Parole & Langue • 파롤앤랑그
Parole & Langue (파롤앤랑그) is a dessert cafe in Yeonnam-dong (연남동) that’s famous for their delicious tarts. Opened in early 2021, the cafe has been really popular among the locals as well as tourists, evident by the crowd that’s always present in front of the cafe and the frequent sold out sign that they put out when all the tarts in the store are already sold prior to their closing hour.
The cafe has been on my cafes-to-try list for quite a while since I first found out about it and I finally had the chance to visit them for the first time two years after their opening. It was a warm autumn Friday and I arrived at the cafe around 3 pm. There were a couple groups of people standing around the cafe waiting for their tables it seemed. Since there weren’t a lot of people waiting and I’m still waiting for my friend to come, thought waiting for a table probably wouldn’t be a bad idea. So I quickly put my name into the tablet available at the entrance to join the waiting list. Maybe because there are a lot of tourists visiting the cafe, the reservation system is actually pretty user and tourist friendly since it has the language options available (Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese).
If you have a local phone number, you can put in your Korean phone number and they’ll notify you via Kakao Talk when your table is ready. That way, you can walk around the area while waiting if you choose to. But there is a disclaimer saying that if you don’t claim your reservation (as in informing the staff that you are present at the cafe) within 5 minutes after you received the notification, your reservation will be cancelled. So make sure you stay within 5 minutes range of the cafe to be safe. If you don’t have a local phone number, you have to wait around the cafe so they can call your name when your turn is up.
I waited about 20 minutes before getting a notification on my Kakao saying that my table is ready. So the wait time wasn’t bad at all. But worth noting, I went only with one friend so we’re considered a smaller group and I told the staff that we’re okay with sitting outside since the weather was kind of nice. I think if you have a bigger party and prefer to sit inside, the wait time might be a little longer.
After I was seated, I went inside the cafe to place my order. The inside of the cafe is pretty spacious and homey, but there weren’t a lot of seatings available. Maybe about 16-18 seats spread around the room, with mostly tables for two. There were six different tarts displayed on the counter and I ordered 2 tarts to share with my friend and took away 4 other tarts to eat with my other friends later that evening. This cafe also has the 1-person-1-drink rule so if you’re visiting, make sure everybody in your group order a drink (and ordering a tart doesn’t count as one drink).
After I tasted their tarts, I totally understand why the place is really popular. First of all, the pie crust of their tart is really, really delicious. It’s flaky, light and buttery all at the same time. When I had my first bite, I just fell in love with the perfect texture of their pie crust. Easily one of the best pie crust I’ve ever had. Second of all, the flavors of their tarts are not overly sweet, which is always preferable for me. And third, you gotta get all the layers of the tart in one bite to get the full flavor of each tart. I think eating it that way will give you a more complete and balanced flavor of the tart (at least it did for me). So those are the three overall comments I have for all their tarts.
Persimmon (홍시) ₩8,800 | 9/10
Iced Ripe Persimmon, Persimmon Cream, Walnuts, Custard, Crunchy Persimmon
셔벗처럼 사각한 홍시, 곶감과 호두의 쫀득하고 고소한 식감을 즐길 수 있는 디저트
Since they use iced ripe persimmon on top, you can’t do take away for this tart because the persimmon might melt. And so this is one of the tarts that I ordered for dine-in. I actually really like this one. The overall taste that I got is sweet, creamy and nutty. The iced persimmon also gave an interesting temperature contrast that’s really refreshing. I think this was actually the first time I had an iced persimmon on a dessert too so it was a nice new experience for me
Basil Tomato (바질토마토) ₩8,800 | 6.5/10
Tomato, Basil Cream, Tomato Jam, Custard
생 바질로 만든 신선한 크림과 토마토의 상큼함이 가득 찬 디저트
This was the other tarts that I ordered for dine-in. The flavor of the Basil Tomato fell on a more savory note for my taste. The combination of the creamy basil and the fresh juicy tomatoes worked really well creating a balanced flavor, but it did remind me of eating a pasta dish instead of a dessert. Or maybe I’m just not a big fan of a basil tomato flavored desserts in general. Overall, good flavors, but probably not my number one option if I’m looking for a sweet dessert.
Corn (옥수수) ₩8,800 | 7/10
Sweet Corn, Corn Cream, Custard, Crispy Oatmeal
노릇하게 구워진 옥수수와 크리스피한 오트밀이 어우러진 한끼 식사같은 디저트
The Corn reminded me of all those popular Korean corn-flavored snacks that I’ve tried in the past. The flavor profile is pretty similar and if you are a fan of those Korean corn-flavored snacks, you’d probably enjoy this one (more than I do since I’m just like mid on Korean corn-flavored things).
Chestnut (보늬밤) ₩9,500 | 7.5/10
Sweet Braised Chestnut, Chestnut Cream, Custard, Almond Cream
달달한 밤조림과 풍미 가득한 밤크림이 어우러진 담백한 디저트
The Chestnut was probably the heaviest and the sweetest out of all the tarts that I tried. Not that it’s super heavy or sweet or anything since all these tarts are pretty much light and not extremely sweet in general. It’s just if you want something that has a bolder flavor (and if you like chestnut obviously), this is a good option to choose.
Yuja Shine Muscat (유자샤인머스캣 ) ₩9,200 | 10/10
Shine Muscat, Yuja Cream, Green Grape Jam, Custard, Yuja Citron Preserve, Almond Cream
향긋한 샤인머스캣과 새콤쌉쌀한 유자가 만난 싱그러운 디저트
The Yuja Shine Muscat is the BOMB. This one is absolutely my favorite out of all the tarts that I’ve tried. The Shine Muscat is sweet and fresh. And the combination of all the layers of this tarts just works wonderfully together. It’s sweet with a hint of fresh sourness from the green grape jam and the Yuja Citron preserve. And the almond cream adds a bit of nuttiness to the overall flavor. It’s so good, I ended up ordering this again and again on my subsequent visits. And I’m not even a big fruit tart kind of person in general so it should say something about this tart.
Choco Banana (초코바나나 ) ₩8,700 | 7/10
Banana, Custard, Banana Jam, Ganache
진한 가나슈와 바나나의 짙은 풍미와 맛으로 가득 찬 묵직한 식감의 디저트
The Choco Banana tasted like what you think a choco banana flavored dessert would taste like. It honestly kinda reminded me of a banana pie with a really good pie crust and chocolate layer inside. A solid option if you like banana.
Milk Tea (초코바나나 ) ₩7,000 | 8/10
Ordered milk tea for my mandatory 1-person-1-drink rule and it was pretty good. Fragrant and not too sweet.
Apart from the selection of six tarts they usually have readily available, they also have a couple of different seasonal flavors using the fresh fruits that are in season. They also serve coffee, tea and non-coffee beverages in the cafe. Overall, Parole & Langue (파롤앤랑그) has definitely became one of my favorite dessert spots in Yeonnam-dong and I would definitely recommend you to try this place, especially if you’re looking for some great tarts.
Parole & Langue • 파롤앤랑그
Address: 서울 마포구 성미산로29안길 8 파롤앤랑그
Telephone: 02-332-2527
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 13:00-21:00 | Closed on Mondays | (Check their Instagram for their monthly opening schedule)
Instagram: @parole_langue
