Ddo-ong Cafe (poop cafe), Insadong

Poo. Dung. Faeces. Number two.

No matter how you put it, in the wise words of Taro Gomi, "everyone poops" and there ain't no shame in that. In fact, pooping is a ritual that should be celebrated. (It's far better than being constipated, is it not?) So.. If you're an open-minded cool cat who's down for glorifying poop in its resplendent nature, then Ddo-ong Cafe in Insadong is the perfect place for you.

The theme of the place is poo and, in true Asian style, it takes excrement and portrays it in the cutest way possible -- using swirly spirals, cartoon faces, and a multitude of toilet-shaped decorations.

A poop pole and a message tree

The wisest words I have ever heard

Paying homage to the humble squat toilet. Hurrah!

Toilet door

Drinks range from 4,800 to 7,000 won and you can request your hot drink to come in a toilet-shaped mug. (If you don't make any requests, it'll simply come out in a regular mug with poop decorations on it.)

Rose latte, 5,500 won, dark chocolate latte, 6,500 won,
and a poop scone, 800 won.

Another view of the poopy goodness.

Can't get over the adorable poop latte art. XD

If you like the toilet mug enough, you can purchase it for 20,000 won, along with other mugs that have various poop decorations printed on them.

I personally loved that my rose latte came with an actual rose in it and a big, white, smiley-faced turd. Talk about amazing (*cough* Instagram-worthy) presentation. Here's a closer shot for good measure:

You can probably tell that my drink was stone cold by the time I drank it because I was too busy being a photo-whore. u__u;; Still, it was pretty good. Combining coffee and roses definitely made for an interesting and unusual flavour.

Cafe counter & interior

I'm a sucker for any place with succulents

All in all, the cafe has a nice atmosphere and is a great place to lounge about with friends. If you're flying solo, it's still a nice, chill place where you can sit down and ponder the deeper questions in life. You know, matters such as who created the spiral shape that's so synonymous across Asia with poop? Is there anyone or anything that has ever dropped a dingleberry in a perfect spiral?

Yeeees. Deep thinking, this stuff is.



Ddo-ong Cafe, Insadong
Hours: 10am - 9pm
Address: 서울시 종로구 관훈동 38 쌈지길건물 4층 (4th floor, Ssamziegil Building, 38 Gwanhun-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul)
Directions: From Anguk Station exit 6, take the first left into Insadong and continue down the street until you see the Ssamziegil complex on the left. Ddo-ong Cafe is on the fourth floor.

Cafe Nazzzam (hammock cafe/nap cafe), Gyedong

It's no secret that Uncle Yenny is an uber lazy person. Being lazy means that I do zero exercise, and zero exercise means that I'm super unfit and have a terrible tendency to get tired very easily. So, what to do if you're out and about and feeling tired enough to zonk off in public?

Well, you could go to a regular cafe and take a nap while slumped over the table in a most uncomfortable manner.

OR...

You could head on over to the awesome Cafe Nazzzam, where you can take a nap while laying down in a cosy, comfortable hammock, swaying your worries away. :D

So... Cafe Nazzzam is not really a "cafe" in the conventional sense of the word. There are no chairs or tables to sit at, no food being sold, and drinks are served to you in a take away cup only when you're ready to leave. Still, the concept is unique and pretty darn awesome. It's a large room with twelve or so hammocks strung up about the place and you can lie down in one to read, take a nap, or just relax. The owner wanted to create a place where people could come and rest their weary souls, and I daresay restfulness is easily achieved when you're swaying gently in a hammock with classical music flowing softly in the background.

(Side note for any K-pop fans, it's also the place where an episode of Super Junior M's "Guest House" was filmed. So by coming in and touching stuff, you could potentionally be coming into contact with Eunhyuk or Donghae's germie germs. Woot.)

As for the price..? A very reasonable 5,000 won buys you an hour of hammock time, which includes a drink at the end. An extra 30 minutes will cost you 3,000 won more, but of course you can stay as long as you like and and the total will be calculated when you leave. (I stayed for 2 hours and paid 10,000 won.)

To use the cafe, first change your shoes and pop on a pair of soft, fuzzy slippers...

Then climb into your comfy hammock. These can be sectioned off with nifty little curtains, so you don't have to worry about people ogling you while you sleep. :P

This was my home for the next two hours. It was blisteringly cold and windy that day, so the soft blanket and hot water bottle were really comforting!

Other things you can utilise around the place are eye masks while you sleep, and books to read:

Lots of little pot plants and humidifiers make the room comfortable and homely:

Yay for free oxygen and moisture! XD

After two hours, I finally rolled my lazy butt out of the hammock and proceeded to get my drink.

Cute kitchen area :3

They had a nice range from coffee (including decaffeinated), to herbal tea (like chamomile and mint), to Korean style ginger tea and citrus tea. There was also the choice of hot chocolate and some other more adventurous tea flavours like chilli mango black tea. I was pretty impressed to see that they use UK brands like Horniman's, Whittard's, and Twinings.

I ended up choosing milk tea. The lovely owner made it just right, with a strong enough flavour from the tea leaves and not overly sweet. ^____^

One final thing to keep in mind... Payment is cash only, no cards:

Happy napping, sons!



Cafe Nazzzam
Hours: 11am - 7pm Tues - Fri, 1pm - 7pm weekends, closed on Mondays
Address: 서울시 종로구 계동 115-1 3층 (3rd floor, 115-1 Gye-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul)
Website:  http://www.nazzzam.com/
Directions: From Anguk Station exit 3, take the first left and keep going straight for about two minutes until you come to a small 4-way intersection. You'll see Cafe Nazzzam across the street on the left, in the same building as the Mini Stop convenience store.