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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Locos BBQ • 로코스비비큐

Locos BBQ (로코스비비큐) is a Texas style BBQ restaurant that opened at the top of Gyeongridan-gil (경리단길) in 2014. They specialize in tender, flavorful BBQ meat that has been aged for more than 24 hours and sell craft beer, wine, and cocktails that go well with the meat.

When I walked towards the entrance of the restaurant after I passed their big logo signage in front, I was greeted by the strong smell of smoke coming from their open kitchen behind the counter where a variety of smoked meat is being displayed. The waiter asked me to wait before finally signaling me to follow him to enter the restaurant and seated me on one of the empty long tables.

I arrived at the place around 6 pm on a weekday for dinner and the place wasn’t too busy. There were 4 other people who were already in the middle of their meal when I got there and were seated spread out across the restaurant.

The vibe of the restaurant is reminiscent of the BBQ restaurants I’ve been in the States. They have a bar area right next to the entrance, dimly lit with yellow lighting and blue and red neon light as accent colors. The main seating area is decorated with globe string lights hanging on the ceiling, rough textured walls, and wooden tables and benches. I think they nailed the interior pretty well. Plenty of seating available as well as private room if you prefer for special events.

I ordered their Half Rack Original Baby Back Rib (₩21,900) that is served with fries, buns, coleslaw and jalapeños. The meat was super tender and fell off the bone when I cut it. The seasoning and flavors were pretty solid, although the sauce was a bit on the sweeter side for my personal preference. I did ended up dipping the meat into the additional sauces they provided on the table: the Sweet Barbeque, Mustard Barbeque, and Chipotle. They were all good sauces, but I think my favorite was the Chipotle sauce. Overall, it was a great Baby Back Rib for me.

As for the sides, the fries was really good. They were very crispy and not oily at all. The buns were a little dry for my taste and kind of reminded me of those breakfast buns we got on the airplane. But maybe they’re suppose to be like that so when I eat the buns with the meat and the sauces, they’ll compliment each other more? Not sure. The coleslaw was alright and I did wish that it was served chilled instead in room temperature.

The noise level in this place is medium to high since there’s music in moderate volume playing through the speakers. And the place did get busier after the dinner rush started. I ended up ordering the Korean Spicy Baby Back Rib to-go for my friends after my meal and I had to wait for about 30 minutes or so because there were more people then. The Korean Spicy Baby Back Rib was good too by the way. It’s just too spicy for me since I can’t handle spicy food very well. All in all, if you’re craving for some good Texas style BBQ in Seoul, I would totally recommend this place to try.

 

Locos BBQ • 로코스비비큐

Address: 서울 용산구 회나무로 83
Telephone: 02-794-3234
Hours: Everyday 11:30-21:00 | Weekdays Break Time: 14:00-16:00

Instagram: @locos_bbq_official

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Rain Report • 레인리포트

If you love rainy days, you’re probably going to love one of the newest addition to Seoul’s unique cafe line-up this year, the Rain Report (레인리포트). Offering a perpetual once every 15-minutes rain all day long, this rain-themed cafe gives patrons an immersive experience of sipping coffee during a rainy day. The unique concept certainly becomes their biggest selling point, especially with the possibility of snapping a picture with an umbrella under the rain, just like one of those scenes in K-dramas. Some would say it’s quite romantic, don’t you think?

Combined that with a wide selections of coffee, unique desserts and ample seatings inside the cafe, it’s not surprising that soon after, this cafe went viral and became one of the most popular newly-opened cafes in Seoul with patrons lining up for a seat during the weekends.

My visit to this cafe was two months after their soft opening in April and one week after its grand opening in June. After seeing many clips of this place that were constantly popping up on my feed and DMs from my followers to check this place out, my interest was definitely piqued. And so I went to check out the Rain Report.

After walking up and down steep roads leading to the cafe, I finally arrived at their flagship location that’s nestled in the middle of a residential area in Itaewon. Tall black fence gates greeted me with a flap display alternating between their logo and weather forecast icons on the board. I walked up the black stairs lined with bamboo trees and soon find the entrance to the building.

