Brown Azit is a bakery just off Cheongnidan-gil. It is close to Cheongnidan-gil but not actually on it, which made me think this is a place that competes on skill instead. It is worth checking their Instagram before you go.

A place like this

It is the kind of spot you could easily walk straight past.

Breads like these

They sell all sorts of bread, including things you rarely see anywhere else, like Madeira cupcakes.

Breads like these

Scones, shokupan, croissants, campagne.. it felt like “we didn’t know what you’d like, so we made everything.” And on top of that, every single one had character and was properly well made.

The pies

I think this is the first place I have seen breads like these

The reservation notes

Quite a few of the breads only turn up now and then, and the regulars apparently reserve them in advance. The chef must really know what they are doing.

Ciabatta

The quality is good.

Fig and cream cheese

The filling is generous. They clearly know their flavours..

Madeira cupcake

It is like a deluxe version of the usual cupcake. It is a decent size too. It would be good with a cup of tea.

Pain suisse, croissants and so on

The sheen on them is something else.

Raspberry croissant

It is shaped like a ribbon and it is just lovely. It was packed with raspberry cream inside. That makes it a little sweet, but there is a bright tartness to it, so it works nicely with the butter-heavy croissant. You see this style of croissant on Instagram a lot these days, but I never expected to find a bakery actually making and selling them.. I doubt there are many places selling bread like this even in Seoul.

Pain au chocolat

Tasty.

Pistachio pain suisse

A touch on the firm side, but it was decent enough.

Mugwort shokupan

They sell some unusual things. A shokupan with mugwort in it..

Sweet pumpkin and cream cheese

It tastes like sweet pumpkin tteok, and it is packed with nuts and seeds like pumpkin seeds, so it was delicious. They seem to have a real knack for traditional ingredients. Having breads with this much character, breads you cannot easily eat anywhere else, looks like a big strength.

Cross-section of the pumpkin loaf

This really was a distinctive taste you would struggle to find outside this shop.

Apple pie

This one is heavy on the cinnamon and sweet, so it will divide opinion.

Stollen

They said it was made to order, so I bought one.

Stollen like this

The nuts in it are especially good. It might just be that I bought it early and waited over a month until Christmas, but it crumbled a lot.. Next time I should probably eat it as soon as I buy it.

한국어로 읽기日本語で読む