A New Cupcake Bakery in Seoul

My last cupcake in Seoul was quite disappointing, but from what I hear, a number of cupcake places have been popping up around Seoul. One of those new cupcake bakeries is Lynn's Cupcakes in Hannam-dong, which just happens to be walking distance from The Hagwon. Sweet!

Today, in honor of Seong's birthday (my hagwon BFF), we, including my lil' cousin, Emi, went to Lynn's for some celebratory cupcakes.















This was my first time trying Lynn's Cupcakes. Their cupcakes can't hold a candle to the moist deliciousness of Sibby's or Kara's Cupcakes back in the Homeland, but Lynn's cupcakes weren't half-bad. I enjoyed the flavors of the frosting and the cake, but did not find the soft texture of the cake to my liking (I prefer a more dense cake). Lynn's cupcakes also aren't the prettiest cupcakes I've ever had, but I would definitely return to Lynn's if I was craving a cupcake.

I'm told that Lynn's Cupcakes has several locations throughout Seoul, including a shop in Itaewon, but I can't give you their whereabouts.

Lynn's Cupcakes in Hannam-dong is located right across the street from UN Village. It's pink facade is hard to miss.
Business Hours:
10 - 8 pm
(010) 2893-6687
(02) 792-0804

The owner of Lynn's lived in America, so you can probably get further information in English if you give the bakery a call.















A funny thing happened on our way into the bakery...

A producer from KBS2's 문화지대 (Yeah, I hadn't heard of it either) was filming a segment on Lynn's cupcakes and was looking for some customer commentary. The owner of the shop, immediately pointed to Seong, who had been Lynn's first customer.

The producer, with his little DV camera, looked to the three of us and asked who wanted to speak on camera. I think Emi, Seong, and I, all short of took a step back, and tried to avoid making eye contact with the camera. Seong ended up explaining (in Korean) that neither Emi nor I spoke very much Korean. That's when he found out that we were all English-speaking gyopos, and decided to have us give our comments in English (even know he could not understand a word we were saying). Poor Seong had to translate everything!

So, the filming began easy enough. He filmed us as we picked out our cupcakes. Then, he asked us about cupcakes in America and Britain (where Seong went to school). I akwardly muttered something lame and giggled like an anime character with beat-red cheeks. I'm embarassed just thinking of it.

Just when we thought our agnozing 15 seconds of fame were over, he asked us to eat some of our cupcakes in the store. Though none of us really wanted to be on camera, we blindly followed him, like some starlet wannabe being asked to take some "artistic" nude shots. That's when the shop owner offered to give us some free cupcakes to eat on camera. She placed each cupcake on its own pedestal and brough out candles in honor of Seong's birthday.
















For the following fifteen minutes, the three of us had to get all fake excited about the cupcakes, sing "Happy Birthday", stuff cupcakes into our mouth, and lavish Lynn's cupcakes with complimentary remarks.

I've seen a lot of Korean food programming, but I never realized how challenging it would be to act normal with a camera hovering just a few inches from their faces.

The segment on Lynn's Cupcakes airs on Thursday night. I'm not sure if any of our footage will make it on the program (I'm kind of hoping not), but at least we got some free cupcakes.

And, last, but certainly not least...

Happy Birthday, Seong!

Taking Over the World One Red Mango at a Time

With all the Pink Berry shops scattered throughout L.A. and pictures of those Hollywood gals "eating" the trendy fro-yo , I think Korean yogurt's sort of become passé. The popularity of Red Mango definitely seems to be on the decline in the Motherland, replaced by over-priced waffle cafes and Roti Boys.

Nonetheless, we were all pretty excited to see a couple of new Red Mango shops pop up in the area. We took Piggy to the Red Mango next to Cupertino Library.















The Red Mango yogurt here is a little different. I'd say it's a little more tart. It's got a stronger yogurty flavor. The Korean Red Mango is sweeter.

Toppings were complimentary in Korea, but here in the U.S.of A. (We're going through hard times out here, if you haven't heard), you have to pay for each topping. Outrageous, you say? Not really given that the fruit is FRESH! Yeah! Fresh blueberries! Captain Crunch! Mmm...
Despite the individually priced toppings, the end price comes out to about the same as the yogurt back in the Motherland.














