Hongdae cafe hunting

Hongdae is a charm on its own.  Strolling out for cafes is one of the joys of Hongdae.  A recent increase in foot traffic around this area has made it less "relaxing" in some sense.  An increase in cars going through the streets has made it less "pedestrian" friendly too.   It was perfect when it was.

These are photos from 2010.
Hongdae was a hidden treasure then.  It's now so "hidden" nowadays~^^ 

vanilla ice cream - Mobsie

Mobsie Cafe - favorite thus far... except.. except...
that scoop of vanilla ice cream was a big disappointment.

 

You can't dare mix good chocolate with a meh ice cream... :(
It tasted too icy and not vanilla enough.
Something creamier would have better suited the hot chocolate.   
Until next time~

Cats in a cafe - Hongdae

We stumbled upon this interesting cafe while walking through Hapjeong station.  The area around the station is known for smaller cafes.  This was located on the second floor.  I don't know how it lured us in since it wasn't too eye catching or "cute looking" from the outside.  But we saw that the cafe logo was of a cat.  And we're suckers for cats ;)  So we decided to go for an adventure.  And it was!

 

Hongdae on a fall day

Around Hapjeong(station) of Hongdae area.  It's a very easy pleasant walk along the back streets and alley ways.  Don't be afraid to get lost, more like be prepared to get "lost" because you will come across a "gem" of your own~^^  

I love walking around Hongdae. It's almost meditative.  I enjoy how one street will look different from the month before... The area is definitely changing on its own.  Seeing an area "grow" over months and years is pretty intriguing.  Hapjeong station being one of the area that suddenly grew into another "cafe street" in less than a year.  It's like watching a child grow and flourish :P

bitter sweet 9 - chocolate shop in Hongdae

at hapjeong, we were wandering around and stumbled across this small chocolate shop... couldnt just pass through it, look how cute it is outside. it was hidden around a corner in a more residential street...



i got shy around wanting to sneak a peek at the small shop.. ^^ but glad we went it bc we found the best hot chocolate~~

kaldi coffee house (Hongdae)

kaldi coffee house in hongdae roast their coffee over charcoal..

this "special" coffee of the month/day/week (i dont know) was unique! it tasted like chocolate.. dark chocolate.. very dark and deep..








iced coffee also tasted like chocolate? whisker says^^

beattie previee (hapjeong)

one summer day in a cafe in hapjeong

pet cafe in hongdae (cats & dogs)

pet cafe in hongdae earlier this week. mainly dogs really and one precious baby cat among all of them, precious..really precious.. :)



 and the dogs were just so beautiful!

Cacao Boom - chocolatier cafe in Hongdae

"cacao boom" - a famous chocolatier runs this exquisite chocolate shop in hongdae.

LAZY CAT cafe - Hongdae

who knew HAPJEONG had cute cafes?!! :)

































here's a cafe called LAZY CAT~

tora b - cutest cafe in Hongdae

tora b~~~ i heard a lot of good stuff about this cafe in hongdae~ and yes, it's in that alley way where all the cafes are hidden^^ i had to check this lil spot out~ it looks so dainty from outside.



it's packed with so much goodies once you go in~ from the cute white interior and "cute nature" theme to it.. i likely~ having a near perfect day to enjoy the weather, we decided to ditch the seatings inside and sat down on the table outside.


(perfect view to enjoy the scene out without getting sun burned^^)

M'amie dessert & cafe (Hongdae)

there's a street in hongdae that i just love.. if you told me to live there for the rest of my life.. i would. it's this little street that's lined up with cafes of all sorts.. even with quite a few visits, we still haven't conquered half of it, not close at all.





























so finding this little treasure called MAMIE was kind of magical to say the least.

it was really right there all along.. and kind of like finding love where you never expected... love at first sight more like.




going in this magical place was pretty memorable. i remember walking in seeing happy faces with pastry goods on their table... and the smell of chocolate and pastry.. it's mesmerizing.. i am forever addicted to this scent..



we were seated in a big table next to the window and next to a kind of annoying couple, but awkward more like. it's always fun watching people, especially couples interact, so there we had our entertainment for the night.

