Tam Tam • 북촌 탐탐

Tam Tam (탐탐) is small dessert shop near Bukchon Hanok Village (북촌한옥마을) neighborhood that specializes in handmade Korean desserts that are made daily using fresh ingredients. Their menu ranges from their best-selling rice cake, ice cream, cream pancake and lattes with traditional Korean flavors.

I visited this cafe during my last Seoul trip in May, four months after its opening. I was browsing for new places to try around Bukchon Hanok Village area and stumbled across this cafe’s listing and their interesting menu. If you don’t know already, I am a big fan of all things black sesame. And so when I saw that they have Black Sesame Rice Cake Ball Latte on the menu, that became the sole reason for me to go visit this cafe.

Other than two other patrons in the cafe occupying one of the table on the first floor, me and my friend were the only ones there when we visited the place around 5:30 pm on a Monday. The weather was nice that day and they had the glass windows opened. So we opted to seat at one of the table on the first floor that’s perfect for people watching (or for people watching us too I guess since we’re right by the side of the street). 

Despite occupying a two-story building, the cafe is actually pretty small. There are three tables on the first floor and four tables on the second floor that accommodate seven people and twelve people respectively. The space is definitely pretty tight in-between tables, but I guess on the upside, if you come here during colder days, it’ll be warm and cozy.

Black Sesame Rice Cake Ball Latte (흑임자 경단 라떼) ₩6,000 | 9/10

Black sesame latte served with rice cake ball with red bean paste filling.

Of course the first thing I ordered was the one thing I wanted to try since I first saw their menu online, the Black Sesame Rice Cake Ball Latte. This drink was really good. The ground black sesame flavor was light and not too overwhelming, making the drink a little bit on the milkier side. On top of the black sesame latte was sweet and salty cream which paired really well with the latte. 

The rice cake balls on the skewers were soft and chewy. They were covered in ground black sesame seed and there’s actually red bean paste filling inside the rice cake balls. The filling wasn’t too sweet either and the amount was just right to compliment the rice cake. Overall, I really enjoyed both the latte and the rice cake balls. 

We also ordered the top three best sellers of their rice cake ball to try—the Black Sesame, Yakwa, and Dried Persimmon. Overall their rice cake balls were really good. The texture was nice and chewy (also, a little bit of a disclaimer if you never had rice cake before, the texture is not as soft as and different from mochi’s texture). It’s not too soft, but not too tough either. They had just the right amount of chewiness making eating these enjoyable. And everything we had was not too sweet with a hint of saltiness to the flavors.

Black Sesame Rice Cake Ball (흑임자) ₩3,500 | 9/10

Black Sesame Mousse & Fried Sesame Seeds
흑임자무스, 볶은통깨

The black sesame rice cake ball has black sesame filling and it had a nice earthy, nutty flavors. Since I’m a sucker for black sesame, I enjoyed this one the most.

Yakwa Rice Cake Ball (약과) ₩3,500 | 8/10

Sweet Rice Honey Yakgwa & Ricotta
찹쌀꿀약과, 리코타

The yakwa (a traditional Korean sweet pastry that is made with ginger and honey) was pretty good as well. The filling kind of reminded me of sweet potato for some reason. 

Dried Persimmon Rice Cake Ball (곶감) ₩3,500 | 5/10

Dried Persimmon, Mascarpone, Natural Honey
곶, 마스카포네, 천연꿀

This one was just okay for me. The rice cake ball was good but I didn’t really enjoy the filling (might also be because I’m just not too into dried persimmon in general). But it was definitely interesting and reminded me of Korean flavors.  

Other than the ones that we ordered, they also have other interesting menus such as Truffle Rice Cake Ball, Basil Rice Cake Ball, Citron Red Bean Paste Rice Cake Ball, Mugwort Rice Cake Ball Latte (쑥 경단라떼), Sikhye Bingsu (식혜빙수), and Egg Cream Espresso (에그 크림프레소). If you’re visiting or exploring Bukchon Hanok Village and want to have some great Korean traditional rice cakes (or Black Sesame Latte) instead of regular bread and pastries, would definitely recommend this place to try. 