Red Mango America is Piggy approved.





























Soo ordered the green tea yogurt. It looks so naked without any toppings.














Felix told me that the former Survivor winner Yul Kwon owns one of the Red Mango(es?). Looks like he owns the one on University Ave. in Palo Alto. (And, he's engaged, Cyndi!)

Power to Red Mango and its gyopo founder, but it must be said that before Red Mango, before Pink Berry, before Fiore, there was Yami Yogurt at Ala Moana Shopping Center.

Deux Cremes Tart Seoul

I took my posse to Deux Cremes in Sinsa-dong, somewhere along Karosogil. The tarts are so yummy. They're almost worth their exorbitant 8,000 won price tag. I love, love, love the banana cream tart.


















image source
(The rest were taken with my Luminix. You can probably tell by their stellar quality)





























"Kimchi."














"Ay, no pictures."














"Talk to the hand."














"Fine, one picture. Which camera are we looking at?"














"Candid camera. Shh..."

Dunkin' Cupcakes

Dunkin Donuts back in the Homeland better step up because Dunkin' Donuts Motherland is diversifying. In addition to toasted sandwiches, Cyndi recently discovered that Dunkin Donuts now offers some pretty cute cupcakes. Flavors include Choco Almond, Pistachio Cream Cheese, Double Choco, and Vanilla Berry.














We tried the Double Choco and the Vanilla Berry Cup Cakes.

Piggy's a little bijo because Cyndi didn't get her a cupcake.














Both the Chocolate and Vanilla Berry were quite good. I wouldn't classify these as cupcakes though. They were more muffin-like. The Vanilla Berry definitely tasted like a blueberry muffin, while the Double Choco tasted like Duncan Hines cake mix, which in my opinion, is not a bad thing. At 2500 won, I'd say these Dunkin' Donut cupcakes are a good deal, especially if you compare them to the dreadful Shinsaege cupcakes.











































The cupcakes came in this cute little box.
It's a shame about the Engrish. "Loving in Dunkin." Don't they have someone back at U.S. headquarters who they can consult with?

Battle of the Brunch: Jeonja-dong

Crank up some AC/DC because it's time for Battle of the Brunch.

Koreans typically eat rice and soup for breakfast or more recently, cereal or toast. American brunch, however, seems to be an emerging trend and increasing in popularity. (By "American Brunch" I mean, super-sized portions and lots of butter and fried meats.)

There are three brunch places in Jeonja, one of the more uppity neighborhoods in Bundang. Thus, these three diners are the unwitting participants in Annalog's Inaugural Battle of the Brunch.

The three contestants are: Daily King's Diner, Butterfinger Pancakes, and Daily King's Brown Sugar.

Let's begin!

CONTESTANT #1: Daily King's Diner ("The Original American Dining & Brunch")
www.dailykingsdiner.com/swf/index.swf

------
Hours of Operation:
Weekdays 11:00 AM - 10:30 PM
Weekends 9:00 AM - 10:30 PM

Directions: Get off at Jeongja station (Bundang Line) and take Exit 4. Walk towards the right side of KINS Tower towards the Paragon apartments. The Diner building is between Paragon and I-Park. Good luck finding it. The following picture of the building may help you find the diner (Look for that yellow billiards sign).















The Food:
Daily King's features a large menu that includes brunch items, pasta, and hamburgers. We tried the omelet, short stack, and bacon cheese fries.

The Lowdown: I was not impressed by Daily King's. It's been awhile since my visit to this "Original" American Diner, but I do remember the pancakes being dry and lacking in flavor. The omelet was a little soppy and skimpy on the cheese. The cheese fries were smothered in nacho cheese sauce. Blech. I was not impressed by Daily King's, but they do have a large menu so I think it deserves a second chance. I also heard that they serve a brunch buffet.

The "Where's the Cheese?" Omelet














The Un-stacked Short Stack














The (Nacho) Cheese Fries














CONTESTANT #2: Butterfinger Pancakes
------
HOURS OF OPERATION:
7 AM - 3 AM

DIRECTIONS:
Walk towards the Sunae end of Cafe Street (카페거리). Butterfinger is located at the bottom of the Interpark Apartment building; across from the GS 칼턱스 gas station; a stone's throw from Kraze Burger.