tora-b (cafe in Hapjeong-Hongdae)

tora-b is just a little baby bear. tucked away, not so visibile for the world to see, you gotta be careful. this place could be easily missed with the blink of an eye.

but as we've all heard, size isn't everything.

little odds & ends for sale;; cute little dessert forks and such;; cat things;;; all of that jazz. and i also thoroughly enjoyed tora-b due to its support for local art. always a plus.

bom nal (cafe in Hongdae)

spring day...

most would think this cafe's name would be quite fitting for this time of year;;; but in all honesty, the calendar is telling us to "think spring", but the weather is telling us different. although winter has been in and out the back door a handful of times this year, i'm hoping that it has said farewell for good. or at least until it's that time of year i'm wishing for a white christmas...

this meatless sandwich was mmm-MMM gooood~i can never go wrong with mozzarella cheese.

chocolat chocolate i love you - Mobssie cafe

you know you're obsessed with chocolate when you __________________.



so we ended up in hongdae to fulfill our chocolate madness after being in the same block 2 days ago... too much? well, until you try these you'll probably understand why.. ^^



started with this favorite of ours from MOBSSIE,



and ended the night with this yummy concoction... (from a cafe just few block down from mobssie - more photos soon about this new cafe!)




chocolate & more... :)

B1 floor (Hongdae cafe) - sandwiches & more

the sandwiches were satisfying~
a little of this, a little of that...
some black olives, spinach, mozzarella cheese, balsamic vinegar..




although we quickly snuck into the first available shelter to avoid the heavy snow that was dumping on us, it ended up being a pleasant little gem.

cafe at home (sangsu station)

ahhh, the title says it all. this was back in the day when we still had a cafe search party of three. always missing yean, and all of the liveliness she brought to the atmosphere.

cafes can never go wrong with books. (but this is coming out of the mouth of a non-korean speaking gal who can kill 3 hours in a korean bookstore.) i found the unorganized bookshelves crammed with a plethora of genres & languages to be... absolutely delightful.

la main douce - cafe in Hongdae

any seoul cafe critic, whether an absolute beginner or a top of the line pro, is well aware that the "paris" theme in this country is taken over the top. paris? really? totally overrated in my opinion. and this is a place of that exact theme. but.. theme isn't everything, right? absolutely not. the stenciled-on kitchen utensils were my favorite part of the entire cafe. the map of paris? not so much.

this place was nice and small~making it cozy and comfortable. and i mustn't fail to mention that the door on this place exceeds the size of my entire apartment. it was huge! our sweet eats of choice were definitely a success.

perfect ooze of chocolat @ MOBSSIE (몹시) in Hongdae

"my partner in cafe" and I went to our wkday cafe hunt in Hongdae!

we decided to finally try that "chocolate place"! as we'd call it^^

The very first time we sneaked inside, it was a full house..

a cozy lil cute cafe packed with small groups..with chocolate goodness on their tables...mmm... HAVE TO GO IN..

we were put in a waiting list~ and declined to wait.. bc
we were either too hungry/cold/"in need of sweets RIGHT NOW!"..
so we decided on another day~

...


so we gave it a second chance few wks later.

and again a waiting list! IT HAD TO BE THAT GOOD?!!

we left our # and got a call within 10 or so and seated
waiting for our perfect chocolat goodness!

i dont remember the "official names" in french.. yes terrible of me :(

in English terms, they were "hot chocolate" and "chocolate lava cake"

we both got those two.. so 4 items total ;) and the waiter made sure we were getting that much..

oh how so greedy of us :P

we were definitely going to indulge in some major chocolate goodness... :)

TADA!!..


it was soooo goood.....

i was too occupied savoring each bite and licks to even bother taking any pics of the oozing chocolat.


quite addicting really.

definitely waiting list worthy :)



LOCATION: HONGDAE station, exit 5 (along an alley way)

ATMOSPHERE: small small place. tables are so close enough for eaves dropping :P cozy and can get cramped if not used to small places. enjoy it for the food~ i think it was all worth it.