Cafe Gongmyeong • 카페 공명

With the abundance of cafes in Hongdae (홍대), you would think that finding a spacious and comfortable cafe to catch up with your friends or do some work at will be easy. But no. Based on my experience, finding a spacious cafe with the right vibe (which for me means a place with nice interior, at least decent if not good non-coffee drink options, plenty of seatings, ample breathing space and moderate noise level) in Hongdae is actually pretty hard.

Since most cafes in Hongdae are small or medium sized and usually have more of a hip vibe, I was actually pleasantly surprised when I first came across Cafe Gongmyeong (카페 공명). This cafe is actually spacious and has the right vibe. I first saw this place when I accidentally saw a glimpse of their coffee bar through the window of the bus I was riding when it passed by this place at night. If it weren’t for the bright yellow lights emitting from the coffee bar, I wouldn’t even noticed that there’s a cafe there because the exterior of the building just seems like any other building in Korea.

After I looked up what’s actually inside that building and found out that Cafe Gongmyeong (카페 공명) occupied the space, I initially visited the place days later solely to check out their intriguing coffee bar. The canopy like structure that houses the coffee bar is made out of wide horizontal wood panels that are lined with lights emitting from the edge of each panels, creating a feeling of being inside some sort of a wooden spaceship (at least for me). There are also a couple of different things that are pretty cool inside this cafe including a projector that is set up facing the wall next to the coffee bar that plays old movies and two big book shelves next to the front windows that definitely add more character to the interior of the space.

They printed their menu items on the spine of books that are displayed in front of the cashier and I have to say this is probably one of the most creative and memorable menu display I’ve seen (took me a second though to realize that the book titles are actually the menu). I ordered their Cacao Latte (카카오 라떼) which was pretty solid. I came only a couple of weeks after their grand opening so their dessert selections were still limited. Although looking at their Instagram, it seems like they have now expanded their dessert menu and definitely have more selections compared to my last visit. And it seems like people are giving good reviews about them so maybe I’ll try their desserts on my next visit.

The place has plenty of seatings that have a good distance from one to the other, which works very well if you want some privacy while talking to your friends. It also has a big long communal table with power plugs that’s perfect for people who come to the cafe to study or to do some work. I originally wasn’t planning to stay for long, but after I finished taking some pictures and sit around for a while, I actually enjoyed the vibe of this place and ended up staying for almost two hours longer sitting there sipping my hot cocoa while reading. 

Note: These photos were taken before the pandemic.

A little fun fact, this cafe is also one of the shooting locations of the Korean drama Thirty-Nine (서른, 아홉) starring Son Ye-Jin. You can see the appearance of the place in episode 3, where Son Ye-Jin’s character, Cha Mi-Jo, visited the cafe with her love interest, Kim Seon-U.

Korean Drama: Thirty-Nine (서른, 아홉) Ep.03 | Photo Courtesy: JTBC/Netflix

Korean Drama: Thirty-Nine (서른, 아홉) Ep.03 | Photo Courtesy: JTBC/Netflix

 

Cafe Gongmyeong • 카페 공명

Address: 서울 마포구 연희로 11 1층 카페 공명
Telephone: 070-8869-6304
Hours: Everyday 10:00 - 22:00

Instagram: @cafegm_

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Ovadoz • 오바도즈

Ovadoz (오바도즈) is a cafe located in one of the quiet alleyways off of the main road between Hapjeong station (합정역) and Sangsu station (상수역). Honestly, if it wasn't for Instagram, I probably wouldn't even know that there's a cafe in this location (but I believe they have now put up signs that make it more obvious for people who passes by the main road). I remember when it first opened, there were lots of posts on Instagram of people taking ootd shots in front of their cafe and those posts made me aware of their cafe.

So then during one of my Sangsu exploration days, I decided to check the place out. The cafe itself is pretty spacious with lots of natural light coming in from the windows. The fairly neutral colored interior of Ovadoz is decorated with eclectic modern furnitures made from different materials that give the place different accents of colors. The cafe definitely is not one of those places where you can study or work at because most of the tables are so low. The mascot of the cafe, Genji the Shiba Inu, was also there when I visited. It's pretty cute to see Genji just laying and chilling on the floor before perking up every time somebody walks into the cafe.

I ordered their matcha latte when I was there. It was okay. They also have selections of cakes and other baked goods that I didn't get to try because I was there right after I had lunch. But it seems like their baked goods have good reviews online. Maybe I'll try them on my next visit.

Note: These photos were taken before the pandemic.