THE FOOD:
Compared to Daily King's, Butterfinger has a more compact menu that primarily consists of breakfast platters, omelets, and dessert pancakes, waffles, and crepes (They also have salad, but you don't go to a brunch place to have salad). I should also note that they have mac + cheese and meatloaf during the week days. Mmmm...

The portions at Butterfinger are huge, even according to American standards. I usually order the "Butterfinger Favorites" set which includes a short stack, hash browns, bacon, sausage, and scrambled eggs. I am able to finish the entire plate when I'm at my hungriest, but it's also possible for two lightweight eaters to split a plate (and split a bowl of mac+ cheese!). The pancakes at Butterfinger are buttery, some may say too buttery, but I'm a fan. The omelet is savory and very cheesy; another winner. I also recommend the waffle sandwich (ham, cheese, sour cream, and chives). The only major flaw of the Butterfinger brunch is the sausages. They taste rubbery.

Butterfinger also features a tantalizing selection of dessert waffles, pancakes, sundaes, and shakes. I'm not big on the dessert waffle/pancake trend that seems to have overtaken Seoul. I especially dislike the liberal sprinkling of powdered sugar. A number of late diners, however, seem to dig the dessert waffles, especially the ones buried under chocolate syrup and ice cream. I can't speak to the quality of the dessert waffles, but I can recommend the silver dollar pancakes. They're just so darn cute.

Basic Waffle














Blueberry Pancakes with Strawberry Compote














The Butterfinger Omelet














Blueberry Silver Dollar Pancakes














CONTESTANT #3: Daily King's Brown Sugar
www.dailykingsbrownsugar.com (This is the website listed on the business card, but it does not appear to be working.)
------
HOURS OF OPERATION:
I was unable to find this information, but you can call them at 031.711.5341

DIRECTIONS:
Get off at Jeongja station (Bundang Line) and take Exit 4. Turn left (past KINS Tower) towards the Samsung Adena Apartments (towards Migeum). It's about a 7-10 minute walk. It's very close to the Samsung Michelan Apartments. It's located right on a street corner.

THE FOOD:
They carry a smaller menu than its sibling, Daily King's Diner. Brown Sugar's menu basically consists of brunch platters, waffles, pancakes, and desserts. We tried the French Toast, pancakes, warm brownie, and about a kilo of powdered sugar.

THE LOWDOWN:
We stopped at Brown Sugar after our monthly attempt at exercising. Unfortunately, we got there past 9 pm, so we were too late to try the brunch menu. I was really looking forward to trying their Eggs Benedict. The option of that dish alone warrants a second trip.

Brown Sugar is smaller than Daily King's Diner and is set up to have a more café feel, including the requisite jazz music. Brown Sugar closes later than the Diner, but I can't recall the exact hours of operation. Unfortunately, the website printed on their business card is not working. Lame.

Based on June Unnie recommendation, we ordered the French Toast. Aside from that blasted sugar cocaine, the toast was nice and fluffy. The pancakes were nothing to write on my blog about, but they were surprisingly tastier than the pancakes at Daily King's Diner.

You can't tell from the picture below, but the brownie slice was pretty huge. The brownie was almost like a chocolate lava cake, but without the fudgey center.

Overall, the dishes were good enough that I am now curious to try out the brunch menu.

Fluffy French Toast














The Ouch! the Plate is Hot Brownie














The Enough with the Sugar Pancakes














AND THE WINNER OF THE BATTLE OF THE BRUNCH IS...

Butterfinger Pancakes!

The preferred brunch establishment for Joon, Heng, Cyndi, and Annalog.





























Butterfinger Pancakes is the clear winner for multiple reasons (in no particular oder):

• It's cool modern diner feel; good use of the color orange
  
• The wait staff all have quaint English names; some of the wait staff are even fluent in English.
• The diner has both have indoor and outdoor seating.
• The have some cozy orange arm chairs.
  
• The pancakes are yummy.
• Macaroni and Cheese.
• Just the use of cheese in general.
  
• They have the wordiest motto I've ever seen.
• It's relatively easy to find Butterfinger (in comparison to Daily King's Diner & Brown Sugar).
• Opens early; closes late.
• The brunch menu is always available.
  

