Un'icon • 언아이콘

If you’re a fan of a white minimalistic cafe, Un’icon (언아이콘) might be worth checking out if you ever found yourself around Mangwon-dong (망원동) area. I visited this newly opened cafe during one hot summer day after having lunch nearby. The place is not that big and seating is a little bit limited. But since I was there during weekdays, I got a seat right after two guys who finished their drinks left when I came in.

I made my way to the counter to see the menu and have no idea what’s good here. So, like any other times I went for a first visit to a place I never been before, I usually ask whoever is behind the counter for their recommendations on their signature non-coffee menu. The guy wearing the red shirt recommended Melting Gray (멜팅그레이) to me. He said it’s their popular non-coffee menu, so I ordered one following his recommendation.

To be honest, I was a little bit skeptical when I saw what it looked like. Sure, the black syrup-like liquid that’s slowly dripping down the white milk looked cool and totally Instagrammable. But from past experiences, this kind of ‘Instagrammable drinks’ usually don’t taste very good or overly sweet. Still, I gave it a try. That’s the whole point of going to new places anyway right? Trying new things and hopefully discovering good stuff along the way. The black liquid that goes into the Melting Gray itself is handmade and made out of seven ingredients. What those ingredients are, I’m not sure to be honest. Maybe I should ask next time I’m there.

I gave the whole thing a good stir before taking my first sip of the cold grey liquid. And what do you know, it actually tasted good! I was genuinely surprised and I remembered I even hummed unconsciously after my first taste. It wasn’t too sweet and was actually refreshing. Wether it’s because the ice ratio was perfect or perhaps the fact that I let it set for a bit since I was taking photos of it before I drink it made the whole thing refreshingly cool, I’m not entirely sure. Either way, I like the drink and it’s been a while since I tasted something different that I like. Next time I come here, I might try their other non-coffee menu. We’ll see.

Video of the space:

Un’icon • 언아이콘

Address: 서울 마포구 월드컵로13길 19-23
Telephone: 010-4186-0131
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 13:00 - 21:00 | Sunday 13:00 - 20:00 | Closed on Mondays

Instagram: @uniconcoffee

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Bread Lab • 브레드랩

Bread Lab (브레드랩) is the place where you can go to to find a selection of homemade bakery in the neighborhood of Yeonnam-dong (연남동). Make your way to the entrance of the bakery on the second floor of the house like structure, which also serves as a home to one of the popular Thai restaurant in the area on the first floor. The vintage vibe of the brown wood aesthetic which covered the walls and ceiling of the room will greets you as soon as you stepped into the main area of the bakery, in addition to a row of fresh baked bread and pastries laid out for you to choose from.

There were a couple of other girls who were contemplating on which bread or pastries they should put on the trays on their hand when I was there. I have to say that Marshellia and I had the same problem too when the time came for us to choose which item we should try. Good thing that they put out signs for their best seller items and we ended up picking the interesting looking Green Tea Danish, which was ranked 3rd according to the displayed sign, to share. After we paid for our danish and our drink, we sat ourselves on a table next to the open door leading to the patio area. The Green Tea Danish was good. Super flaky and not too sweet, just the right amount of green tea and powdered sugar mixed together.

After we’re done with our food, I wandered around the bakery and found out that the place is actually bigger than what it seemed to be from the outside. There is another sitting area next to the room that we were sitting in and their outdoor patio area is actually pretty spacious too. Too bad it was a little hot that day so we opted to stay inside, near the door to avoid the hot sun but close enough to the outside to enjoy the gentle cool breeze that blew once in a while.

In terms of the atmosphere, I think this place might not be comfortable for long hours of study session since I found that the height proportions of the chairs and tables are a little bit awkward and uncomfortable, especially if you have to sit up or do some work on the table for a long period of time. But in terms of hanging out and chatting with friends, I think this place is a pretty nice option for it.

Here’s a video of the place:

Bread Lab • 브레드랩

Address: 서울특별시 마포구 연남동 229-67
Telephone: 02-337-0501
Hours: 10:00 - 22:00 Daily

Instagram: @bread_lab

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Marymond Lounge • 마리몬드 라운지

I found Marymond Lounge (마리몬드 라운지) purely by accident during one of my neighborhood exploration walks. The weather was hot and after almost an hour of walking around, I was craving for something cold and refreshing and this place came into my view at the right timing so I decided to go in. Marymond Lounge is not only a cafe, but also a store as well as a community place from what I gathered after I went in and spent a good hour there. At first, I thought it was a normal store that sells goods ranging from clothing, bags, accessories, and phone cases. But then I saw a sign saying that they are also supporting some kinda of a cause. My Korean vocabulary wasn’t good enough to understand what the whole statement meant, so I decided to google it. And here’s what I found out:

“Marymond started eight years ago as a way to help restore the dignity of the victims, euphemistically called comfort women, who were forced to work at frontline brothels for the Japanese army.

