Daily Caffeine Fix - Hapjeong / Sinsa-dong, Seoul, South Korea

There are an abundance of cafes in Seoul with only a handful that satisfy my tastebuds with a nice atmosphere. I have narrowed it down to four of my favourite cafes out of the ones I have tried.

Arco Coffee Roasters - Sinsa-Dong

Cafe latte - 5,500 won

Double espresso - 4,500 won

Hands down the best coffee I have had in Seoul, these guys take their coffee seriously. Now go get one!

Check them out [here] or [MAP]

Deniro Coffee Roasters - Hapjeong

A sweet place to have your daily coffee tucked away from the noisy streets of Hapjeong is Deniro coffee roasters. 

Cafe latte - 5,500 won

Double espresso - 5,000 won

Deniro roast their beans onsite for espressos and lattes only. No wonder it tastes so good. 

Fresh brownies made inhouse.

Great coffee accompanied by a pleasant atmosphere. The owner was so lovely he even gave us a free packet of oreos. Love this place!

Check them out [MAP]

Humming Bella Coffee & Bakery -  Hapjeong

A large cafe with two floors of seating and also an outdoor courtyard which is lovely.

Some of the goodies on offer.

Crunky Valhrona - 6,000 won

Such a light and airy chocolate cake witch chunks of crunky chocolate throughout. This cake had so much potential, the flavours were nice but the cake was a little on the dry side which ruined it for me.

Cafe latte - 5,000 won

Double espresso - 4,500 won

Check them out [MAP]

Anthracite Coffee Roasters - Hapjeong

Cafe latte - 6,000 won

Double espresso - 4,000 won

Check put my previous blog post on them [here]

I hope you get your caffeine fix in Seoul.

Betty Jane x

Looks Can Be Deceiving - Decoa Balim - Hongdae, Seoul, South Korea

I walked past this vintage dessert cafe and instantly thought to myself "what a sweet little cafe, I must try!".

As I walked through the door the owner was taking photos of this gorgeous layer cake, I smiled and thought "this place is perfect!". 

What caught my eye was this sweet little number behind the glass window, the strawberry cheese tart. 

It all went downhill from there.

Strawberry cheese tart

Looks can be deceiving, I was not expecting this tart to taste the way it did.

The tart was filled with whipped cream cheese, which I had never had before nor will I ever have again. I was not a fan of the taste and texture of the filling, the more I ate the more sickened I felt. 

If only they had filled the tart with creme patissiere it would have been a total knock out. The tart shell on the other hand I cannot fault, it was nicely cooked and crumbly.

Cafe latte, Iced mocha and strawberry cheese tart.

This is probably the worst latte I have had on my trip to Seoul. As I was sipping on my latte I noticed something nasty in my mouth, it was burnt milk film! There is nothing worse than burnt milk while having my daily coffee.

The iced mocha, had about five ice cubes in it, so it wasn't even cold. We were sitting outside so it just melted and diluted the mocha. 

You can tell how  disappointed in this place I am right? I had such high hopes.

The exterior

From a glance you would think it looks all vintage and shabby. When I actually sat down and looked around, I realised it was just a hodge podge of mismatched old furniture salvaged from a yard sale.

Nothing vintage about this place, random junk lying around and bad coffee!

Seoul seems to have a huge coffee culture, everywhere you turn there is a cafe, finding a good one on the other hand seems to be a mission. I thought I was going to hit a new spot everyday and drink loads of great coffee. 

To my demise I have only been to a handful of decent cafes.

If you'd like to try your luck at dessert roulette, 

check them out [here]

Betty Jane x

Anthracite Coffee Roasters - Hapjeong, Seoul, South Korea

Always a super cool place to have coffee, the building was an old factory which has been converted into a coffee roastery.

Some of the gorgeous treats on offer.

Cinnamon rolls - 5,000 won

Assorted scones - 5,000 won

Panna cotta - 1,500 won

Brownies - 5,000 won

Blueberry tart - 6,000 won

The coffee roasting room, this is where the magic happens.

You can also sit at this conveyor belt to watch and appreciate the aroma of the coffee beans roasting.

Cafe latte - 6,000 won

Double espresso - 4,000 won

Blueberry tart - 6,000 won

This is my second time at Anthracite and the quality of the coffee is consistently superb. Strong, bold coffee with a great choice of baked goodies to have on the side. I would come here more often but it is a little out of the way, it's definitely worth going to time and time again.

This is most probably the best blueberry tart I have ever had! I don't say it often but it was sheer perfection! The pastry was thin and crumbly, the frangipane was soft and moist. All the elements worked in perfect harmony, neither flavour over powered another. This is whats going to keep me coming back. Bliss.

Make sure you don't miss this place when in Seoul, you will be sad if you did.

Check them out [here] or [MAP]

357-6 Hapjeong-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul

Betty Jane x