I heard a rumor that there was a great bakery on Sai-gil in Bangbae-dong, so off I went. I’d had their bread before as a gift and thought it was wonderful, but going there in person was another thing altogether.

Front entrance

The shop is on the large side, with something like a cafe space on the second floor. The selection of bread isn’t huge, but you can tell every single loaf gets their full effort.

I bought some bread and headed up to the second floor.

This is roughly the kind of space that greeted me. More people were using it than I expected.

The day’s picks: chausson aux pommes, canele, olive baguette

The chausson aux pommes was a knockout. Who knew tart apple and shattering croissant pastry would go together this well? Maybe eating it fresh out of the oven made it even more moving. The olive bread, which I could eat and eat without getting tired of it, was also top of the industry. The canele was tasty too, but for someone who has already tasted the ultimate canele, it fell just a little short.

Bacon bread

Way tastier than it looks. Maybe it’s the good flour and proper baking, but the crispness of every bread here is no joke. Bakeries of this quality are popping up all over these days, but this place has a character of its own, and it’s close to home, so I think I’ll be coming here often. If L’Atelier Monique is for snacks, this place is closer to bread for meals.

The exterior of Bistro Polpo

Polpo is just a short walk from Lee Boulanger. It’s been open for a while now, and we’ve already had an opening-celebration meetup there, so I’ll write it up and post it soon.

Interior

A clean, neat atmosphere.

Ginger ale

Even though I dropped in unannounced with no plan, they brought me out a drink. I’ll have to stop by often now that they’re open.

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