The only drawback is that Butterfinger Pancakes can get pretty crowded during peak dining hours. It's not very large, so you may have to wait awhile.

If those of you in Seoul wish to try out Butterfinger Pancakes, I hear that there's a diner in Apkujung. Good luck finding it.

I should also note that the pricing for all three brunch places are moderate to moderately high (though no more pricey than Palo Alto Denney's). If you want to eat semi-decent pancakes in Korea, I'm afraid that you have to be willing to pay a little extra.

I've seen a couple of interesting brunch places in Itaewon, so if I decide to do another a brunch battle, I'd likely seek inspiration there. I especially want to try out a place called something like "Gorgeous Machos' American Diner."

"King Waffle"

JIm and her chingu are in town. Too bad it's raining.
We had a "King Waffle" last night at Loveice in Seohyeon. It wasn't a very good introduction to Korean fro-yo. We'll have to take them to Red Mango.
















By the way, we took JIm to the saju in Shinchon. She also felt that what her saju was "right on the dot." Though, as we discussed, part of the saju's skill is that she can read people very well. In any case, getting your saju told is quite fun.

Passion 5 (Bakery)

After some delicious sushi at Sakanaya in Apkujung, we went with our cousins to Passion 5, an upscale bakery in Hannam (near the entry of Itaewon, across from the Samsung Leeuem Museum). Earlier that day, we had tried Passion 5's lovely puddings. I'm not really into pudding, but between the flavors and the chic bottling, I was hooked. I also tried their "Classic Chocolate Cake" and was quite impressed by it's full flavor and smooth texture. It was definitely a step up above Paris Baguette (not that there's anything wrong with Paris Baguette).

Queens Park Bakery

There is a plethora of bakeries in Seoul, but I find that most of them offer similar fare -- pastries and buns in a Frenchish vein.

Weaned on American delicacies such as box mix cakes, brownies, and Nestle Tollhouse cookies, I've become quite particular in my palette for sweets.

Until I recently got all the fixings to make my own brownies and cookies, I often stopped into bakeries looking for a brownie or chocolate chip cookie. Though not common, I've managed to find a number of brownies and chocolate chip cookies, but they've all turned out to be bland, dry, and definitely overpriced. Let's not skimp on the butter, people!

The only bakery that has come close to making a decent brownie is Queens Park in Apkujung. The selection of pies, cakes, loaves, and pastries all look very lovely, but I have to warn you, they're quite pricey. But, if you're like me, and willing to spend more on baked goods than you do on shoes or clothing, then perhaps Queens Park won't seem like such a bad deal.

In addition to baked goods, Queens Park offers a nice looking brunch and dinner menu. I've only sampled the baked goods, but I imagine that the sit down menu is pretty nice.

Good Eats: Kang Ho Dong's Samgyupsal

We really should stop eating at establishments simply because they're owned by some Korean celebrity. After getting our hair done at Leechul Hairkerker in Apgujeong, we decided to try out the restaurant owned by Kang Ho Dong, a mega popular TV personality.

Kang Ho Dong's 678 Samgyupsal was a major disappointment. The meat was overly thick and rough. I nearly broke a tooth while trying to chew the pork cartilage. The banchan was sucksville. The service was also lacking. I felt very neglected. Kang Ho Dong, we want our money back, or at least some free tickets to Yashimanman.

Anyway, check out the video for more detail.

Speaking of which, I think I need to stop with the videos. I seem to be losing all sense. My threshold for embarrassment seems to be on the rise. These videos have become some sort of shameless vice. I know I must stop, but I just can't seem to help myself...

August 8: Cyndi's Birthday

Cyndi's co-workers kicked off the celebrations the night before her b-day with a sashimi dinner, followed by cake & beer at Happy Time















June & Taehee joined us on the 8th for some pasta & pizza. June picked out a cute chocolate cake. It was light and not too sweet -- that's how they like it in Korea.



























I also picked up a cake from the neighborhood Cold Stone Creamery. It was dense and very chocolatey. I wonder if they make the cakes locally or import them? I suppose it's silly to import ice cream. Thanks to a 25% sale, the price of the cake was comparable to the U.S. price.















Cyndi also received an international cake surprise from one of her many admirers. Unfortunately, I can't say any more as Cyndi will kill me. As Cyndi would say, "죽을래?"