My Juice, Hongdae

These days, it feels like it's just one wacky thing after another with my body. It's as though all my internal organs have turned on me, in some kind of outlandish conspiracy with the foods I love. Bread leads to yeast infections. Dairy makes me flatulent. Coffee leaves a lovely, unpalatable coating on the back of my tongue... Wah, wah, wah. And all this leads to the sadface question: what's a girl to drink at a cafe if coffee and milk are out?

"Well," you might say, "there's always juice?"

And juice there is!

Enter My Juice, a new-ish cafe chain that has been popping up a lot lately on Korean blogs and various forms of social media. Apart from the obvious appeal of selling freshly squeezed juice, which is healthy, the other attraction (I gather) is that the juice comes served in plastic drink bottles that resemble "My Bottle" (those ones that cost upwards of 30,000 won a pop). These My Juice bottles are recyclable and reusable, and you can take advantage of a nice 500 won discount if you bring yours back to use on your next visit.

Spinach, apple, & pineapple juice, 5,300 won

The procedure to fill your belly with juicy goodness is simple. Choose your bottle size, choose your ingredients (up to three), and pay up.

There's a decent variety of fruit and vegetables available, and for indecisive folks (like me) who go through great ordeals when having to decide on just about anything, the posters with recommended combinations definitely help to take the brain strain out of choosing.

Another nice thing about My Juice is the layout and design of the place. At the branch I visited in Hongdae, the decorations were simple but modern and chic, with splashes of yellow here and there. Gotta love yellow for positive energy vibes!

Another shot of My Juice. (Hah! See what I did there?)

As for the juice itself... It was tasty but a bit too sweet. I'm not sure if it's because of the ingredients I chose, or if they perhaps add in "natural fruit syrup", as a lot of places seem to do (like Beesket). Maybe next time, I'll opt for two veggies and one fruit instead.

My Juice, Hongdae
Hours: 12pm - 10pm, closed Mondays
Address: 서울시 마포구 서교동 332-22 (332-22 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul)
Website: http://www.myjuice.co.kr
Directions: From Hongdae Station exit 8, take the first right, go straight for 2 blocks and turn left at the roundabout. When you come to the next roundabout, make a right and then take the first right again. Look out for My Juice on your left, a few metres down.

*Note: My Juice also has branches in Haebangchon, Jongro, and other cities like Busan and Gwangju. Check out their website for details on each location ^^

Banana Tree (flower pot desserts), Garosugil

Do you ever get uncontrollable urges to guzzle down enormous amounts of sugar? I know I do, and as a girl I like to blame it on PMS. Completely justifiable, right? Excuses or not though, if you've got cravings for sugar that simply must be satiated, then the lovely Banana Tree in Sinsa-dong might just be the place for you.

Banana Tree is famous for several sweet things: cotton candy lattes, flower pot tiramisu, and flower pot bingsu (Korean shaved ice dessert). While I can't speak for the lattes or bingsu as I haven't tried them yet, I can say that the flower pot tiramisu is enough to zap several cavities into your sweet tooth. And, exactly as the name suggests, it comes served in a flower pot complete with dirt, pebbles, and pretty blossoms sprouting out the top. Dessert that looks fabulous AND tastes great? Win-win!

Americano coffee, 4,000 won & "flower paap", 5,800 won

Dirt never tasted so good. :3

So what's the secret to making delicious dirt? Why, ground up chocolate cookie crumbs, of course! Also, depending on which flavour you choose (banana, strawberry, blueberry, or espresso), you can either have the rich flavour of coffee permeating your taste buds, or delicious little chunks of fruit to chew on in the centre.

Deliciously soft, fluffy, and creamy. 

And sweet. Did I mention sweet? XD 

Besides the food, another appealing aspect of the cafe is its layout and decoration. It's quite a small place with only four or five tables, which makes for a very cosy atmosphere.

If you can't get a seat, you can still get the flower pot tiramisu to take away. ^^

The decorations scattered about are quite quirky as well, and a lot of fun to look at.

Price-wise, the menu is a bit expensive, but I think it's understandable considering that the cafe is located in Sinsa-dong. Gotta love those Gangnam prices, eh?

English menu also available in-store ^^

If you're a cheapo like me, coming here every single day probably wouldn't be feasible, but I definitely wouldn't mind visiting from time to time on account of its gorgeous desserts and lovely atmosphere. :D



Banana Tree, Garosugil
Hours: 11am - 8:30pm, Mon - Fri; 11am - 2pm, Sat; closed on Sunday
Address: 서울시 강남구 신사동 526 (526 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul)
Directions: From Sinsa Station exit 8, make a U-turn and take the first right, or come out exit 7 and take the first left. Follow this road for about 5 minutes and it will eventually curve towards the right. Keep following the curve and look out for Banana Tree on your right.

*Note: Banana Tree also has other branches in Itaewon and near Konkuk University.

