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 ^^