A few strides away from the ever-bustling Tosokchon Samgyetang (famous ginseng chicken soup) was a nondescript building which houses a tea café, Nest. From the main entrance of the building facing the main road, take the lift to the 5th floor and you would expect to see the café right in front as you step out.
Minimalistic in design, the café boasted exposed ceilings, a mix of wooden brown and white chairs and tables and silver counters and display cabinets. Large window panels lined the café and provided patrons a view of the neighbouring Seochon Hanok Village with Bukhansan (Mount Bukhan) in the background.
Towards the far end of the café, there was a retail corner that is delicately designed like a showroom, where you can get things like condiments, trays or even postcards.
The café operated on a self-service basis, where ordering and picking up of food was done at the counter. Specialising in tea, the menu had various teas, both caffeinated and caffeine-free which I had a hard time choosing from. Eventually, I went for the Apple Vitamin (KRW5,500 for hot, KRW6,000 for iced). The combination of hibiscus, rose hip, apple and orange made a naturally sweet fruity tea with a slight tartness. If you’re into fruit teas, this would make a great choice.
Food-wise, the dishes on the menu were on the healthier side, with plates like a humus salad and basil chicken sandwich. I chose the most interesting sounding one, which was the Burrata Pea Croissant (KRW14,000). It came with a croissant with ham and cheese filling, and burrata cheese, peas and a grated carrot salad on the side. The flavours were clean and healthy tasting – I had suspicions about the peas at first but they were mildly sweet and went well with the burrata. The price point was also wallet-friendly, considering there was a whole burrata.
For dessert, I picked the Black Sesame Roll (KRW8,000) as a black sesame fan. I enjoyed the mild black sesame flavours of the chiffon and light cream, however I found the chiffon portion slightly dry.
If you’re feeling peckish from touring Gyeongbokgung or in need of drinks after a heavy lunch nearby, this is a hidden café, not crowded with tourists, that you could visit.
21 Jahamun-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul대한민국 서울특별시 종로구 자하문로 21 5층
11am to 10pm daily
Nearest station: Gyeongbokgung station Exit 2
Have you not known about my obsession with all things white? My day-to-day wearables, the places I like to immerse myself in, my photo-editing style of always increasing exposure. For me, it is synonymous to cleanliness, to light, to minimalism. As opposed to the antonymous dirtiness, darkness and clutter. Three words that put my mind to unrest, that sometimes put me in fear.
In consistency with my white obsession, I therefore like daytime – mornings, especially. Mornings where the sun is unobstructed in a cloudless sea, where the most part of my room is naturally lit up through translucent curtains, where light and shadows are juxtaposed appropriately for a photo. Such mornings are days where I gain more drive and inspiration to live more fulfilling-ly (moment of shock as I realise that this word does not exist).
On such mornings, there are a few options:
Recently, one of such mornings was spent at Apartment Coffee. It was my third time at the white-washed, minimally-themed coffee house since its opening in late 2018. On usual afternoons, the space is packed comfortably with customers and conversations spill across everywhere. All the more I have to be pressed to reach as early as possible, best if at 9am when the closed sign is flipped.
Like the previous two visits, I had perched myself on the wooden high stool for the coffee bar counter and called for my usual order of White. I am always fond of the smoothly textured milk + espresso here, though those who prefer very strong and robust flavours may not. One day I will get the filter. Oh, no takeaways here unless you bring your own tumbler.
Whilst waiting for my coffee, I would swoop up my phone and camera for a good round of photo-taking. This time a few people got caught in my photos, for I arrived an hour past 9.
Interior-wise, I dare say this space is my best-loved. The white walls, ceaseless coffee bar, brown wooden stools and tables and large windows put together remind me of Scandinavian design. Due to its location and windows, sunlight enters and leaves, creating brief moments of contrasting light and shadows that I so love to admire.
Despite gloominess from that global health situation which I will not go on to elaborate on, the first quarter of 2020 has seen a pretty fair boom in new cafes in Singapore. This is after a lull in the previous 2 years that had more than slightly depleted my usual excitement in café-hopping.
Opened last November without much fanfare is Double Up Coffee, located along Jalan Klapa in an enclave that houses several other well-known cafes. Just recently, it started to gain attention from social media postings.
Stepping through the glass doors, I was first greeted by the concrete coffee counter, followed by another sitting area furnished with small stools and tables. The minimalist concrete-themed setting was predominant.
Small and simple, the menu is has 3 sections – Business (i.e. coffee), Pleasure (i.e. non-coffee) and Chow (i.e. pastries). Having always been more of an espresso person (vs. filter), I opted for the Spro with Soy Milk ($5.50), while my friend got herself the Iced Spro with Milk ($6). Spro here refers to espresso. Though my soy espresso was a tad limp, I loved the iced espresso with milk for its smoothness and non-acidic aftertaste. I later found out that beans here are sourced from Bearded Bella.
The sole pastry available that day was the Blueberry Crust ($5.50), which I thoroughly enjoyed for its lightness and flakiness.
Rather than a comfortable spot to do “work from home” whilst sipping caffeine, I see this spot as one where I can hold light conversations and, from time to time, empty my mind and daydream.
Foodography: A Singapore Food Blog 