 

Tam Tam (카페 탐탐)

Address: 서울 종로구 계동길 82 흰색건물
Telephone: 0507-1304-9165
Hours: Mon-Fri 11:00-20:00 | Sat & Sun 11:00-21:30

Instagram: @tamtam_seoul

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Dang Ok • 당옥

Dang Ok (당옥) is a small Japanese dessert cafe tucked in one of the alleyways of Garosugil (가로수길). They sell a variety of dessert selection ranging from cakes, mochi, tarts, ice cream, bingsu as well as a couple of savory sandos (Japanese style sandwiches). The cafe has about 12 indoor seatings and a communal table in front of the store that could fit about 6 people.

Matcha Bingsu (말차빙수) ₩19,000 | 8/10

Milk Shaved Ice, Matcha Powder, Korean Red Beans, Mascarpone Kiri Cheese, Matcha Condensed Milk.
우유빙수, 말차 가루, 국내산 팥, 마스카포네 키리치즈, 말차연유.

The matcha bingsu is not too sweet and the portion is a bit on the bigger side (definitely enough to share between two people). They use Japanese matcha powder that has pretty strong flavor and is spread in layers inside and around the bingsu along with the matcha condensed milk. It’s nice because I got the matcha in every spoonful of ice that I scoop from the bowl. There are also chunks of sweet red beans in the center of the mountain of shaved ice which added a little bit of sweetness to the matcha and they serve the bingsu with a side of matcha mochi. If you like a not-too-sweet matcha bingsu, you’ll probably enjoy this one.

Chestnut Montsil Tarae (밤 몽실타래) | 7/10

Roasted Chestnut, Mascarpone Cheese, Kiri Cheese, Chestnut Cream Cheese, Chestnut Jam, Castella with Korean Rice Flour (Coffee, Chestnut Milk).
구운밤, 밤 몽실타래, 마스카포네 치즈, 키리치즈, 밤 그림치즈, 밤 쨈, 쌀 카스테라 (카피, 밤우유).

The Chestnut Montsil Tarae is essentially the Japanese version of Mont Blanc. The spaghetti-thin strands of chestnut cream definitely make this a very visually appealing dessert. It’s very easy to cut into (which surprised me a little because I thought it’s going to be at least a little firmer) with the wooden knife they provided. And when the cake split open, I can see the different layers inside the cake. As for the taste, although I do like chestnut, I think the overall flavor was a bit too much chestnut for me and it was a little too sweet for my taste. But I think for those who love chestnut or Mont Blanc in general will like this one.

Black Sesame Warabi Mochi (와라비모찌 흑임자) | 10/10

The Black Sesame Warabi Mochi was the bomb. This was my most favorite thing out of the three desserts we ordered. They really nailed the texture, just like the warabi mochi I had in Japan. And the black sesame flavor is really nutty and earthy with the right amount of sweetness to it. They served it with kuromitsu syrup (which is made from a mix of dark brown sugar and white sugar) on the side for you to dip your mochi into or pour it over if you prefer. Will definitely go back again for this next time I’m in Garosugil area.

 

Dang Ok • 당옥

Address: 서울 강남구 강남대로162길 22 1층
Telephone: 0507-1379-1276
Hours: Tue-Fri & Sun 12:00-21:00 | Saturday 12:00-22:00

Instagram: @dangok_sinsa

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Blue Room • 블루룸

I frequent Hyehwa area (혜화동) quite a bit back when I was still living in Seoul. Haven’t been to the neighborhood for a while, I decided to pay the area a visit during one summer day in 2019 just to see if there are new places that have sprung up in the past couple of years. One thing I noticed right away was that the neighborhood has changed quite a bit. I didn’t recognize many of the buildings, restaurants, and cafe that I passed by and there seemed to be a lot of constructions going on to. I remember wondering if the turn around of businesses in this area was pretty quick.

After walking around the streets and alleys to see my options, I decided to get something cold and sweet after lunch at Blue Room (블루룸). The medium sized cafe sells coffee, non-coffee drinks, as well as alcohol. The concept carries through the interior where the space definitely feels like a cross between a bar and a cafe.

This is one of the thing that I actually like about Korea where you can find places that sell all kinds of beverages from alcoholic to non-alcoholic drinks all at the same place. It makes choosing a place to hang out with friends a little easier, especially for me who doesn’t drink coffee or alcohol often. And having the option to drink alcohol in places that don’t play blaring music like those in a club or a bar while having conversation with your companion without having to shout is really something that I actually quite like.

