Cafe Breezin

I'm having one of my ideal days, where I lounge at home doing nothing but cuddling my blanket. I haven't had one of these in a while and it feels glorious, like those times where your intense cravings are satisfied. I feel better than ever (even if I still have my cold and sniffle everywhere I go) and I'm ready for tomorrow's busy schedule.

Oh and say hello to the lovely "Family" that will keep me company tonight while I blog and catch up on my TV shows! Ice cream is probably one of the best ways to end a day (and this is why I'm not getting better), multiply that by 5 and put it in a large tub, then voila!

I guess you are wondering why I'm proclaiming the wonders of indoors and ice cream when the entry title is "Cafe Breezin". Well, I will be getting to that.... Now. 

"Coffee solves everything, why so serious? Come inside and enjoy our comfybreezy place. We're ready to spell on your lazy time." I didn't know comfybreezy was one word...

This was a day where I met one of my good friends who I haven't met for the longest time (on a side note, check out her blog here). We had brunch (entry on that coming soon) and were cruising around Samcheongdong, which is one of the most underestimated places in Seoul (more on this soon too).It's your typical "feel good days with friends", but one thing was missing. If you've noticed, we haven't had a crucial part of every meal: desserts. 

Being the adventurous and spontaneous people we  are, we decided to go to a place that first caught our eye. Cafe Breezin is located near the Bukchon Hanok Village and the entrance (picture above) looked promising too, so we decided to give it a try. 

Plus, the waffle pictures on the tarpoulines looked stunning. It was begging to be eaten and that sort of request has to be complied.

The inside of the store was wide and "clean". Forgive my lack of adjectives, but it gave off the image of typical city cafes. Tables were widely spread out and some artworks and decorations were placed here and there. I would recommend this cafe as a place for you to go study or have some "quiet time". Basically, this means that the chairs weren't the "please-stay-here-as-long-as-you-please-and-have-long-quality-conversations" kind (for me at least). 

The orders are taken at the counter and they will give you a buzzer to notify that your drinks are ready. 

Left to Right: 

Chocolate Cheesecake, Red Velvet Cake, Vanilla Latte, Mint Chocolate 

I think it's quite funny that we entered because of the waffles and didn't order any of them... Maybe this was bad choice number 2 of the day.

The menu looks good, right? Well, looks are deceiving. 

The Chocolate Cheesecake was well... it made me discover a whole new texture of cheesecake. I'm a huge fan of cheesecakes that melt in your mouth and have a strong flavour of cheese, and this was the exact opposite. The top part had a jelly-like texture that made me feel as if the cake was made 2 million years weeks ago and the cheese didn't taste like the cheese we all know and love, plus it was sticky. The chocolate layer didn't fare so well too. It was the typical sticky brownie with not enough chocolate. So if you head down here, don't order the cheesecake. I could seriously give a negative number as its rating and that would still not be enough to express the horrors. 

Red Velvet Cake was MARGINALLY better than the cheesecake. The cream cheese and the cake was quite bland; so much for satisfying my red velvet craving. As for the texture, it was well, acceptable, but this is another menu that I would not recommend. I guess this was why most of the people in the cafe only got drinks or waffles. 

As for the drinks, it was definitely Mint Chocolate>Vanilla Latte. The moment my friend tried her Vanilla Latte, she gave it a big "NO". I wish I could have taken a picture of her expression and post it here. That would probably be more convincing, because this is the kind of "NO" that words can't really do justice. My Mint Chocolate on the other hand was well, average. Not exceptional, but... 

Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. 

Lesson learnt today is that there is a reason why proverbs are proverbs. "Don't judge a book by its cover" really struck me today. 

Anyway, I wouldn't recommend Cafe Breezin for quality desserts. However, they have a terrace on the third floor and the interior is modern and neat, so it would be a good place to bring your coursework or any kind of work and just type away on your laptop.

Cafe Breezin:

63-12 Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul

02-722-8120

Cafe Poem

It isn't an understatement that Myeongdong is one of the most popular shopping places in Seoul, especially for tourists. Here, I often feel that I'm traveling because of the various languages I hear on the streets. One minor set back of my Myeongdong experience is the lack of non-franchise cafe. It's not that I'm against getting a drink from places like Coffee Bean from time to time, but it's such a shame to miss the quirkiness that different cafes possess. It's like excavating an unknown jewel, when you find a cafe that not only has good drinks and desserts, but is also decorated tastefully. Honestly, there is nothing that rivals that moment of triumphant discovery. Cafe Poem is a ray of light place I found in pursuit of unique cafes in Myeongdong.

The cafe is composed of two floors and it looks like a very cozy home with trinkets and polaroid pictures hung on walls. It gave off the impression of a home of someone, anyone you are really familiar with.

This is the view from the second floor. You can see the kitchen and the counter very clearly from here. All the better for our scrutiny. Actually, a clever move on their part, because a lot of more people ordered items that were delivered from the kitchen rather than ordering them from the menu.

Orders are served and taken at your tables, so sitting on the second floor terrace (?) is no trouble at all. Besides, it's my very personal, but firm belief that when there's a second floor, you make use of it. So I dragged my friend upstairs.

First, I ordered an Oreo Tok Tok. 

This wonderful concoction is composed of Oreo slush, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, complete with a cherry on top. By the way, eating the cherry is not recommended, unless you want to experience a new paradigm of cherry flavour. So why is there a "Tok Tok" in the name? Well, "tok tok" is a Korean onomatopoeia that is used to express small popping noises. If you look closely, you can see the green candies that are responsible for the "tok tok" of the drink. Overall, it wasn't bad. I wished it tasted more like Oreos rather than a typical milkshake. Oreo Tok Tok was more of a milkshake with Oreos rather than an Oreo milkshake. Does that make sense? 

Before I introduce the dessert, I must say I was already excited for it the moment my order was taken. I was skeptical at first, because the picture looked too good.Warm waffle covered in an abundance of strawberries and whipped cream looked absolutely delightful. However, everything, even the Big Mac looks good in pictures hence the skepticism. I was very wrong though. 

My stomach just started growling like crazy and I'm sure mine's not the only one. Just look at the amount of strawberries on the waffle! It certainly satisfied my expectations. The strawberries were also of good quality. As for the waffles, they make it on the spot, right when you order so it's nice, warm, and fluffy. Apparently, this Strawberry Waffle is one of the most popular menus in Cafe Poem and as someone who tried it, this is not surprising. My friend laughed saying I looked overly excited throughout my whole encounter with the waffle.

So if you need a new dating spot or a place to hangout with friends, why not head to Cafe Poem? You will enjoy the coziness that the cafe provides, especially if you are jaded with the typical interior and menu of franchise cafes.The food is also good, which is always a plus.

Cafe Poem:
54-7 Myeong-dong 2(i)-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul
02-776-5003