 

Ovadoz • 오바도즈

Address: 서울 마포구 독막로9길 3-4
Telephone: 0507-1393-3366
Hours: Monday-Thursday 12:00 - 22:00 | Friday-Sunday 13:00 - 22:00

Instagram: @coffee_ovadoz

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Pison Coffee Petitenget

Known for its good coffee, Pison Coffee is one of the go-to spots for locals, out-of-town visitors as well as tourists who are looking for a solid caffeine fix. Occupying a two-story red-brick building, Pison Coffee Petitenget went with the industrial look theme with high ceilings, exposed beams, dark wood panels and brick and grunge walls for their interior.

“Pison Coffee first opened its doors in 2014. Our focus has always been simple:
Good Coffee & Good Food.

Everything on our menu highlights Indonesia’s abundant resources from locally sourced coffee beans to locally sourced ingredients.

Have a sip of our house blends and maybe a bite of our carefully curated fusion dishes. All in the backdrop of calming Asian-Western fusion inspired ambiance!”

—Pison Coffee

On top of serving excellent coffee, they also have a wide variety of food menu options ranging from Asian to Western dishes. Two things that I always heard rave reviews about from my friends who have visited this place are their Crispy Pork Belly Fried Rice (Chinese style fried rice with garlic, ginger, and chopped coriander) and their Espresso Avocado (avocado juice, chocolate syrup, vanilla ice cream poured with espresso). And so of course I ordered those two to try.

The Crispy Pork Belly Fried Rice was great. It was well-seasoned and they use long grains rice so the rice wasn't sticky. The pork belly was really crispy and cut in perfect bite size. I only tried a little of the Espresso Avocado because I don't really drink coffee but it was good. The sweetness of the avocado juice, chocolate syrup and ice cream was balanced well with the bitterness of the espresso when you have it mixed together.

If coffee is not your thing, you can always come here to sip on some alcohol while enjoying the live music they have going on every night from 8.30 pm onwards (check their Instagram for updates). They also open 'til midnight which makes this place a good spot for a late night hang.

Note: These photos were taken before the pandemic.

 

Pison Coffee Petitenget

Address: Jl. Petitenget No.19 A, Kerobokan Kelod, Kec. Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia
Telephone: +62821 4456 0066
Hours: 07:00-00:00

Instagram: @pisoncoffee
Menu

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Coffee Nap Roasters • 커피냅로스터스

Famously known for its 7,000-brick hill interior, Coffee Nap Roasters (커피냅로스터스) is a small hip and definitely Instagrammable coffee spot in Yeonnam-dong (얀남동). The images of their unusual interior and seating arrangement soon went viral on Instagram after they opened in April 2018. My first visit to the cafe was three months after their opening and I went there solely because I was curious to see the architecture and interior of the space for myself after seeing the many, many pictures online.

When I arrived, the first thing that threw me off a little was the size of the coffee shop itself. Judging from the photos I’ve seen, I knew that the place isn’t that big but I guess I was expecting it to be slightly bigger than it actually is. But, luckily, I was there on a weekday so the place wasn’t too crowded.

This place is more of a coffee spot, so there’s not a lot of non-coffee options on the menu other than Lemon Ade, Apple Tea, Milk Tea, and Choco Latte. I opted for an Ice Apple Tea since it was a hot summer day.

Sitting inside the cafe was quite an experience in itself. Intended to give the visitors an experience of sitting on a hill surrounded by nature while drinking their coffee, I can understand the concept when I look at the interior of the space. I also really like how they execute ‘The moon hiding behind the hill’ idea with the big round mirror that is placed inside the cafe. The whole concept was definitely unique and well executed. In one article, the architect, Design Studio Maoom, explained:

“Getting rid of the tables and the chairs, and looking up from the low hill, where your sight is, became the space and scenery. Having a diverse way to sit, beyond overcoming uncomfortableness, would mean the beginning of a new experience. This small place is a tiny coffee shop where you can enjoy a cup of coffee with wherever you choose to sit, becomes your space.

The hill is a space where you can sit and relax for a moment. A place where one wants to rest.”
—archdaily.com

Other than the brick hill, the other two indoor seating options were a wooden bench at the bottom of the hill and the seating area in front of the window that is facing directly to the hill.

