One Bag and Flowers

One day I was wandering around in Sinsa-dong 신사동 and I didn't expect to find something new or worth visiting. Somehow I saw a huge building which entrance seemed very tempting. A lot of people were there and to be honest it kinda triggered me to pay a visit. Well, I didn't regret! The place is called C27 Cheesecake & Coffee Wine. I never heard about it before and I really wondered how is that even possible because I have been exploring so many cafes and places in Seoul! However, the cafe is famous for its delicious cheesecakes and for the classical stereotype of having cheese and wine together. So briefly it's a place for cheese lovers (or cake lovers) I saw some plain cheesecakes as a decoration (or maybe for eating?) They had a huge selection of different kind of cakes for example mint chocolate, mango, earl grey, oreo, plain cheesecake, berry, banana coconut, chocolate, vanilla...so many flavors to choose from! I tried the mango and banana coconut ones a...

Insa-dong is a neighborhood in Seoul where you can find some traditional tea houses, handicraft stalls, restaurants, porcelain stores and other cool stuff. It is known because it is both traditional and modern area the same time. An interesting fact is that many shop names are only written in Korean. I've been there couple of times but it always offers something new to see. 반짝반짝빛나는 I visited a traditional dessert tea house Banjak Banjak Pitnaneun which has really good tea sorbets and other desserts. They have also a room to sit down on a floor the traditional way. The mango dessert was super good, I recommend to try it! We met a craft master Shin Hyun Choul whose Kwangju Royal family ceramics have been exhibitioned all around the world (also in Finland!). He offered us traditional Korean green tea from his teapots and told about his products. It was very authentic and unforgettable moment drinking the hot tea while hearing some beautiful music! I enjoyed probably...

I've paid a visit to many cafes in Seoul but there is always one over others: Colline .   The reason is simple: It is beautiful and I don't know if there is more romantic place to go for a date. Flowers, soft colors, ambient music, atmospheric lights, high quality coffee and pastries. The interior decoration is detailed and rustic which reminds of the old times — there is a bit of romantic cottage country decor. The first impression of the cafe is stunning. All the lights and their warmth make you want to visit the place when the chilly night is setting in. It looks like a cafe for a perfect coffee moment with someone you like or maybe I am just a romantic girl. The menu includes many kind of drinks to choose for your perfect evening. This time I tried the Earl Grey Milk Tea. For a pastry I chose a vanilla pastry/bun which name I already forgot! They both were really tasty. Somehow the Earl Grey Milk Tea reminded me slightly of  salmiakki (a weird finnish ca...

Bukchon Hanok Village is an area with traditional houses from the Joseon Dynasty time. A lot of people still live in these beautiful wooden houses. Visiting the area is a good opportunity for a tourist to see some traditional side of South Korea. The area itself is usually pretty crowded and many people rent a hanbok = a traditional Korean dress and go to take pictures in Hanok Village. I recommend go there in the weekdays and not during the holiday season. Hanbok rental When you climb up a bit you can see beautiful mountain views. When I visit this area I go in the afternoon before the sun is setting down. After taking enough pictures, enjoying the atmosphere and wandering around, I walk the side of the mountain view back to the shopping street. On this street you can also find a few rooftop cafes! In the Hanok Village you can find some traditional cafes and tea houses. They have simple and charming entrances and you can usually see the menu beforehand. Don't hesita...

I passed a colorful door and small stairs multiple times. Every time I passed it, I asked myself "What is inside there?" It was calling me to come to visit with all the lights and music. So finally yesterday, I decided to go and see this magical and intriguing place. "Cocktails, healthy juice, sandwiches, coffee..." It's called Café Bella's Homestay. It is a cozy small cafe which has an unique style: string lights, hula leis hanging from the ceiling, Hawaii posters, a bit old fashioned music, plants, books and bottles. There are only a few seats, wooden tables and a lot of details. Such an eye candy (especially for a person who loves details). In the menu you can find a lot of different alcohol drinks which are prettily decorated. There are also plenty of coffee drinks and some home made cakes like chocolate or cheesecake. The place is a bit pricey if you wanna have an alcohol drink but for coffee it is moderate. Based on my experience, an uniqu...

Sometimes the best places are not found by searching. Perhaps because I am from Finland I somehow try to find things to related to my own home country. In addition to Kukka , I have another Finnish cafe to introduce:  Cafe Aalto by Meal ! The address 서울특별시 용산구 한강로동 170-3 170-3 Hangangro-Dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul As most of the Finnish people know, Alvar Aalto is a famous Finnish designer and architect. For foreigners he is probably not that familiar. Still in Korea, Finnish brands like Aalto, Marimekko and Marja Kurki are more known than I thought! The most known Aalto product is probably The Aalto Vase which was designed by Alvar Aalto and his wife Aino Aalto. I was so surprised to a find a whole cafe dedicated for Aalto so I couldn't hold my horses to pay a visit there! The Aalto Vase The cafe has definitely Finnish architecture and design: simple, clean and materials are wooden, colors white and a bit of light blue. There are Artek stools and tables. From ...

Today I visited already familiar LINE Friends store at Garosu-gil, Sinsa 가로수길, 신사 The address: 535-15 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea LINE Friends is from Korea and became quickly famous after 2011. Now it has spread all over Asia and you can see the characters for example in Hong Kong or Taipei. No wonder because they are super cute and as we all know, cute things rock in Asia! They also had a nice cafe where you can buy coffee, ice cream and other sweets! Such a lovely place to grab a cup of coffee with friends, relax or just to visit to take pictures. They sell all kinds of LINE products like cups, soft toys, post cards and figures. When I was a child I would have definitely fallen in love and never let my parents take me away from there. Even now it was hard to leave because it was so colorful and cheerful place! Somehow I like in Korea and Asia in general that cute and "childish" things are not only for children. You can be an adult...

The spring is here which means that the cherry blossom season starts! Actually, this week there will be a cherry blossom festival in Seoul. Like last year, it will be held in Yeouido from 7th of April till 12th of April . I am so excited to see the beautiful flowers, hear music and walk around taking pictures! It is definitely a place which should be visited both day and night time. I will definitely post more about it after visiting. The address is Yeouiseo-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul 서울특별시 영등포구 여의서로 I got already into mood in IFC Mall where the interior was decorated with cherry blossom theme. I also paid a visit recently to my favorite cafe  Kukka   (translation from Finnish = a flower)   which is a theme cafe inspired by Scandinavian and  Finnish flowers . The owner had travelled to Nordic countries and got inspiration from the simple but beautiful flowers. It's one of my favorite cafes because they have a flower bar downstairs, the decoration is ma...

Today I want to tell about my Top 5 things in Korea . 1. Korean cosmetics It is crazy how big the cosmetic industry is here. You can find cosmetic stores basically in every corner; Etude House, Innisfree, Nature Republic, Tony Moly, Missha etc. I think the cosmetic industry is way ahead of ours. I think one of the biggest things you can see everywhere is face masks. Most of them are only 1-2 dollars per piece! So different compared to Finland where we have very a few places to buy cosmetic products. 2. Cafes in Seoul One of the things which make me super Finnish is my love towards coffee. I can't live a day without coffee but sometimes I can't live a day without cafes either. There are cafes for everyone: modern, indie, hippie, cute, anime, rooftop, animal, chain, piano, flower...it is a never ending list. In addition to huge selection of cafes, they're often very beautifully decorated and the atmosphere gets its final touch with nice music and lights. Prices are o...