JL Dessert Bar (Seoul, SOUTH KOREA) ★★★★☆

Our sweet adventure in Hannam-dong didn’t end after our morning visits to Passion 5 and Sous le gui (수르기). In fact, after a quick detour to Jaein Patisserie, little nugget and I continued our father-and-son journey to one of Seoul’s finest dessert bars.

Nestled on the third floor of a commercial building between Hannam-dong and Hangangjin (漢江鎭驛) Station, JL Dessert Bar is the brainchild of renowned pastry chef Justin Lee.

Chef Justin Lee (left), one of Korea’s top pastry chefs honed his skills in Australia and New Zealand before opening JL Dessert Bar in 2016, serving up exquisite dessert tasting menus blending local ingredients with international flair.

The space itself is modern and spacious featuring counter seating, private rooms, and a cozy main dining area.

With an electronic menu showcasing Chef Lee’s masterpieces, we dove into the world of elevated desserts.

Hot chocolate (₩10,000) – I was hoping to get an iced chocolate to cool myself down after the 10-minute walk from Jaein Patisserie but they mistakenly brought out a hot one. No big deal. It was still rich and comforting.



Cranachan (₩23,000) – One of Chef Lee's many signature desserts.

A delicate raspberry ball filled with a luscious mix of whiskey honey, cream cheese, and white chocolate foam, was nicely complemented by more whiskey honey, oatmeal, cream cheese powder (atop), dabs of raspberry jam and small pieces of white chocolate brownie. The dessert struck a beautiful balance between sweetness and acidity, and the crunchy oatmeal added the perfect (contrasting) texture.

Truffle gelato (₩25,000) – Little nugget had the vanilla gelato which Chef Lee generously topped with shaved truffles and olive oil.

     

This guy apparently wasn't happy about his old man disturbing him from his gelato! 😆😆



Just when we were finishing up our dessert, Chef Lee came up to have a word with us. And he was kind enough to offer us a complimentary sorbet made from in-season Korean white melon.



Such a thoughtful gesture — and a refreshing way to end our dessert adventure!

Food Rating: 7/10

Price: ₩₩₩₩

Address: 657-115 Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Closest Metro Station: Hangangjin

Tel: +82 507-1405-6140

Website: http://www.jldessertbar.com/

Opening Hours: 1:00pm - 10:00pm (Wed - Fri), 1:00pm - 10:00pm (Sat), 1:00pm - 9:00pm (Sun)