Tokyo Bingsu • 도쿄빙수

Bingsu is probably my favorite Korean dessert, especially during summer. A bowl of this fine ice shavings on a hot day could make the hot and humid summer days in Seoul more bearable. Tokyo Bingsu (도쿄빙수) is one of the new bingsu places I tried when I was wondering around Mangwon-dong with my friend, Jesselyn. Although they are well-known for their Tomato Bingsu (토마토 빙수), we opted for their Oreo Bingsu (오레오 빙수) since we weren't sure if we would like the Tomato ones and kinda felt like eating something sweet. The bingsu was great. The snow-like ice shavings were covered in condensed milk and top it off with the oreo crumbs, it made a perfect combo. And it's not too sweet either. I found out later that they have multiple locations in Seoul. Not a lot like those chain stores, but you got different options. Next time I visit, maybe I'll be brave and try their Tomato Bingsu.

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Tokyo Bingsu (도쿄빙수)

Address: 서울특별시 마포구 포은로8길 9
Tel: 02-6409-5692
Hours: 12:00 - 22:00

Instagram: @tokyobingsu

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Off The Ground • 오프더그라운드

This past spring, there has been a good number of new cafes that I came across during my neighborhood exploration walks. Off The Ground (오프더그라운드) was one of them. I was heading towards another place with my cousin but then decided to check this place out cos it's on the way. We stepped into a rather white minimalistic space and I headed to the counter to order our drinks. Chatted up the guy who took my order and turned out, he's the owner of the place and they just opened a week before. So this place is like new, new. The place is not that big, but I feel like this could be a good place to get some work done (on the communal table) or to meet up with a friend if you are looking for a smaller spot to hang out at. And... they also serve non-coffee & tea options which is always a plus point for me. 

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Watch the video:

OFF THE GROUND

Address: 서울특별시 마포구 와우산로 39-12
Tel. No: 010.9129.4104
Operation hour: 11:00 - 22:00 (Closed on Mondays)
Subway: Sangsu Station (Line 6) Exit 1

Instagram: @__cafe_offtheground__

 

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BookPark • 북파크

I still remember the first time I stumbled upon a picture of a book cafe online. It was a couple of years ago and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Back then, book cafe hasn't became a thing. My association of rows of books wasn't usually paired with a cup of hot chocolate or ice green tea on the side to sip on. The consumption of food and drinks is usually prohibited in libraries and bookstores. And reading books in libraries or bookstores usually involved some level of discomfort caused by standing too long in one of the corners of the bookstore or sitting down for a prolonged period of time on one of those uncomfortable library chairs.

I don't know when the book cafe trend started, but it's definitely a thing in Seoul. I stumbled upon quite a number of book cafes in the city and BookPark (북파크) is one of the recent book cafe that I visited. Located on the 2nd and 3rd floor of Blue Square (블루스퀘어), the place is pretty huge for a bookstore. Other than great selections of books, you can also find Hollys Coffee inside the store, plenty of chairs and tables if you decide you wanna read a book or do some studying, and there's even a balcony area for you to chill at if you want to enjoy the nice weather outside. If you are not into books, there's a section on the third floors that sells accessories, toys, stationeries and other knick knacks that you can browse. And they also have another cafe on this floor (which name I didn't pay attention to) and a sitting area with tables bigger than the one in Hollys Coffee area.

If you're looking for books, definitely check this place out. If not, this is also a great place to meet up with people or to get some work/studying done. Or if you are not into all that, you can always come for their instagrammable tall bookshelf and stairs ;)

p.s: thank you @seoul_stateofmind for bringing me and @_marshellia to this place!

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And oh, started to upload video to my Youtube channel. Subscribe of you wanna see more! :) Here's the first video.

 

BookPark • 북파크

Address: 서울특별시 용산구 이태원로 294
Tel. No: 02-6367-2018
Hours: 10:00 - 23:00
Subway: Hangangjin Station (Line 6) Exit 2

Instagram: @bookpark_

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Mr. Holmes Bakehouse Seoul • 미스터홈즈베이크하우스

Mr. Holmes Bakehouse has been on my radar since the time their infamous cruffin started popping up on Instagram a couple of years back. I still remembered the first time I heard about this cruffin hype in San Francisco where people lined up early mornings just to get a taste of the croissant textured muffin. As much as I'm curious on how good it actually is, I never once made the effort to go to Larkin Street at 7 am to join the hype. But then, lo and behold, a couple of years after that, Mr. Holmes Bakehouse opened its Seoul branch. And there it started again, the whole cruffin hype and the stream of people posting cruffin and ootd shot from Mr. Holmes Bakehouse Seoul (미스터홈즈베이크하우스). Since my friends wanted to go, I finally got to try this cruffin that I've been hearing so much about.

Ordered the cruffin (크러핀) and the Ferrero Rocher croissant (페레로 로쉐 크로와상). To be honest, they both were pretty good but the filling on the cruffin was a tad too sweet for me. If it has less fillings, it might be better for me since I don't really like super sweet stuff. But overall the pastries were good, although I still don't know if I would spend a couple of hours lining up for a cruffin early in the morning.

Apart from trying the cruffin, I also got to see their super awesome branding design in store. If you are into dessert, cafes, and ootd, you probably have seen their famous 'I GOT BAKED IN SEOUL' pink neon sign somewhere online. The designer/co-owner of Mr. Holmes Bakehouse, Aron Tzimas, apparently has successfully made this neon sign and the store's carry-out boxes into a must have Instagram shot if you are visiting Mr. Holmes Bakehouse. I have to say this Mendl's Bakery (from Wes Anderson's Grand Budapest Hotel) inspired design for the carry-out boxes is executed beautifully. If you are looking to try some cruffin in Seoul, definitely give this place a visit. If not, you can always come for their other pastries or their neon/marble interior for some great ootd shots ;)

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Update:

Mr. Holmes Bakehouse Seoul has closed permanently. The San Francisco and Los Angeles locations also have closed permanently after the company filed for bankruptcy in February 2021.

 

Mr. Holmes Bakehouse Seoul (미스터홈즈베이크하우스)

Address: 서울특별시 강남구 압구정로10길 34
Tel. No: 02-547-2004
Hours: 10:00 - 22:30
Subway: Sinsa Station (Line 3) Exit 8

Instagram: @mrholmesbakehouse_kr

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Coffee Kitchen • 커피키핀

Started my second day in Busan with brunch at Coffee Kitchen (해운대 커피 키친). I was originally going to have lunch at Yeije (예이제), a Korean restaurant that is located on the second floor of the same building as Coffee Kitchen, and have dessert after lunch at the cafe. But apparently, Yeije didn't accept one person seating (I assume all their menu is for a minimum of two people seatings) so I thought since I'm already here, might as well just get brunch at the cafe.

The cafe's pretty nice and spacious. They have indoor and outdoor seating area with plenty of chairs and tables. It was a weekday so the place wasn't too busy and relatively quite. I ordered one of their brunch set and it was delicious. Nicely seasoned salad, runny yolk on the sunny side up egg, crispy bacon, fried sausage, and buttery mini croissants—everything was cooked perfectly. It was truly a great way to start the day.

p.s: For this trip, I actually got lots of restaurant and cafe recommendations from my friend Sally J. Shim, who lived in Busan for a couple of years (and she still goes back and forth from Seoul once in a while these days). She's also recently started a new instagram account, @sallyjshimtravelogue, where she shares her favorite places in the cities she's been to. So definitely check her accounts out! And special thanks for Sally for giving me all the recs! :)

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