Sunday, March 16, 2014

2014 Feb: South Korea: Seoul: Drama Cafes

It’s been two years when I last stepped at Korean peninsula, and with that I have gathered the places I wanted to visit from the dramas and realities I have been watching.  Let’s start with coffee shops I wanted to try.

Café De Chocolate
Food: 9 out of 10
Value: Average
Atmosphere: 9 out of 10
Orders: Orders= White hot chocolate (5,200 KRW = 208 PHP), Real dark hot chocolate (5,800 KRW = 232 PHP), Hotdog (7600 KRW = 304 PHP)
Location: Chungmuro Station Exit 3
Drama: That Winter, The Wind Blows (2013).



I did not bother to research on which store they used on the drama, but the one I visited is in Chungmuro Station Exit 3.  We got inside still a bit dark, welcomed our orders and but the service strictly started at 9:00am. 

Cozy and offers a lot of magazines and books to read.  They also have a separate room for the smokers.









A Touch of Nature
Different and only 1



It is also enlisted as one of the CNNs Top 5 cafes for college girls.



Mango Six
Food: 9 out of 10
Value: Expensive
Atmosphere: 9 out of 10
Orders: Grapefruit, Strawberry chocolate cake = 10800 KRW (430 PHP, 2014)
Location: How to get to Mango Six, Posco (1st Floor 891-46 beon-ji, Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul) 
Drama: The Heirs (2013)

I knew it from watching LMH’s The Heirs (broadcasted in October to December 2013 in SBS, and will be aired in Philippines soon.)  It is also the café used in drama’s The Gentleman’s Dignity.



  




Droptop - Drop in a top place!
Food: 9 out of 10
Value: Average
Atmosphere: 10 out of 10
Orders: Orders: Apple Citron Tea, Café Latte, Italian Pepperoni = 11,900 KRW (475 PHP, 2014)
Location: Myeongdong (not the actual location of the drama)
Same brand as seen in Drama: Winter That Wind Blows

I saw it in 2011 solo trip but never had a chance to try it.  Until I watched it on Winter That Wind Blows.  Upon research, Jeon Ji Hyun is the currently advertising this shop.




Walking distance from our base camp, I already set myself to be eating at Droptop Café on our first morning in Seoul.

‘DROPTOP’ is derived cup of coffee enjoyed by people at the boardeer of pakistan at an altitude of 5,000 meters after a long and life-threatening trip of the silk road.  DROPTOP shows the determination of every empl oyee and staff of DROPTOP to be the top. - Reference










For the last two shops I’ll mention, I’m not sure if they were used in other dramas.





Paris Baguette
Very affordable and has been my comfort zone from Seoul, Busan to Jeju!  I said that I'll skip having drink from this on this trip, for me to try other shops, but failed to do so.  I have not missed to drink in Paris Baguette in my four Seoul-ful trips.

Visit my other cafe experience in Korea!

Cafes in Seoul  | Coffee Prince  | Angel in Us  | dal.komm


Summary of 3 days itinerary in 2014 Seoul Trip:

Day
Places to see
Food and Restaurants
Where to Sleep
Day 1
Late Dinner at 2am in near GS25, Myeongdong Exit 8
Breakfast at Droptop
Lunch at Basement Hole in the Wall Japanese Restaurant (Gangnam)
Mango Six (Gangnam)
Dinner at Tokyo - Japanese Restaurant (Gangnam)
K-pop Residence II in Myeongdong
Day 2
Breakfast at De Chocolate Café (Chungmuro)
Lunch at Restaurant in Jade Garden
Dinner at Basement Hole in the Wall Korean Restaurant (Myeongdong)
K-pop Residence II
Day 3
Paris Croissant (Anguk)
Dinner at Basement Hole in the Wall Korean Restaurant (Insadong)
Paris Baguette (Myeongdong)
K-pop Residence II