[Seoul] Le Cafe

Categories seoul
[Seoul] Le Cafe

Le Cafe

Add: 651-8 Sinsa hanuisol 1F, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 서울 강남구 신사동 651-8 하늬솔 빌딩 1층
Tel: 02-544-3700
Hours: 11:30am-12:am
Price: [dinner] 14,000~16,000 won [brunch] 15,000~17,000 won [dessert] 6,500~11,000 won
Visited: Nov 2011

Within walking distance from Sinsa-dong is Apgujeong, another sleek and stylish neighborhood filled with upscale boutiques, shops, cafes, and restaurants. As we made our way over to Le Cafe for a friend’s birthday dinner, we stumbled upon quite a few chic spots, all very picture-worthy. It’s too bad that I never had a chance to come back here during the day before leaving Seoul – I’ll have to save this for my next trip.

Here’s Gorilla in the Kitchen, a popular restaurant owned by Korean celebrity Bae Yong-Joon 裴勇俊 (a.k.a. Yon-sama).

Paul Smith.

Across from Marc Jacobs is our dinner venue: Le Cafe.

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[Seoul] Beans Bins Coffee

Categories seoul
[Seoul] Beans Bins Coffee

Beans Bins Coffee

Add: 62-26, Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea / 62-26 삼청점 서울특별시
Tel: 02-736-7799
Hours: 11am-11pm
Website: www.beansbins.com
Price: [waffles] 10,000~15,000 won [drinks] 4,000~5,500 won
Visited: Nov 2011

Beans Bins Coffee is a wildly popular local cafe chain in Seoul. I’ve passed by its Samcheong-dong branch during my last visit back in May 2010 and even snapped a picture of it without being aware of its fame. A year and half later, I’m back at the shop.

The signature item at Beans Bins is their Ice-Cream Waffle (11,500 won), a waffle topped with scoops of Häagen Dazs strawberry and green tea ice-cream, whipped cream, fresh fruits, drizzled with chocolate sauce and dusted with powdered sugar. I expected to be disappointed – I mean, it can’t possibly live up to its hype, right?  But the waffle was, to my pleasant surprise, very satisfying! Golden brown and crispy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside (with chopped walnuts in the batter to add crunch), and when accompanied by a bit of ice-cream and whipped cream…Yum.

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[Seoul] Cafe 5CIJUNG

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[Seoul] Cafe 5CIJUNG

Cafe 5CIJUNG

Add: 525-11 Sinsa-dong, Gangham-gu, Seoul, South Korea 서울시 강남구 신사동 525-11 1F
Tel: 02-512-6508
Hours: 11:30am-11pm
Website: www.5cijung.com
Price: [drinks] 6,500~10,000 won

I was bedazzled by the amount of chic cafes in Garosugil, fortunately my local friends made it easy by taking me to one of their favorites spots in the area. Cafe 5CIJUNG is a cozy little place with a lush green outdoor patio and a warm interior adorned with wooden furniture and cute knickknacks. It’s located on a side road branching off the main Garosugil path, so be sure to google map before heading over.

After a very short wait, we were seated near the window.

One of the most popular items at Cafe 5CIJUNG is Soft Persimmon (9,000 won), a very light and health-tasting blend of frozen persimmon and yogurt.

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[Beijing] NOLA

Categories beijing
[Beijing] NOLA

NOLA

Add: A-11 Xiushui Street South / 建国门外秀水南街11号
Tel: 8563 6215
Hours: [Mon-Fri] 8am-11pm [Sat-Sun] 10am-11pm
Website: nolacafe.com.cn
Price: [drinks] 20~40 RMB [desserts] 30~40 RMB
Visited: Nov 2011

This New Orleans-style cafe has received some very negative reviews online, but I was more than happy with its laid-back ambience and ultra comfortable couches during the few hours I lingered there. I can’t tell you much about the food (New Orleans classics like gumbo z’herbes, po’ boys and beignets) since we only had coffee and desserts (decent and decent), but the lush second floor patio is quite an attraction in itself, especially to those who are undeterred by the chilly Beijing air.

We settled down on the 2nd floor and ordered ourselves some coffee and a S’mores Chocolate Cake (33 RMB).  Chocolate cake, graham cracker, toasted marshmallow, and a scoop of pistachio ice-cream – happily consumed.

