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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Pizza Express Garosugil • 피자익스프레스

If you’ve explored Garosugil, you probably have passed by Pizza Express’ Instagrammable store front at some point during your walk. I have taken multiple shots of their colorful vintage bus stop chairs with a pizza neon light above it on multiple different occasion before finally visiting their restaurant.

Looking just at their entrance, I honestly thought it’s a small pizza place. But turns out, after going down the narrow stairs leading to the basement where it’s located, Pizza Express (피자익스프레스) is actually a pretty spacious restaurant. Decorated with skateboards, pop paintings, sandbag, a billiard table and more neon lights, the restaurant’s interior definitely feels young and hip. You can find lots of pop culture references too inside the space.

I stopped by one day in mid-afternoon with a couple of friends because they were thirsty. So we only ordered some beers and soda during our visit and didn’t get to try their pizza. Maybe on my next visit.

 

Pizza Express • 피자익스프레스

Address: 서울 강남구 압구정로10길 28 지하1층
Telephone: 070-7757-9200
Hours: Everyday 12:00 - 22:30

Instagram: @pizzaexpress_kr

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Gray Gristmill • 그레이 그리스트밀

I visited Gray Gristmill (그레이 그리스트밀) last year a month after it just opened in June. The shots of Gray Gristmill’s exterior made a frequent appearances on my Instagram explore feed at the time, mainly of people taking OOTD shots in front of it. I mean, I can totally see why it became popular real fast because the exterior of the cafe is quite unique. After seeing the images of the place quite often on Instagram, I decided to check this new addition to the trendy cafes in Garosugil (가로수길).

To be honest, I was worried as soon as I stepped in front of the counter to order. Their menu only listed coffee options and I didn’t see any non-coffee options available. Before I had the chance to ask the barista behind the counter who was waiting for me to tell him my order if they have non-coffee menu, he asked if it’s my first time here. Clearly I looked like I don’t know what I’m doing so I nodded and said yes. He then proceeded to explain how the ordering process goes at this cafe. First, you pick your beans—single origin or blended—and then you choose the beverage type—Americano, Brewing, Latte, or Affogato. The price of the single portion vacuum sealed beans and the beverage type will then be added as the total price of your drink. So it’s almost like you customized your own coffee order kinda thing.

For coffee drinkers who know their coffee beans, this might be a great thing. I totally get it. But for me who are not a coffee drinker, all this was just a little bit too complicated. So I quickly asked him if they have non-coffee options. He pointed me to the other side of the counter where non-coffee options were displayed on different bottles buried between ice cubes. To my relief, I instantly recognized all the labels displayed on top of each bottles indicating what they are. Avoiding the complicated ordering process, I quickly picked up one of the bottle and paid.

A year later, the coffee shop is still there and seemed to have become a popular destination for cafe goers in Garosugil. I assume their coffee must be pretty good, which is not at all surprising since the baristas who work there have won numbers of barista championships in the past. If you want to read more about this place, I found this article that might interest you. I have a feeling this cafe is probably going to be around for a while, so if you are in Garosugil area and looking for a good coffee spot, you might wanna try this place.

Here’s the video of the space:

Gray Gristmill • 그레이 그리스트밀

Address: 서울 강남구 압구정로2길 15
Telephone: 02-546-8902
Hours: Weekdays 11:00 - 21:30 | Weekend 12:00 - 21:30

Instagram: @gray_gristmill

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Gentle Monster The Salvation Moon • 젠틀몬스터 플래그십스토어

Visiting Gentle Monster Sinsa flaghip store (젠틀몬스터 신사동 플래그십스토어) to check out their new installation has somewhat became a tradition for me every time I visited Garosugil (가로수길) after I haven’t been to the area for a while. Since they always change their interior almost every season, it almost feels like visiting a new store every time I stepped into their newest campaign. But at the same time, the place also gave me a sense of familiarity since the location, the layout of the building, and the products they are selling remained unchanged. Here’s what the current campaign is all about:

Gentle Monster kicks off the ‘13’ Campaign in Korea through a reimagined Sinsa Flagship named, ‘The Salvation Moon’, The new space tells a story of the world impacted and changed after the 13th Month, painting the stories of survival of different life forms. The Sinsa showroom illustrates an oriental hope-filled message behind the struggles and desperation of those whom worship and pray to the new moon for salvation.

— Gentle Monster website

The one thing that struck me the most when I stepped into the store was that the installations reminded me of Stranger Things for some reason. The combination of the outer space elements with creatures that resemble monsters, or aliens really, gave me a strong Stranger Things vibes, especially the flower-shaped-claw-machine like installation that opens and closes slowly on the second floor. It really reminded me of the head of the Demogorgon. Anybody else think so too or is it just me?

Gentle Monster Sinsa Flaghip Store • 젠틀몬스터 신사동 플래그십스토어

Address: 서울특별시 강남구 압구정로10길 23
Telephone: 070-5080-0196
Hours: 12:00 - 21:00 Daily

Instagram: @gentlemonster

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Cafe Mula • 카페 뮬라

If you’re reading articles titled somewhere along the lines of ‘Pretty Cafes to visit in Garosugil’, Cafe Mula (카페 뮬라) probably made it to 9 out of 10 of those kind of articles. Located in the quieter side of Garosugil (가로수길), Cafe Mula’s entrance is quite simple and almost hidden. Unless you turn your head and look into the small alley like path leading to the cafe, you could’ve easily missed the entrance of this place. What I love about this place is the glass rooftop that they have on half of the space of the cafe. The combination of the amount of natural lighting shining through the ceiling and the pretty interior that they have will make you feel like you’re having tea time in a beautiful greenhouse. I’ve been here a couple of times and for some reason, every time I was here, it’s always on a gloomy day (which I don’t mind to be honest) and I still like the place. Imagine being here on a sunny day when all the sunlight brightly lit the place. The atmosphere is probably even more awesome.

Since its opening day, the thing that people usually order when visiting this place is their Tiramisu (or at least that’s the picture people Instagrammed the most at this place), so I ordered their Tiramisu and a cup of hot tea on the side the first time I came to visit this cafe with my friend. The tiramisu was alright. I mean, I’m not an expert in Tiramisu or anything so I can’t really say if this is the best Tiramisu in town or not. I feel like there are so many cafes in Seoul that offer Tiramisu as their dessert menu and all of them just tasted similar (maybe they have the same recipe or got them from the same source? I dunno). But, in my opinion, I could use a little bit more ladyfingers and less of the mascarpone. It’d be nice to have the ladyfingers with the mascarpone instead of the other way around. Too whipped-creamy for my taste. But hey, that’s just me. On another visit though, I tried their green tea latte and it was pretty good. Solid green tea latte at this place.

If you’re looking for a spot to chill in Garosugil, I would definitely recommend this place. It was pretty crowded with both locals and tourists when it was just opened a couple of years ago, but I think nowadays, it’s getting less crowded. I’m not 100% sure but at least on my latest visit, the cafe wasn’t as crowded as it used to be. But then again, I went on a Monday afternoon, so that could be one of the reasons why.

Here’s a video of the place:

Cafe Mula • 카페 뮬라

Address: 서울 강남구 압구정로4길 13-12
Telephone: 02-6104-4541
Hours: 10:00 - 22:00 (Sunday - Thursday) | 10:00 - 23:00 (Friday - Saturday)

Instagram: @cafemula

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