java addiction...

August 16, 2011 sarah lee

Espresso Con Panna=espresso with cream in Italian. Absolute heavenly bliss when I tried this for the first time at Republic of Coffee in Mapo! Oh dear God, where have you been??? This hidden cafe owned by well known barista Jong Hoon Lee (ok, we didn't see him there this time), but another barista in training Chang Jae Lee was definitely 'in the know' when it comes to proper coffee. We tried everything from espresso made from their vintage machine (see photo below) to iced cafe mochas, hand drip coffee, and the espresso con panna. Uh yeah, all in one sitting. We were so close to spending all of our Saturday there, but realized that it was probably not a good idea to be wired the whole day, so left before the caffeine got the better of us...hahaha.

For those that have a java addiction, absolutely must make a stop or two at Coffee Republic. Actually, it's a must.

cafe series: hoho myoll cafe

July 14, 2011 sarah lee

Hoho Myoll Cafe in Hongdae, near Sangsu Station...randomly fell upon this cafe with a Volkswagen camper inside! They seem to be pretty serious about their coffee, and their warm apple tea is a definite winner!

Just wanted to post a few photos...that's all:)

cafe series: aA design museum

May 19, 2011 sarah lee

aA design museum in hong-dae: cavernous. less is more. modern design.

aA Design Museum is one of those places where as soon as you step in, you're like 'am I in Seoul? really???' Hahahaha. So I've been in Seoul for over a year now, and yup, took me this long to finally get my foot in this design cafe! Embarrassing...

Why the aA? The lower-case ‘a’ in ‘aA’ stands for ‘art’, ‘architecture’, and ‘alive’, while the capital ‘A’ is “an unchangeable value, the best a person can get" (according to their website).

Story behind aA: owner Myung-Hwan Kim opened up this cafe to showcase his furniture collection. Globetrotter that travels to find the goods, and brings it back to his storage...I mean design museum cafe to share with folks like us! The interior has a rustic note to it, the negative space adds to the design, and the lighting parallels the furniture in perfect cohesion. The collection of furniture that range from scandinavian design to modern vintage, completes the marriage.

january bites...

January 26, 2011 sarah lee

Welcome to Seoul in the City!

I would like to thank my avid readers and followers since 2009! I'm absolutely blessed with all the encouragement and continuous support that inspires me to keep up with my journal. I will abide with my fellow partners, and hope that 'my love affair' with food, travel and design will never cease...

As my first official post for my new site, I would like to re-introduce one of my favorites-Coffee Bangatgan-커피 방앗간 in Samchungdong. It's a treat when I go to this spot, since it's a bit far for me. Their novelty: to leave your mark, you can write notes or doodle on their custom napkins, and just tape it anywhere in the cafe...literally.

Whenever I go back, I try to look for the notes I left behind the previous time...but never can find it! Perhaps it blew away...or someone loved my note and snatched it away? hahaha...

The photos below will make you hungry...such a tease...Enjoy:)

kristi's taste of seoul

April 16, 2010 sarah lee

kristi taking a break in front of a cafe in samchungdong...

Good friend Kristi Wayman and world class interior designer from Sydney, came to Seoul last week on a business trip. To my surprise, she is absolutely in love with this city! Within a few days, I was able to give her a taste of 'My Seoul'...I cannot wait until she comes back with her German hubbie-Stephan :)