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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Brady's Coffee Bar • 브래디네 커피바

Brady's Coffee Bar (브래디네 커피바) is a charming little cafe that’s located in the neighborhood of Yeonnam-dong (연남동) that has been gaining popularity these day. The interior of the cafe is decorated with wooden furnitures that give an overall rustic vibe to the place with some corners looking like something that came straight out of a still life painting.

The cafe has two floors with high ceiling which each is separated into a lower and upper sections, giving visitors more seating options. The first floor is where the coffee bar and kitchen are and the place where you place your order.

On the side of the building, there’s a long stairs that leads up to the second floor of the cafe which accommodates a little more seatings compared to the first floor.

I ordered the Strawberry Latte and my friend ordered the Guava & Orange Ade for the drinks. The Guava & Orange Ade is refreshing while the Strawberry Latte is more on the milky side. I personally am not a fan of strawberries since I don’t really like sour drinks, but their Strawberry Latte is not as sour as I imagined it to be. I think it has the right amount of sourness to it but the overall taste is still sweet. I kinda like it actually. It was pretty good.

We also tried their Salty Butter Bread & Kamiak, a unique menu that we both never heard of. It comes with one salty butter bread, kaimak, and slices of apple. According to Google, Kaimak (Kaymak) is a creamy dairy food similar to clotted cream that is made from the milk of water buffalo, cows, sheep, or goats. On the Brady’s menu, they wrote that their kaimak is savory milk flavored cream.

Their salty butter bread has a more crunchy crust on the outside with softer texture on the inside. We cut the bread into smaller pieces and spread the kamiak on top of it. The first bite was heavenly. The bread was good, and eating it with the kamiak was even better. It tasted sweet (but not too sweet) and savory at the same time. I really like it. The second piece that I tried, I added in the honey that’s poured around the kamiak and it was a tad too sweet for me. It’s still good, but I think I can do without the honey and just eat the bread with the kamiak. Definitely recommend this menu to try if you ever come to Brady’s Coffee Bar.

Right before I was about to leave, the cloudy sky outside turned sunny and the sunlight was coming through the window, lighting this corner of the cafe beautifully. The light and shadow were really pretty and once again it reminded me of a still life painting. If you want to take a photo on this spot, make sure to check out their second floor.

 

Brady’s Coffee Bar • 브래디네 커피바

Address: 서울 마포구 성미산로23안길 23 1층, 2층
Telephone: 010-4947-4729
Hours: 11:00-19:00 (Wednesday to Sunday) | Closed on Mondays & Tuesdays

Instagram: @bradys_coffeebar

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Not Complete • 낫컴플리트

Stumbled upon Not Complete (낫컴플리트) by chance when I was exploring Hyehwa-dong (혜화동) during one summer day in June. It was quiet when I walked into the spacious cafe on the second story of a building in one of the alleyways in Hyehwa. The place was brightly lit by the natural lighting that shines through the windows surrounding the space and soft jazz music was playing in the background.

It was the cafe’s third week of soft opening so the place was pretty much brand new. First thing that came to mind after I sat down was this is a perfect place to read a book, do some work or to catch up with friends because, other than the occasional sound of the coffee machine brewing or water running from the kitchen, the noise level in this space is perfect for me who doesn’t really like noisy places. The cafe also have a good selections of coffee and non-coffee options as well as dessert and pastries on the menu. If you’re looking for a quiet cafe around Hyehwa area, this place is definitely worth to check out.

 

Not Complete • 낫컴플리트

Address: 서울 종로구 성균관로 12-5 1층 2층
Hours: Monday to Saturday 12:00-21:00. Closed on Sundays.

Instagram: @notcmplt

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Cafe Aalto by Meal Do • 카페알토 바이 밀도

Cafe Aalto by Meal Do (카페알토 바이 밀도) is the first artist collaborative project by Meal Do (밀도), a popular bakery that is well-known for their cube breads and loaf. The name of the cafe itself is inspired by Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto, a world-renowned Finnish architect and designer whose works include architecture, furniture, textiles, glassware, as well as sculptures and paintings. The interior of the cafe is designed by Teoyang Studio and heavily inspired by Aalto’s works.

“We wanted to share Alvar Aalto's inspirations and preferences through out the cafe. Birch wood veneer louvered wall which resemble the birch forest and the gold mirrored ceiling which reflects the users like the lakes in Finland. Even the soft tone of the indirect lighting in the space came from the use of sunlight in Alvar Aalto's architecture.” —Teoyang Studio

“Teoyang Studio has installed thinly slatted birch screens that frame a deep-set cut-out ceiling to recall Aalto’s Savoy Vase, whilst diners perch stylishly on the iconic Stool 60 and Chair 66.” —Wallpaper.com

I actually really enjoyed my visit to this place. The interior of the spacious cafe is impressive, the atmosphere is relaxing, plenty of tables and chairs for you to do some work if you opted to do so, and this location feels very different than Meal Do’s other locations that are usually smaller. The cafe is actually located inside Amore Pacific Headquarters Building (아모레퍼시픽본사빌딩) so there are other stores that you can visit while you’re there.

 

Cafe Aalto by Meal Do • 카페알토 바이 밀도

Address: 서울 용산구 한강대로 100 지하 1층
Telephone: 0507-1479-5052
Hours: Weekdays 08:30-20:00 | Weekends 10:00-20:00

Instagram: @cafeaalto.bymealdo

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