The Joomak Korean Bistro (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★☆☆☆

First, let me get this straight. Joomak was never my first choice for dinner tonight, nor was it my second or third choice but with Harbour City getting a little more crowded than usual, we didn't have much choice tonight.

It's been a while since I last visited this Korean Bistro who is known for its modern take on Korean cuisine. Some of their quick hits include their carbonara rice cake which is still on the menu but other signature dishes I've grown to enjoy over the last few years were no longer there.



Black garlic fried chicken ($168) - The fact that we just came back from Seoul didn't stop us from ordering some Korean fried chicken to start the meal. I thought the black garlic sauce was really nice but unfortunately, the fried chicken wasn't able to match it. Every time I put a bite on one, the thick batter seemed to fall off instantly leaving a plain slice of chicken fillet behind. That wasn't very good.



Korean pear kimbap ($98) - Next was some kimbap, which I often call the Korean sushi. This was quite decent. The combination of pear and tuna in the middle of the sushi felt a little funny at first but the flavors worked together just fine (though the texture did not).



Original Jeon ($88) - Slightly disappointing due to the lack of toppings (especially the absence of green onion). It just didn't taste (and look) the same without the green onion. 




Korean beef bibimbap ($98) - Very average. Let's just leave it at that.



Ginseng and honey slush ($78) - Nice bit of ginseng flavor backed up by a hint of honey. Actually I found this quite thirst quenching.



Food Rating: 3.5/10
Price: $$$
Address: LCX Shop 34, 3/F, Ocean Terminal, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Closest Metro Station: Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: +852 2111-0851

10 of The Best Cafés and Dessert Spots in Hongdae Seoul (2018)

The Hongdae Area (弘大) is a region in Seoul near Hongik University where it is widely known for its urban arts, trendy clubs and entertainment spots. It's also home to some of the most stylish cafés in the city. For details, here is a list of our favorite cafés and dessert spots that are not to be missed in Hongdae.

Patisserie x Roastery imi
Hidden on the quiet side of Mapo-gu, imi is a cozy little coffee shop doubling as a patisserie. Behind two brothers who are passionate about coffee and cakes at the same time, imi has quietly emerged as one of the most popular chill-out places in Hongdae. Check out their Japanese inspired desserts including strawberry mont blanc and O.Chi.Pong while taking a break from shopping. 

Patisserie x Roastery imi is just a comfortable 5-minute walk from Hongik University station.

Address: 201-10 Donggyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Tel: +82 2-6368-5228
Website: www.facebook.com/pxrimi





Café Le Petit Four
Perched on the first floor of a commercial building, Café Le Petit Four is a quiet retreat to the hustle and bustle of the Hongdae district. The café is beautifully decorated in a quirky European setting and it's one of the best kept secrets in the area.

The name of the game here is their mille feuille served in several different flavors and my recommendation is to go with their mille feuille mont blanc if you're looking to have your sweet tooth fixed in a hurry.

Address: 2/F, 86-37 Seogang-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Tel:+82 2332-2669


 


Café Snob
The two-storey Café Snob on the southern part of the Hongdae area is the perfect place to rest your tired feet after a fruitful day of shopping. You will find all sorts of exciting homemade cakes and tarts on the ground floor where you can choose dine in or take out. On the second floor is their café, which is a cozy spot to enjoy a cup of tea with some of their signature cakes.

My personal favorite here is their Earl Grey cake while their white chocolate cake is also something to die for.

Address: 86-53 Sangsu-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Tel:+82 2325-5770
Website: www.snobblue.com





Billy Angel Cake Company
Billy Angel Cake is one of the fastest growing cake companies in Seoul with nearly 50 branches around the city. Quite a number of them can be found inside some of the biggest department stores but their most popular branch has always been their Hongdae branch. They have a very good selection of coffee, latte (both caffeine and non-caffeine), milk tea, smoothie, tea and bing-soo (Korean shaved ice) and that's just the beginning. Their mille crepes and chiffon cakes are some of the best ones in the city and I have long been a die-hard fan of their green tea cake with red beans and carrot cake too.

Address: 103 Wausan-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Tel: +82 2323-0020
Website: www.billyangel.co.kr





O'Sulloc Tea House
O'Sulloc is one of the largest producer of tea (especially green tea) from Jeju Island and at their famed tea house, you will be offered the chance to experience their prized green tea, latte, ice cream and cakes.

While their cakes are nothing to brag about, their green tea cappuccino and latte are totally worth their heavy price tag.