A bracelet attached with a small charm of a girl statue - a symbol of comfort women - is sold at 12,000 won (S$14.50), while an eco-bag with simple Marymond logo is 10,000 won. Proceeds from the sale goes into a fund to care for the 37 surviving victims and to establish a sex slavery museum.

The company's success is not just driven by public interest in the unsolved issue, a long-standing thorn in Korea-Japan relations, but also reflects the rise of "conscious" consumption, experts say.”

Source: Strait Times (Read the full article here)

I think it’s cool what they are doing with the brand and how it raises awareness to different social issues in the community. Plus I think the items are very well-designed too. After I finished my drink, I left the lounge right before they were closing it for a private gathering of a group of young people. Also, I believe I’ve seen their products on different stores around Seoul so if you’re interested in buying any of the Marymond products, just keep an eye on them when you go shopping.

Marymond Lounge • 마리몬드 라운지

Address: 서울특별시 성동구 서울숲6길 12
Telephone: 070-4245-8865
Hours: 11.00 - 21.00 Daily

Instagram: @themarymond

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Alepub • 에일당

Alepub (에일당) was probably one of the first spots I visited during my early visits to Ikseon-dong. Craft beer is what they specialized in but they also have other menus available such as coffee, non-coffee options, food and desserts, which I always appreciate since I don’t really drink beer or coffee. The place itself is a remodeled hanok—like so many other spots in the neighborhood—with a pretty spacious seating area. I came here during the day and the place was pretty quiet. It was a Thursday after all. I ordered my safe choice of drink, an ice green tea latte, which tasted pretty good and sat there enjoying the the natural light that came from the transparent roof they have housing the Hanok. I’d imagined that the place is pretty crowded during the weekends since the vibe of this place is really nice. As I took the last sip of my green tea latte, I placed the glass on the return counter and walked out from the place, making a mental note to myself adding this place to the list of places that I would come back to next time if I have the chance.

Alepub • 에일당

Address: 서울 종로구 수표로28길 33-9
Telephone: 070-7766-3133
Hours: 12.00 - 23.00 Daily

Instagram: @alepub

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Center Coffee • 센터커피 서울숲점

Opened by the professional barista Sang Ho Park, who is the 2013 United Kingdom Brewers Cup Champion (and placed 4th at the world tournament that year) and the 2015 UK Coffee in Good Spirits Champion (and placed 6th at the world tournament), Center Coffee (센터커피) is another great addition to the coffee scene in Seoul. Having founded his own company, Spark Coffee Consulting, which is based in United Kingdom, he decided to expand his business to Asia and opened Center Coffee in Seoul. Here’s an excerpt from their website explaining about their philosophy:

Let’s meet for coffee

This is a phrase we often use when we meet people.
With this phrase, we at Center Coffee don’t just regard coffee as a beverage.
We think a cup of coffee helps shred awkwardness, enables us to share ideas,
and acts as a bridge to connect people.

So we want to share diverse stories through coffee.
To enlighten what good coffee truly is.
Who produced it, where, how it was cultivated, and how it was roasted.
To share the passion that motivates us to showcase the best flavours coffees can have. 
Most importantly, sharing the various experiences you can have with coffee.

—Center Coffee

The cafe itself has two floors. The first floor is where you order your drinks and the second floor has seating area as well as patio where you can seat outside when the weather is nice. Center Coffee has a nice range of coffee selections with unique brewing techniques which coffee aficionado will appreciate. The cafe was pretty quiet the day I went to visit. A couple of people were there, but they were either reading/studying or talking amongst themselves with low voices. I, too, quietly drank my chocolate while looking out through the window enjoying the sky changing colors from blue to orange and enjoyed my time there.

Center Coffee • 센터커피 서울숲점

Address: 서울 성동구 서울숲2길 28-11
Telephone: 070-8868-2008
Hours: 10.00 - 21.00 Tuesday - Sunday | Closed on Mondays

Instagram: @centercoffee

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