First thing that I saw when I walked in was the big LCD screen displaying the weather forecast. Next to it is an umbrella holder that holds multiple clear umbrellas with black handle on top of it. I soon found out that the cafe actually provides these umbrellas for visiting patrons, in case you want to take a picture under the rain with them. Very convenient.

The door next to the umbrella holders leads to the most Instagrammable spot in this place, the rain area. This is where the once in every 15-minutes rain will happen and you can line up for your turn to take a photo under the rain with the clear umbrella. Also worth noting, since there’s usually a line, when you’re taking a photo on this spot, the people lining up as well as those who are sitting inside the cafe will be your audience (which might be a little awkward for people like me). The spot also gets pretty wet after a while, so you might want to be careful if you’re bringing cameras or tripods. Probably best if you have somebody take a picture for you so it’s quicker.

The indoor area is decorated with black sleek modern interior with multiple screens playing rain clips and more flap displays with graphics, reminiscent of a newsroom setup. There are two floors with a tower of monitors hanging down from the high ceiling in the middle of the room, water trickling down at the bottom of it creating the sound of rain drops.

The first floor seating consists of the middle lobby-like area that is facing the photo spot and the coffee bar area at the far end side of the room. Second floor has more seating with semi-private sections with sofas and lounge chairs. The noise level in this place is moderate to high when I was there since it was quite busy despite the fact that I went there on a weekday. It did get a bit loud for me when the place was more crowded later in the afternoon because everybody was talking all at the same time.

On the dessert table, there are various financiers on display with unique flavors like Squid Ink, Amarena Cherry, Fig Wine, Triple Cheese, Maple Bacon, Basil, Kaya Coconut, and Almond Pistachio. I think this was also my first time seeing long rectangular and savory financiers so it’s very interesting. I ended up trying 5 of the financiers—the Squid Ink, Fig Wine, Maple Bacon, Basil, and Almond Pistachio. Taste wise, they’re all very interesting and taste distinctly different from each other. I quite like them all, except for the Squid Ink (there’s a bit of that fishy taste that I personally am not quite fond of). Texture wise, they’re all a bit hard and dry for my personal preference. Part of it is maybe because they’re all displayed out in the open so they’re not as moist? But overall, they’re still okay for me.

For their cake selections, they have a wide variety of very pretty cakes displayed inside the cooler:

STORM - Mont Blanc 몽블랑
RAIN DROP - Green Grape 그린 그레이프
SUNNY DAY - Strawberry Souffle 딸기 치즈수플레
CLOUD - Deep Black/Black Cloud 블랙 클라우드
WIND - Opera 오페라
SUNSHINE - Mango Tiramisu 망고 티라미수

(Also, love that they stick to the overall concept of weather for the naming of the cake.)

The price for each cake ranges from ₩12,000 (≈$9) to ₩16,000 (≈$12). The portion is quite big so I think you can probably share one cake between two people. They also have a Coffee & Dessert Pairing Omakase (커피 & 디저트 페어링 오마카세) for ₩38,000 (≈$29).

I really wanted to try the Cloud, but when I got there they were out of stock. I even came back again later that evening to see if they have a new batch but it’s out of stock again. So in the end, I didn’t get to try the cake. Maybe next time.

For the drink, the limited non-coffee options was a bit of a let down for me. I ordered the Sunny Day (써니데이) (honestly just ‘cause it’s the most visually attractive and I didn’t feel like drinking chocolate or tea) and it tasted like orange juice and soda.

Overall, I enjoyed my visit to this place. Love the whole concept, branding, design and the attention to details they put into the graphics they use around the space as well as their social media posts (the product photography on their IG feed is super nice by the way). For me, it is one of those places that I go to more for the interior and the vibe rather than the desserts and drinks (although I might change my mind if their cakes are really good. We’ll see if I get to try them in the future. Or maybe their coffee is really good? I wouldn’t know since I don’t drink coffee). Since the place is quite popular and has went viral, if you’re looking for a chill, quite place to hang out at, this might not be the right choice for you (at least for now since the place just opened). Or maybe go visit during the weekdays to try to avoid the lines and the crowds.