Anyway, I ordered their Strawberry latte (딸기라떼) which was okay and spent a good hour at the cafe just chillin’ and escaping the heat outside with other strangers who probably had the same idea. It was a summer day after all and what better way to spend it other than being indoors in an air conditioned cafe, right?

Here’s the video of the place:

Note: These photos and video were taken before the pandemic.

 

Blue Room • 블루룸

Address: 서울 종로구 대명1길 16-7 1층
Telephone: 010-8030-0427
Hours: Tue-Fri 13:00-22:00 | Weekend 12:00-00:00 | Close on Mondays

Instagram: @_blueroom

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Seogyo Rotary • 서교로터리 커피바

Seogyo Rotary Coffee Bar (서교로터리 커피바) is a small coffee bar in Seogyo-dong (서교동) area located close to Hapjeong (합정역) and Mangwon (망원역) station. The cafe itself is relatively small but the set up of the interior definitely reminded me of a bar, only this is a day time bar that serves non-alcoholic beverages. I actually found the place quite cozy and charming. Maybe the wooden interior combined with the marble and metal surfaces used around the space have something to do with it. A play between the modern and traditional elements, making it looks cool but inviting at the same time.

It was in the middle of peak summer when I visited the cafe so the cool breeze from the air con felt really nice against my skin when I walked in. I placed my order on the counter—original ice Seogyo Milk Tea—and opted to sit at one of the leather bar stools, hoping to see some action from behind the counter where the bartender was busy making drink orders. The place wasn’t very crowded, but there were a couple groups of people who were there so overlapping animated conversations eventually drowned the music playing in the background. I actually welcomed the distraction that day, having fun listening in to snippets of conversations that I have no way avoiding and the speakers didn’t seem to mind sharing in the public space.

Eventually, some of the patrons left and the place became quieter. I was left enjoying my milk tea while watching the barista move around and listening to the music that’s playing from the speaker. After two glasses of ice milk tea (yes, I ordered a second glass because it was that good and it was a hot summer day), I left with the feeling that this was probably going to be one of my favorite cafe visit (and I was right).

Here’s the video of the place:

Note: These photos & video were taken before the pandemic.

 

Seogyo Rotary • 서교로터리 커피바

Address: 서울 마포구 동교로18길 15
Telephone: 02-322-0969
Hours: Weekdays 10:00 - 18:00 | Closed on Weekends

Instagram: @seogyo_rotary_coffeebar

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Fritz Coffee Company Anguk • 프릳츠 원서점

Opened in 2015 by Park Geunha and five of his friends, Fritz Coffee Company (프릳츠) has became one of South Korea’s famous specialty coffee brand that is well known for its wide variety of house roasts. The iconic seal holding a cup of coffee brand even has a growing international following these days since a lot of coffee drinkers are fond of Fritz’s house roasts. Apart from a good cup of coffee, you can also enjoy a wide range of delicious French and Korean baked goods that are available at the cafe.

This is actually their second location in Seoul that I’ve visited after their main branch in Dohwa-dong (프릳츠 도화점) and I have to say after finding out about this location, I frequent this location a lot more than the other one just because of their convenient location that’s close to Anguk Station (안국역).

Just like their main branch, the mix of old and new concept is carried over to this location as well. The main area where the pastries are displayed and where you place your order is located inside a more modern building opposite the Arario Museum in Space Theater (아라리오뮤지엄 인 스페이스), while the seating area is mostly inside the small hanok structure building as well as the outdoor seating in the yard area.

If you find yourself looking for a caffeine fix or perhaps a good pastry when you’re visiting Bukchon Hanok Village (북촌한옥마을), Samcheongdong neighborhood (삼청동), or even the Arario Museum in Space Theater (아라리오뮤지엄 인 스페이스), I would definitely recommend this place.

Here’s the video of the space:

Note: These pictures & video were taken before the pandemic.

 

Fritz Coffee Company Anguk • 프릳츠 원서점

Address: 서울 종로구 율곡로 83 아라리오 뮤지엄
Telephone: 02-747-8101
Hours: 10:00 - 21:00 Everyday

Instagram: @fritzcoffeecompany

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