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[Beijing] The Opposite House

Categories beijing
[Beijing] The Opposite House

The Opposite House

Add: Bldg 1, Sanlitun Village North, 11 Sanlitun Lu 三里屯路11号三里屯Village北区1号楼
Tel: 6417 6688
Website: www.theoppositehouse.com
Visited: Nov 2011

The Opposite House in Beijing Sanlitun, along with The Upper House (home to Cafe Grey Deluxe) in Hong Kong, is part of Swire Hotels‘ house collections. It’s designed by world-famous Kengo Kuma (隈 研吾), and yes, it is high on style. A unique feature of the hotel is that its lobby serves as an exhibition space – here are some snapshots:



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[Taipei] Dazzling Cafe

Categories taipei
[Taipei] Dazzling Cafe

Dazzling Cafe 蜜糖土司專賣店

Add: No 11 Alley 7 Lane 205 Section 4 Zhong Xiao Dun Hua Rd, Taipei 台北市忠孝東路四段205巷7弄11號1樓
Tel: (02) 8773 9238
Hours: [Sun-Thu] 12-11pm [Fri-Sat] 12pm-12am
Website: cafe.dazzlingdazzling.com
Price: 200~380 NTD/honey toast, 140~160 NTD/drink
Visited: Oct 2011

Dazzling Cafe, a honey toast specialty cafe/restaurant in Taipei, has been wildly popular since its opening in March 2010. Let me just define the phrase “wildly popular” for the purpose of this post – during Dazzling’s prime time, it’s literally impossible to get a reservation because the phone line is always occupied by obsessed callers, and if you try your luck as a walk-in guest – well, be prepared for a 3-hour wait before you get seated. I wouldn’t ever go through with the hassle of getting a seat here, and was lucky (or not?) that a friend got a table through connections. Let’s see what the fuss is about.

We ordered two honey toasts to share: Chocolate Fondue Honey Toast (380 NTD) and Strawberry Lover Honey Toast (250 NTD). These were such disappointments compared to the amazing honey toast I’ve had at Organ, which was nothing short of a fluffy loaf of heaven on the plate. The versions at Dazzling Cafe were dry, bland, and sad.

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[Taipei] Shaburi 紗舞縭極品集

Categories taipei
[Taipei] Shaburi 紗舞縭極品集

Shaburi 紗舞縭極品集

Add: 21, Lane 270, Dunhua South Rd Section 1, Taipei 台北市敦化南路一段270巷21號
Tel: (02) 8771 5548
Hours: 11:30am-10:30pm
Website: www.shaburi.com.tw
Price: 1,000~1,500 NTD/person
Visited: Oct 2011

Please note that this is an arranged tasting.

Not much needs to be explained about Shaburi 紗舞縭極品集, the pictures say it all. Apologies for the confusion in pricing – I went with a frequent patron of this restaurant who took care of all the ordering, and he switched around some of the sets so I couldn’t get the exact prices.

U.S. Prime Boneless Short Rib 頂級牛小排 (1080 NTD/set, 850 NTD/a la carte) with beautiful marbling. A very happy sight indeed. 

Next, assorted seafood (??? NTD…I’m guessing around 2,500 NTD) so fresh that parts of the platter were still squirming as they arrived at our table. Exciting for some, but perhaps not so ideal for the faint-hearted.

Taiwanese abalone 台灣小活鮑.

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[Taipei] Pekoe

Categories taipei
[Taipei] Pekoe

Pekoe

Add: 7, Ln 295, Dunhua S Rd Sec 1, Taipei 台北市敦化南路一段295巷7號
Tel: (02) 2700 2602
Hours: 11am-8pm
Website: www.yilan.com.tw/html/modules/mymall
Price: 100~200 NTD/drink
Visited: Oct 2011

Pekoe is a delightful cafe/gourmet ingredient store opened by Taiwanese food writer Yeh Yi-lan (葉怡蘭). It’s located in a quiet neighborhood behind Ren-Ai Circle, very close to a poet and Nomura Sushi. What you can find here: Ippodo hojicha, Christine Ferber jams and jellies, Felsina olive oil, Alsace honey, Amedei chocolates, and the likes. It’s a small but cozy place, a good stopover during any time of the day.

Ippodo Hojicha Tea Latte 一保堂奶泡焙茶 (120 NTD).

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[Taipei] Fourplay Cuisine

Categories taipei
[Taipei] Fourplay Cuisine

Fourplay Cuisine

Add: 67 Dongfeng Street, Taipei 台北市大安區東豐街67號
Tel: (02) 2708 3898
Hours: [Mon-Thu] 6pm-1am [Fri-Sat] 6pm-2am
Price: 250~450 NTD/drink
Visited: Oct 2011

I rarely blog about drinks, but the cocktails at Fourplay Cuisine are too fun to not write about. This recently-opened restaurant/lounge has no drinks menu – all you got to do is tell Allen the bartender what flavors you are in the mood of having, and he’ll fix it right up for you. To give you an idea of what to expect at Fourplay, here are a few drinks I tried on my visit. Not too many, just all 14 of them…starting with this lavender mojito (that’s a little tea bag on top).

Ruby heart: herb, strawberry, bitter orange.

Coffee liquor shot, with a marshmallow blazed in Absinthe.

Absinthe + sorghum liquor + honey + unknown fruit + rosemary, tastes surprisingly like white chocolate.

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