe several times as its close to my home and I can easily see it becoming one of my local hang outs.
How to get there: Soongsil University station (Line 7) Exit 4, Ediya Coffee and Starbucks are at the bottom of the hill walk approx. 5 minutes up the hill.
Add: Cafe Karen
1st Floor
506-4
Sangdo-dong
Dongjak-gu
Seoul
Tel: 070 7619 7181
Open: Monday-Friday 10am-11pm
Saturday 12pm-10pm
Sunday CLOSED
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