건축하는 카페 (construction cafe), Gangnam

Greetings, sons! Allow me to introduce you to a cafe in Gangnam that I visited a few months ago but completely forgot to write about: 건축하는 카페 (translates roughly to "cafe that builds"). This little gem is located in the basement of the Boutique Monaco, a building which itself is quite an architectural piece of art, and its theme, as you may have guessed, is building and construction. Korea is no stranger to cafes with kooky themes, but I'd say this one is definitely unique.

So... To be honest, I know absolutely nothing about building, or construction, but I quite like this cafe for two reasons:

1. The atmosphere is quiet and calm, perfect for a spot of reading or studying solo.

2. It has very un-Gangnam-like prices, which razzles my berries immensely since I am such a frugal miser.

If you happen to be into architecture, building, or even just design in general, you might fancy this place based purely on its theme and you can treat the above as added bonuses. w00t!

To get to the cafe, first take the escalators down to the basement:

The cafe is split into two sections. You'll see one part on your right where drinks are ordered and whipped up:

Extremely reasonable prices :D

Around this part of the cafe are plenty of artsy things to ogle and books free for reading:

I love how they created this using old desktop towers :D

View of the other half of the cafe.

Aaaaand onto the second section of the cafe, where the construction fun begins! 

To get in, push on the door with the sign that says "entry" in Korean. It's just like entering a real building site:

The interior is extremely spacious and dotted with plenty of construction-related objects to admire, along with some random ones:

Check out that grill in the centre. So random! XD

 

I'm not sure why, but I grew really attached to this gas meter that was lying on top of our table:

Myyyy precioussssss.

Since Gangnam is quite a busy place, this cafe brings a welcome change of pace and makes a great place to hang out when you need somewhere quiet to take a break. Added bonus that it's also in the same building as Caffe Inbus (the Jimi Hendrix/bus cafe), so you can do a nice spot of cafe hopping if you wish :D

건축하는 카페, Gangnam

Address: 서울시 서초구 서초동 1316-5 (1316-5 Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul)
Directions: From Gangnam Station, exit 9, walk straight for 4 blocks. The Boutique Monaco will be on your right and the escalators are just past Caffe Inbus.

Ori Pekoe, Hongdae

On a rainy day when the skies are dark and gloomy, there's nothing quite as comforting as curling up with a nice hot drink and a good read. I was really feeling that a few days ago while trekking through Hongdae in the rain, so I decided to stop off at a lovely little cafe called Ori Pekoe.

Ori Pekoe, a pun on the tea industry's "orange pekoe" with the word "ori" (meaning "duck" in Korean), specialises in tea and is fittingly decorated with duck paraphernalia everywhere. It's located in the back streets near the university and has actually been around for quite some time. In fact I can still remember it from when I used to live in Hongdae (well over 4 years ago) but even though I'd walked past it several times, I'd never actually gone inside before. Given how quickly things close down and new things pop up in Seoul though, I'd say this place must be doing something right in order to have lasted this long.

Outdoor terrace for warmer (and non-rainy) weather

Upon stepping inside, I was reminded exactly why I had never visited the place... It's kinda pricey. It was pricey back then and it's still pricey now, especially by Gangbuk standards. Drinks range from 5,000 to 7,000 won (most being 6,500) and if you're a cheapo like me, that might be enough to send you running for the nearest exit. But if you're looking for somewhere to treat yourself, or if you're rich and not at all fazed by a drink costing the same price as an entire meal, then this place definitely makes a great spot for a nice cuppa and some relaxation time.

Since I was there to splurge, I figured what the hell, and ordered one of the most expensive drinks I could find on the menu -- a "tea-ccino", which was basically milk tea with foam on top, cappuccino style. Much to my delight, the drink came out with an adorable duck drawn on the foam and served in a 'My Neighbour Totoro' cup, atop a matching saucer.

Mint chocolate tea-ccino, 7,000 won

As a huge Studio Ghibli fan, the gorgeous crockery won massive brownie points in my mind. You can't go wrong with Totoro on a rainy day! And aside from the lovely cups, there were also a million and one cute objects strewn around the room, with no shortage of ducks in every shape, size, and form.

So much cuteness everywhere!

 

Another nifty thing I really liked (keeping in mind my odd fetish for inspecting people's bathrooms, hah) was the toilet being hidden away at the back of the cafe. To access it, simply roll back the bookshelf and voila! A passageway leading to the bathroom (which also happened to be well-decorated and laden with plenty of adorable figurines and knicknacks).

Being the ultimate cheapo, I probably wouldn't visit this place on a regular basis, but it's definitely a gorgeous place to spend time in, what with its comforting, homely atmosphere, friendly staff, and plenty of lovely decorations to admire. Perhaps I'll visit again... after payday. XD

Ori Pekoe, Hongdae
Hours: 1pm - 11pm, closed on Mondays
Address: 서울시 마포구 서교동 358-103 (358-103, Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul)
Directions: From Hongdae Station exit 9, take the second left. You'll want to cross over to the right side with Taco Bell and Forever 21. Follow the road up like you're heading to the university and after passing the third right, look out for a set of stairs between two buildings that lead to the back streets. Take the stairs up and Ori Pekoe will be in front of you to the right.