My Blood Type Is Coffee • 마이블러드타입이즈커피

Asking for your blood type is a fairly common thing that happens in Korea for someone to get to know you because it’s closely associated with your personality. But have you ever associated your blood type with coffee? A cafe in Yeonnam-dong (연남동) does exactly that with their coffee. My Blood Type Is Coffee (마이블러드타입이즈커피) offers a range of coffee blend that are inspired by the blood type personalities. On top of selling coffee they also also sell a variety of cute stationery that are designed in-house following the theme of their cafe’s name. 

What’s unique about this place is that you can customize your own coffee blend from the available bean options that they have in store. After you’ve picked your beans, they’ll brew a cup for you and give the rest of the beans in a tin can for you to take home. You can also request to grind your own beans at the cafe with the machine available at the coffee bar (reservation might be required).

Menu

Type A 룽고 (Rungo) ₩5,500
그윽하고 여운이 오래가는 젠틀한커피.
A gentle coffee that lasts for a long time.
예멘 모카 하라즈 자디 피베리 내추럴
Yemen Mokha Haraaz Jadi Peaberry Natural.

Type B 리또 (Ritto) ₩6,000
꽃과 과일 맛이 나는 귀엽고 매력적인 커피.
Cute and charming coffee with flower and fruit flavors
에티오피아 아바야 게이샤 G1 내추럴.
Ethiopia Abaya Geisha G1 Natural.

Type O 머핀 (Muffin) ₩5,500
다양한 개성이 느껴지는 천방지축한 커피.
A generous cup of coffee with a variety of personalities.
멕시코 핀카 라스 치차라스 마라고지페 워시드.
Mexico Finca Las Chicharras Washed.

Type AB 망키 (Monkey) ₩6,500
호기심을 불러 일으키는 시나몬롤 맛 커피.
Cinnamon roll-flavored coffee that arouses curiosity.
코스타리카 코르디예라 데 푸에고 아나에어로빅.
Costa Rica Cordillera de Fuego Anaerobic.

Type C 코히 (Kohi) ₩5,000
아메리카노에 지쳤다면 균형있는 블렌드 커피.
If you're tired of americano, it's a balanced blend coffee.
브라질 + 예멘 + 에티오피이
Brazil + Yemen + Ethiopia

Type S 스트로베리 캔디 (Strawberry Candy) ₩6,500
딸기쥬스 드실래요? 딸기 향 가득한 블렌드 커피.
Would you like some strawberry juice? Blend coffee full of strawberry flavors.
콜룸비아 + 에티오피아
Columbia + Ethiopia

Type D 드리밍 (Dreaming) ₩5,500
디카페인같지 않은 디카페인 커피.
Decaffeinated coffee that doesn’t look like decaffeinated coffee.
콜룸비아 후일라 디카페인 슈프레모 슈가 게인.
Colombia Huila Decaffeinated Supremo Sugar Gain

딸기 에이드 (Strawberry Ade) ₩6,000
청량하고 가벼운 맛의 귀여운 에이드. 
Cute strawberry ade with a refreshing and light taste.

누구가 만들 수 있는 My Blender (Custom Blend 80g) ₩12,500
4종류의 원두 중 3가지 원두를 내 맘대로 섞어 나만의 블렌드 커피를 만들 수 있습니다.
You can make your own blend coffee by mixing three of the four types of beans (Type A, Type B, Type AB, Type O).
20g 현장 시음 (20g for On-Site Tasting) + 60g 틴케이스 포장 (Tin Case Packaging) = 80g total

Strawberry Ade (딸기 에이드) ₩6,000 | 8/10

Since I don’t drink coffee, I ordered their Strawberry Ade. Just like the description on their menu, it’s light and refreshing. I actually quite like it because it’s not too sour.

 

My Blood Type Is Coffee • 마이블러드타입이즈커피

Address: 서울 마포구 동교로52길 20-4 1층 101호
Telephone: 010-6447-0717
Hours: Tues - Fri 12:00-19:00

Instagram: @mybloodtypeiscoffee.official

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Eun & Jeong Myeongdong Dak Galbi • 은앤정명동닭갈비

I went to Eun & Jeong Myeongdong Dak Galbi (은앤정명동닭갈비) because a friend of mine who’s staying around Myeong-dong are was craving Dak Galbi (닭갈비). Did some quick research on Naver before finally decided to come here and try the place since I never been before.

The restaurant is located on the second floor and I almost missed the entrance when looking for it honestly. But the easiest way is to look for their red and blue chicken logo on the signage above the entrance and walk up the stairs leading up to the restaurant. The place is pretty spacious with a good number of tables available and they provide tourist-friendly menu books with simple translations so you can easily order even if you can’t speak Korean. Just like any other Dak Galbi restaurant in Korea, the Dak Galbi menu requires a minimum order of 2 servings and this rule also applies to other dishes that they serve in the big pan (see the menu pictures below for details).

Cheese Dak Galbi (치즈 닭갈비) ₩26,000 (2 portion) | 7.5/10

We ordered the Cheese Dak Galbi and it was okay. The chicken was juicy and tender. The sauce was good. The portion was definitely sufficient for two people (we were stuffed by the end of the meal) but we did add ramyeon to our Dak Galbi. They also have the fried rice option which we ordered at the end of the meal and it was alright.

If you are looking for a Dak Galbi restaurant around Myeong-dong and want to try something other than Yoogane, I think this place is worth trying. They serve a solid Dak Galbi and foreigner friendly if you’re visiting Seoul.

 

Eun & Jeong Myeongdong Dak Galbi • 은앤정명동닭갈비

Address: 서울 중구 명동7길 19 2층
Telephone: 0507-1444-1988
Hours: Everyday 11:00-22:00

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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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