Address: 88 Eoulmadang-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Tel: +82 2323-5223
Website: www.osulloc.com





Peony
Peony (피오니) is rated by CNN Travel as the place with the best “Korean-style” cake and tart in Seoul. Situated on the first floor of a modern building near the Hongik University, this little café stole the heart of dessert lovers with their homemade tarts and cakes including their heart and soul, strawberry cream cakes and pumpkin tarts.
 
Address: 2/F, 408-8 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Tel: +82 2333-5325
Website: blog.naver.com/peonysdream





Mobssie Cheese Cake
From the folks behind Mobssie Chocolate Cake, Mobssie Cheese Cake is an offshoot that focuses primarily on cheesy desserts. With just eight items on the menu, they will never blow you away with their selection but in case you're looking for a good cheesecake or cheesy dessert in Hongdae, they're the place to go for a heartwarming oven baked cheesecake.

Address: 330-13 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Tel: +82 070-8162-0920

 


Café Pomponnette
Visiting Café Pomponnette feels a lot like visiting somebody's house. The space is cozy and homey making everyone feel right at home.

The owner-patissier spent some time in Osaka bakery school so expect a certain degree of Japanese twist to their cakes. Their best sellers are their rare cheesecake with raspberry jam and two-layered fromage cake, both best known to be delicate, light and airy.

Address: 342-4 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Tel: +82 2337-9006





Komans
Komans is a tiramisu specialist that offers the classic Italian dessert in different sizes and flavors. Those who are more adventurous would find their green tea, cookie and cream, and banana nutella tiramisu irresistible but casual fans would simply love their original tiramisu for the perfect texture and flavors.

Address: 2-3/F, 163-4 Donggyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Tel: +82 2-3144-0452




Fell + Cole
Fell + Cole is the first ice-cream shop in Seoul to offer artisanal ice cream with organic and local ingredients, free of stabilizers or additives. They have 12 to 15 different flavors that change on a weekly basis. Some of their fan favorites that are not to be missed include Makgeolli (Korean rice wine), honey lavendar and Youth Portion.

Address: 310-11 Sangsu-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Tel: +82 70-4411-1434
Website: www.facebook.com/FELLnCOLE/





How to get there:
Take Subway Line 2 to Hongik University Station or Line 6 to Sangsu Station.

10 Best Top cake dessert cafe in Hongdae Seoul You Shouldn't miss

Baek Mi Dang 百味堂 1964 (Seoul, SOUTH KOREA) ★★★☆☆

If you happen to miss out on Baek Mi Dang (百味堂)'s milk and soy milk soft ice-cream during your stay in Seoul, don't get down on yourself coz you will have your last chance coming up at the Incheon Airport departure hall.



They have a small counter in the fourth floor food hall in the departure terminal (before immigration counter) for those craving for a milky ice-cream cone (arguably the best available in Seoul!) right before take-off.



This branch has one of the longest opening hours of all Baek Mi Dang outposts from 6:30am to 21:30pm.





Food Rating: 6/10
Price: ₩₩
Address: 4/F Incheon Airport Departure Food Hall, 272 Gonghang-ro, Jung-gu, Incheon, Seoul, South Korea
Website: www.1964baekmidang.com

On ne sait jamais (Seoul, SOUTH KOREA) ★★★☆☆

For the longest time, Hannam-dong was able to escape the radar screen of tourists despite its abundance of art shops, trendy cafés and restaurants but that is about to change soon. In recent years, the area has seen a steady influx of new shops, cafés and restaurants including the likes of San Francisco's famed bakery shop, Tartine Bakery who picked Hannam-dong as the landing spot of their first-ever shop in Seoul (even over Sinsa and Cheongdam).



Dessert lovers and coffee fanatics will fall in love with Hannam-dong quickly because coffee shops and dessert cafés are everywhere on the street. Among the numerous dessert spots, On ne sait jamais and Pied are two of the most popular ones among the locals.



On ne sait jamais has some of the funkiest pastries available in Hannam-dong. 



The café is very small so we have to wiggle our way through the other patrons during our visit (Highly recommend to visit this place on a weekday instead of weekend. Way too crowded on the Sunday we visited).



While I tend to be a little more adventurous with desserts, I was quite content to go with the all-time favorites today - tiramisu and mont blanc cake.



On ne sait jamais offers three different flavors of tiramisu including original, wild berry and nutella with banana. As a purist, of course I had to check out their original flavor. This was really tasty. The texture was soft and moist, the way I always like it. Pretty nice.



