My first café visit during my Korea spring trip was to Yeonhui Espresso Bar (opened September 2022), which as its name suggests, is situated in the Yeonhui-dong neighbourhood. Ever since covid eased out, this area has flourished with several cafes and started gaining traction – but it remains pretty much unvisited by tourists which is why I love hanging out here.
Perched on the second floor of a small shophouse, the café features a curved espresso bar counter in a pretty shade of nude pink with windows lined on all sides permitting the space to be bathed in sunlight. With a very limited indoor area, the seats are all outdoors, perfect for the moderate spring weather.
Here’s how to order: pick up a piece of order sheet at the counter and indicate your order with a crayon, then pass it to the barista. You may also add in special requests if you would like. The menu is divided into 2 parts – the first featuring various coffee drinks innovated by the café, such as their Yeonhui Espresso (KRW3600, SGD3.60) which features homemade orange jam and syrup with espresso and cream. The second part is a list of the conventional types of coffee such as Americano and Flat White. There is also an option to substitute to oat milk at KRW1000 (SGD$1).
On my first visit, I had the Oat Espresso (KRW3000, SGD3.06) which had a shot of espresso, sugar, oat milk and cocoa powder added to it. This was a small glass of coffee which explains the price. I liked the oat + espresso ratio and combination but would request for no sugar if I ordered it again.
As I was staying in the area, I conveniently made a second trip down where I had the Crunky Gege (pronounced je-je) (KRW4000, SGD4.08), which was a relatively new creation added to the menu. It is a small cup of Strapazzato, which is a type of coffee originating from Naples, featuring espresso with sugar, cocoa powder and cream stirred together. Of course, the bar of crunky chocolate topped on the cup is a Korean addition. This was akin to a sweet, smooth and creamy espresso-flavoured emulsion. Side note that I loved their cute coffee cup design.
There was just something very healing from sipping coffee while chasing light and shadows, watching the neighbourhood in action, unintentionally eavesdropping on conversations unfolding and thinking about nothing from my seat in the outdoor terrace.
Weekdays 8.30am – 5pm, Weekends 9am – 5pm
128-10 Yeonhui-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul
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.
