Low Roof 로우루프 (Seoul, SOUTH KOREA) ★★★☆☆

Located directly across the street from the O’Sulloc Tea House, Low Roof (로우루프) is a café, bakery, and pastry shop all under one roof. The space spans three spacious floors, each with a slightly different theme.

The ground-floor bar area is a convenient spot for a quick sip of their signature beverages. The bakery section looked interesting, blending modern baking techniques with classic Korean flavors. Unfortunately, their standout chestnut cream croissant was nowhere to be found. Instead, the oversized Dirty Chocolate Au Pain immediately caught my eye. (No Dubai chocolate version, though.)

I decided to climb the stairs to check out the other floors.

Second floor: Some fabric seating and a shared table in the middle — it felt a bit like a kids’ playroom.

Third floor: More like a meeting space in a commercial building.

I didn’t get to see their traditional hanok backyard, which has made the place so famous, since it was already closed for the day.

After walking up the hill to Bukchon Hanok Village, I certainly wouldn’t mind a frosty drink. Perhaps with a slice of cake. 😜😜

Green tea latte (₩6,500) — The green tea flavor was very light; instead, it was extremely milky.

Sikhye rice mousse cake (₩9,200) — One of the café’s most unique desserts. A nice effort to blend Korean heritage with modern French pastry technique. 

The pastry was designed to mimic the elements of sikhye (traditional Korean sweet rice punch). A soft rice dacquoise base paired with a rice coulis, was topped nicely with a smooth cream made of rice and jocheong (traditional Korean brown rice syrup). Hidden inside was an unexpected core of sikhye jelly and persimmon cream. There was also rice in the syrup to give the dessert some extra texture.

All in all, not bad. But if I had to be picky, a bit of sharp acidity or a firm, crunchy base wouldn’t hurt.

I was really happy to snap a few photos at the Bukchon Hanok Village just before sunset.

Two quick desserts in a row, and I’m starting to realize I might not need dinner after all.

Food Rating: 6.1/10

Price: ₩₩₩

Address: 175-2 Gahoe-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Closest Metro Station: Anguk

Tel: +82 2-747-0709

Website: https://www.instagram.com/cafe_lowroof/?hl=en

Opening Hours: 10:00am - 8:00pm daily

Balance Pâtisserie 카페 발렁스 (Seoul, SOUTH KOREA) ★★★☆☆

Balance Patisserie (카페 발렁스) used to be one of my go-to dessert spots in Seongsu-dong (聖水洞) a couple of years ago but since their relocation to Anguk (安國), I have yet to find the chance to check their new digs out personally.

While I had no dinner planned for tonight, I was determined to spend the evening all in Anguk for some bakery café hopping. Won’t that be great if I could also cross Balance Patisserie off my bucket list?

Tucked away on the second floor of an unassuming building near Bukchon Hanok Village, Balance Patisserie is a popular artisanal French patisserie and dessert café, known for its meticulously crafted, French-inspired creations.

I was in for a shock as soon as I stepped through the doors. There were only two kinds of pastries left in the display case. Worse yet, I’ve tried both of them on my previous visits (Tumon and pistachio tart).

Getting my order done was a nightmare. The staff didn’t speak much English, and when my Apple Pay didn’t work at first, he just stood there without offering to help. Since everything was in Korean, I didn’t hesitate to ask him to get more involved in resolving the issue.

Thankfully, the payment eventually went through, and I was all set.

Tumon (₩10,400) — On top was a thin, sugar-dusted crisp, torched to a crème-brûlée-like caramelized finish. Right underneath it was a light, silky yet rich vanilla mousse, layered with deeply satisfying Darjeeling tea-infused ganache, a soft coconut biscuit joconde, and a base of toasted, caramelized macadamia nuts for a bit of crunch.

It was just as enjoyable and pleasing as I remembered from a few years ago, although the vanilla flavor was sadly a little less pronounced. That was the only difference I could recall.

I was hoping to try more of their creations, especially some of the newer ones from recent years, but unfortunately, there was nothing new available this afternoon.

Food Rating: 6.9/10

Price: ₩₩₩

Address: 140-41 Gye-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Closest Metro Station: Anguk

Tel: +82 2-2194-1234

Website: https://www.instagram.com/balance_patisserie

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 7:00pm (Wed - Sun)

Tim Hortons City Hall (Seoul, SOUTH KOREA) ★★★☆☆

My getaway to Seoul has gotten off to a fast start. Soon after arriving at Seoul Station on the Airport Railroad Express, I transited onto a subway train to City Hall. It didn't take long for me to find my hotel next to Seoul Plaza. After breezing through a warm and efficient check-in, I stormed out heading straight towards Anguk (安國). Everything was working according to my original plan.

On the way to the metro, I spotted the President Hotel across from City Hall, just a few steps from my hotel. And there it was — a Tim Hortons, the legendary Canadian coffee-and-doughnut shop!

I decided to pop in for a quick look. Apart from the usual suspects, there was a limited-time-only chestnut cream doughnut. Could I squeeze in a quick bite before getting back to my busy day?

Chestnut cream donut (4,700 won) — I thought the dough was a bit of a disaster. 

But the chestnut cream wasn’t too sweet. That was the one redeeming quality.

At least I got my first bite of the trip out of the way. Here’s hoping the treats that follow are a lot more enjoyable.

Food Rating: 4.8/10

Price: ₩₩

Address: 188-3 Euljiro 1(il)-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Closest Metro Station: City Hall / Euljiro 1(il)-ga

Tel: +82 070-7450-1017

Opening Hours: 7:00am - 9:00pm (Mon - Fri), 8:00am - 9:00pm (Sat - Sun)