Although I can understand what the architect’s intentions were, there are several things that me, as a visitor, experience quite differently than what they described. First, personally, having the option of sitting wherever you choose kind of giving me a little anxiety instead of relaxation to be honest. It wasn’t really a problem when I was there since the cafe wasn’t too crowded. But I imagined if the place is packed, I think it could get a little uncomfortable to have to step around people to get to an empty spot or when you want to leave or when you want to use the restroom which is located at the top of the hill. Not to mention the close proximity of the other patrons around you. And if you choose to sit on the seating area in front of the window, you’ll be facing the people who’s sitting on the hill directly or at the very least, you can get that feeling of being watched or stared at. I tried sitting at the seat in front of the window and honestly, it was a little awkward when I made eye contact with the people who were in my line of sight.

Second of all, sitting on the brick hill wasn’t actually comfortable at all. I mean, you probably could’ve guessed by looking at the shape and materials of the hill. But yes, I fell like the hill is definitely not meant to accommodate people for long talks, unless you’re okay with sitting on a hard surface for a long time. Plus, I think for girls, you probably might want to plan your outfit accordingly if you intend to sit on the hill because wearing a short skirt or heels might be a little uncomfortable.

Honestly, I think the outdoor seatings and the flat surface area near the big round mirror probably are the more comfortable seating areas in the cafe.

Even so, this cafe is one of the more interesting cafe I’ve been to and I think it’s worth a visit if you want to check out their interior design or get some coffee. To find out more about the architecture and interior design concept of this place, you can read it here and here.

Note: These pictures were taken before the pandemic.

 

Coffee Nap Roasters • 커피냅로스터스

Address: 서울 마포구 성미산로27길 70
Telephone: 02-332-4131
Hours: Everyday 09:00 - 20:00

Instagram: @coffeenap_roasters

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Café Kitsuné PIK Avenue

Café Kitsuné Indonesia has just opened its second location in North Jakarta after opening its first location at Ashta District 8 back in 2020. Located next to the main lobby of PIK Avenue Mall, Café Kitsuné PIK Avenue opened its door to the public on April 27, 2022.

Departing from their turf green nature inspired interior at Ashta District 8's location, Café Kitsuné PIK Avenue chose hot coral as the lead color to decorate the modern space, combining it with the signature wooden textures that are often seen in Café Kitsuné other locations. One new addition to the cafe that sets it apart from the other location is the outdoor bar area that has been set up for those who are looking to wine and dine at the cafe instead of getting a caffeine fix.

I visited the cafe with my friend, Winda, and had the chance to experience dining at the newly opened cafe/restaurant earlier this week. First off, the service was good. The servers who waited our table were friendly and pretty attentive. One thing that I also appreciate was the fact that they seem to understand the menu. Not in the kind of I-memorize-the-description-of-the-menu kind of way, but it sounded more like they have actually tasted the drink/dish so they can describe the taste and give their opinions about it. This is quite a rare occasion in my personal dining experience in Jakarta (or maybe I just have bad luck with servers when dining out) so it's always a nice surprise when I do actually encounter knowledgeable servers which makes the dining experience even better.

Now let's talk about their menu. We had a chance to try a couple of their drinks, food and desserts. But since there were so much food, I didn't try them all because, you know, there's only so much space I have in my belly. I'll give my personal opinions on the ones that I tried as well as the explanations that we got from the servers and the chef.

DRINKS

When we were ordering our drinks, I asked our server on their non-coffee signature drink and he recommended the ube latte and charcoal latte, which honestly sounded pretty good to me. He personally likes the ube latte so I ordered the iced ube latte and gave it a try. And it was good. The drink is not too sweet, perfect amount of milk, and you can still taste the ube (which didn't taste artificial imho). It was refreshing and light.

During the middle of our meal, the manager came over and asked if we wanted to order another drink and I asked her the same question I asked our server earlier. Her answer was the same. It seems like ube latte and charcoal latte are the favorites around here. Although she personally like charcoal latte better than the ube latte. So this time, I ordered their hot charcoal latte and I have to agree with her on this one. I think I enjoy the charcoal latte more than the ube latte. Maybe it's because I ordered it hot this time that it makes the flavor richer and not diluted by ice. Taste wise, it tasted earthy with the right amount of sweetness and it kind of reminded me of the melting gray drink I had at Uni'con (which I'm sure probably use similar ingredients since charcoal latte has been trending these past few years). Their matcha latte was also pretty solid too.

Breakfast Menu

The first breakfast menu that I tried was the Truffle Eggs Two Ways which consists of egg “parfait”, scrambled eggs, white truffle oil, mixed mushrooms duxelles and it comes with buttered toasts. When the dish was placed on our table, the delicious truffle oil aroma immediately hit me. The eggs were perfectly cooked, it was seasoned well and I can really taste the truffle oil when I took my first spoonful of egg. This is a great dish for breakfast.

