Le Chemin 르슈망 (Seoul, SOUTH KOREA) ★★★☆☆

After more than an hour of wandering the narrow, winding alleys of Haebangchon including a stop at the revitalized Sinheung Market, it was time for a quick drink. The choice came down to two of the neighborhood’s most popular cafés and patisseries — Le Montblanc (르몽블랑) and Le Chemin (르슈망).

Le Chemin, a highly sought-after French pastry café tucked into the hillside, is widely celebrated on social media for its beautifully crafted seasonal “Namsan Mont Blanc” cakes that perfectly recreate the iconic N Seoul Tower. Beyond the viral cakes, it also earns high praise for its authentic French canelés, which feature a deeply caramelized, crunchy crust and a remarkably smooth, custardy centre.

Unfortunately, on this afternoon visit the selection was very limited. Other than a hazelnut cake, the only things left were different flavors of canelé.

Iced milk tea (₩6,500) — Like most milk teas in Seoul, it leaned heavily on milk and sweetness. This one had almost no caffeine in it, although I probably didn’t need any to stay awake today.

Chestnut canelé (₩4,500) — At a French patisserie I would normally try something more sophisticated, but after tasting nearly half a dozen pastries since arriving in Seoul, I wanted something simple this afternoon. 

Their highly touted canelé fit the bill perfectly. Underneath the crunchy crust was a sweetened chestnut compote. Not bad.

My chill-out time was drawing to a close. I didn't notice the sun had already disappeared, so it was time to head to tonight's dinner venue, a place I have been looking forward to since making the reservation last month.

Food Rating: 6/10

Price: ₩₩₩

Address: 1–2F, 101-1 Sinheung-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Tel: +82 010-2764-0674

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

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 9:00pm (Mon - Tue, Thu - Fri), 12:00pm - 10:00pm (Sat - Sun)