The second most popular cake here is their tear drop shaped Mont Blanc cake. On the outside was a layer that tasted like marshmallow (or meringue).



In the middle, some chestnut purée sitting on a sable biscuit.



I decided against having more coffee so just an iced royal milk tea for me this afternoon.



For those who want to put a lick on their tiramisu and tear-drop mont blanc without venturing over to Hannam-dong, I accidentally found this place in Gangnam that carries a similar set of desserts. It's called Café Knotted.



Café Knotted's desserts are not exactly the same but pretty close. I am guessing the same owner? But like the English translation of "On ne sait jamais", I guess I will never find out!

Food Rating: 5.5/10
Price: ₩₩₩
Address: 48 Itaewon-ro 54-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Closest Metro Station: Hangangjin
Tel: +82 02-794-3446

Vatos Urban Tacos (Seoul, SOUTH KOREA) ★★★☆☆

After cruising around Itaewon for nearly 2.5 hours, it's time for a late lunch and a quick one. It's been a while since I last visited Vatos Urban Tacos so I thought I better paid them a visit before leaving late tonight.



This branch in Itaewon is a lot bigger than the one in Sinsa, which I used to visit a lot because it's so conveniently located on Garosu-gil. 



Some complimentary tacos with different dip to start the meal as usual.



Kimchi carnitas fries (13,000 won) - How can I start things off without one of their signature dish? This is always the best way to kick off the meal by sharing their kimchi carnitas fries among a couple of friends. The well-seasoned French fries were mixed with braised carnitas, sauteed kimchi, cheese, cilantro, onion and sour cream. And of course, the signature Vatos hot sauce to put the finishing touch on.



Honey tequila chicken wings (13,500 won) - My second favorite dish behind the kimchi fries. Look at these wings which're all perfectly coated in the sweet and spicy honey tequila sauce. Very tasty and addictive at the same time. As always, they were served with deep-fried, masa-battered jalapenos, cilantro and blue cheese dipping sauce. Very spicy but I couldn't stop eating them.



Now that I'm almost done, it's time to settle the bill and head over to Hannam-dong for my coffee fix.




Food Rating: 5/10
Price: ₩₩₩
Address: 1, Itaewon-ro 15-gil (2nd Floor), Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Closest Metro Station: Itaewon
Website: www.vatoskorea.com

Mont St. Clair (Seoul, SOUTH KOREA) ★★★★☆

After making a quick stop at White Viel, I started walking down Bogwang-ro looking for another cake shop - Mont St. Clair.



Those who are familiar with Tokyo's dessert scene, should know this name very well. Opened back in 1998, Mont St. Clair has been around Jiyugaoka even before the area became the trendy little town that it is right now. Owner Hironobu Tsujiguchi (辻口博啟), who's an award-winning pâtissier and chocolatier, represented Japan on a number of occasions in the international stage accumulating some impressive accolades along the way.



From what I've read from Korean Herald and a number of other sources, this is already their fourth branch in Seoul, so they're expanding very quickly in Korea (as composed to just one branch in Tokyo).



But this is more than just a bakery and cake shop.



This is a place where you can really chill out and enjoy a cup of coffee along with their wonderful selection of Japanese inspired sweets.



I'm going to sit here all day with my iced latte and watch cars go by!



This branch of Mont St. Clair carries most of their signature desserts from Tokyo including their hexagon shaped C'est la Vie (white chocolate mousse with raspberry and pistachio sponge) and mont blanc.



But I'm going with something which is in season right now - Sakura (8,000 won)!!!!!



I thought this is going to be just cherry blossom mousse all the way but they managed to pack a lot of other ingredients in the middle including vanilla brulee, red bean paste, raspberry jam, sponge and sable. Very delicate and very tasty. Definitely won't mind having it again.



Ambre (7,500 won) - Identical shape with Sakura but in a different color.



There's a layer of hazelnut and caramel ganache on the outside.



Inside is caramelized white chocolate mousse with hazelnut crunch sandwiched in the middle. This was pretty nice too, but the caramel flavor could be a little richer, if you ask me.



Opening hours of Mont St. Clair Itaewon goes something like this.
Monday-Thursday 10:30am - 11:00pm
Friday-Saturday     10:30am - 01:00am
Sunday                     10:30am - 12:00am





Food Rating: 6.5/10
Price: ₩₩₩
Address: 112-3 Bogwang-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Closest Metro Station: Itaewon 
Tel: +82 2-749-0660
Website: www.ms-clair.co.kr