Smoked Salmon and Ikura Bagel is the new addition to the breakfast menu that's currently only available at Café Kitsuné PIK Avenue. This is also one of the chef's recommended dish.

For the sweet breakfast menu, we got a sampler of the Azuki Toast courtesy of the chef and the host which is a toasted brioche bun with smooth azuki paste, butter balls, icing sugar and fox shortbread. If you like red bean and looking for a lighter breakfast option, this dish is probably for you. The regular portion usually comes with three pieces of toast instead of one and I believe the chef told us that they made their own azuki paste as well. Also, I really like their buttery fox shortbread.

Sandos Menu

The Spicy Fried Chicken Sando consists of brioche bread with spicy fried chicken thigh, asian slaw, kale, and gochujang chili mayonnaise. Generous sauce, super flavorful and the spiciness is not over the top (I can't really eat spicy food but this was still bearable for me).

Quick Bites Menu

Truffle Mac and Cheese Balls were just okay for me (maybe just because I personally am not a big fan of mac and cheese in general). They were crispy, the breading was not too thick, plenty of macaroni with parmesan and cream cheese stuffed inside with a hint of truffle oil. The homemade tomato sauce was pretty good and it helps to cut the cheesiness of the mac and cheese and give the dish a better balance.

Soup & Salad Menu

The Wakame Salad was probably the most pleasantly surprising dish for me. I generally more of a meat person than a salad person and quite picky about the salads that I like. But this one was really, really good. The mixed mesclun salad, dry wakame, cabbage, carrots, cherry tomatoes with generous kewpie sesame dressing and topped with fried shallot was delicious. It was a great mix of sweet and savory, very flavorful yet super light and fresh at the same time.

Also in this picture is the Sea Salt Latte, one of their signature drink, which I tried just a little bit since it has coffee in it and it was pretty good too. I also overheard a couple people on other tables ordered this drink.

Main Menu

Kitsuné Burger
Beef patty, mayonnaise, emmental cheese, fried egg and bacon. Served with hand-cut fries.

The Grilled Salmon with Roasted Paprika was probably my favorite dish from this meal. The perfectly cooked salmon was paired with roasted paprika, creamy sautéed kale, cherry tomatoes, grenaille potatoes, light creamy sauce and bonito flakes. Everything was well-seasoned and when I took a spoonful of all the components in the dish in one bite, it tasted really, really good. It was creamy but fresh and juicy all at the same time.

Dessert Menu

Daifuku Mochi is mochi filled with crème d’ange and strawberries, served with chocolate crumbs. The texture of the mochi is pretty nice, not too thick and soft. Everything in this dish is made in-house from scratch according to the chef. I'm not really a fan of strawberries in general so this one was just okay for me.

Millefeuille is my favorite one out of the two dessert menu we tried. The puff pastry was buttery and crumbly with the right amount of sweetness. The vanilla cream was fluffy and light and it was served with a scoop of delicious cereal ice cream. Everything in this dish works well together and it didn't leave me feeling overly stuffed. I would definitely order this again on my next visit.

The head chef, Chef Andri, who’s also the head chef of Ashta’s location came to our table at the end of our meal to ask us about our dining experience and we ended up chatting for a bit about the menu since we have a couple of additional follow-up questions after our meal. He was really friendly and answered all our questions as well as gave us more explanations about other dishes that we haven’t tried. Additional recommendations from the chef include Pork Belly Katsu Don and Pork Ribs which he told us to try on our next visit.

All and all, everything was good. Some menu items are better than others (obviously) but I really enjoyed my visit there and had a pleasant experience overall. Would I consider coming back here again? Yes, definitely.

Lastly, there’s this photo booth that they have inside the cafe. It's a complimentary service that they offered to the patrons and me and Winda took a couple of pictures together inside the spacious booth. A couple of things that were funny were, first, the camera placement was a tad too high for our height (or maybe we're just on the short side) so we had to tiptoe if we want to be vertically centered on the frame. Second, the display screen was a little blurry for some reason. Only the screen though because the pictures on the photo strip were sharp when they came out and it gives you two copies per session. Third, there is no cancel option anywhere so if you don't like the shots, it'll still print them out for you anyway. I thought having the photo booth is a pretty good idea and it makes the experience of visiting the cafe/store more fun.

 

Café Kitsuné PIK Avenue

Address: PIK Avenue Ground Floor, Jl. Pantai Indah Utara I No.6, Jakarta 14470, Indonesia.
Telephone: +62 812-1116-2204
Hours: Everyday 08:00 - 22:00

Instagram: @cafekitsuneindonesia
Menu: Drinks | Food

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