Ikseon Goro Purpleberry Soft Ice-cream 익선 고로 (Seoul, SOUTH KOREA) ★★★☆☆

As one of the oldest neighborhoods in Seoul, it's difficult to imagine the hype associated with Ikseon-dong (益善洞) as it's been constantly dubbed as one of the trendiest districts in the city thanks to its abundance of stylish cafes, restaurants and boutiques all housed under century-old Hanok, or traditional Korean houses. We decided to find out more about this place after a brief stop in Myeongdong.



As usual, I do what Hongkongers do best, follow the crowd. When I first discovered a modest lineup in front of Ikseon Goro Purpleberry Soft Ice-cream Shop (익선 고로), I made sure that I got behind the queue.



I love a specialty shop with a short menu. Thought this ice-cream shop really defies the odds by offering just one item on their menu - their signature blueberry soft serve (2,500 won).



This was pretty good. Very rich blueberry flavor and I love the fact that they have sprinkled the soft serve with blueberry powder to give it a bit more acidity (nice balance to the sweetness of the soft serve).



I think Ikseon-dong is a bustling place that is best suited to visit in broad daylight. Too bad we have an action-packed schedule ahead of us. Will have to wait until our next visit to Seoul for more exploration in the narrow alleys of Ikseon-dong. 



PS. I noticed there was supposed to be a churros shop called Tapioca Churros sharing the same space with Ikseon Goro but it wasn't open during my visit. Perhaps matching my purpleberry ice-cream with some freshly made, crispy churros would have been the perfect experience for my sweet tooth.





Food Rating: 5/10
Price: ₩₩
Address: 166-34 Ikseon-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Closest Metro Station: Jongno 3-ga