 

Rain Report • 레인리포트

Address:서울 용산구 소월로40길 85 1, 2층
Telephone: 0507-1360-4302
Hours: Everyday 11:00-21:30

Instagram: @rainreport_official

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Cafe Alt • 알트

If you’re looking for vegan desserts or gluten-free cakes in Seoul, Cafe Alt (알트) is one of the places you can check out. Located in Yeon-hui dong (연희동), the fairly spacious cafe that just opened November last year offers various vegan and gluten-free desserts ranging from scones, canelé, cakes, to greek yogurt ball, as well as selections of coffee and non-coffee menu.

They have the desserts and cakes available on display so you can see what they look like before ordering. Some of their newest additions to the menu are the Basil Tomato Scone (바질 토마토 스콘) and Corn Jalapeño Scone (옥수수 할라피뇨 스콘). They also have Earl Grey Canelé, Apple Crumble, Remington Cake, Chocolate Mud Cake, and Brick Cake. Other unique menus that they have are the Greek Yogurt Ball and Tofu Sweet Potato Cake.

The highlight of my visit was their Rooibos Milk Tea (루이보스 밀크티). As you all know, I’m always on the hunt for a good milk tea and this one didn’t disappoint. The milk tea was really fragrant, the Rooibos cream on top was a nice addition and overall, it hit the right level of sweetness. Definitely will come back again for their Rooibos Milk Tea.

For dessert, I tried their gluten-free Brick Cake (브릭 케이크) which has fresh fruits inside (I mainly tasted strawberry though when I tried it). Since I haven’t eaten a lot of gluten-free cake, I don’t think I can make a fair judgement on how good this cake is. For me, it was just okay. Not bad, but also not something that I would order again (just because I prefer sweet cakes than fruity/sour ones).

I visited this cafe on a Saturday afternoon and it wasn’t too busy. I’d say the noise level was in the medium range since the place did get a little loud when there was a group of people chatting. But overall, it’s still comfortable enough for me to talk with my friends.

Other additional info that might be helpful, for customized cake, you have to place your order at least 3 days before the pick-up date and they don’t accept cake orders on Tuesdays.

 

Cafe Alt • 알트

Address: 서울 서대문구 연희로 122 경교빌딩 1층 104호, 105호
Telephone: 0507-1349-6021
Hours: Monday-Friday 10:00-20:00 | Saturday & Sunday 10:00-21:00

Instagram: @cafe.alt

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Gilli Noodle Bar • 연남동질리

Gilli Noodle Bar (연남동질리) is a small restaurant located in the basement of a building in Yeonnam-dong (연남동). Their menu consisted mainly of pasta and risotto selections with other Italian and Spanish special dishes listed on the menu.

I visited this place by chance when I was exploring Yeonnam-dong and looking for a place that’s still open to have a late lunch at. Their standing banner on the side of the street was what caught my attention at first. The photos of the food look pretty good so I decided to give the restaurant a try. The place itself is not too big. Seating is probably good for about 12 to 15 people with an open kitchen occupying most of the space giving you a view to the chef in action.

I ordered one of their best selling menu, the Vongole (봉걸레) and it came out not too long after I placed the order. The pasta was served al dente with generous amount of manila clams, garlic, cheese and arugula on top of it. The taste is on the lighter side, but it’s still good. For me, the hero of the dish was the fresh big manila clams. I think this was the first time I’ve had clams these big on a vongole. They were so satisfying. I finished the whole thing and it was a good meal.

 

Gilli Noodle Bar • 연남동질리

Address: 서울 마포구 동교로38길 23 지층 우측
Telephone: 02-6949-5651
Hours: Wednesday-Monday 12:00-21:00 | Closed on Tuesdays

Instagram: @gilli_noodlebar

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