One weekend morning I got a craving for the galettes at Maison de Zoé, so I hopped on my bike and set off. I rode along the Han River for about an hour, but took a wrong turn and ended up somewhere near Samseong-dong. After all that, I finally reached Maison de Zoé only to find it had turned into a dessert shop. They told me they no longer do galettes or bread at all, so after a moment of despair I headed over to L’atelier Monique nearby.

The front of L’atelier Monique

I hear they have counters in department stores these days too. I rarely go to department stores, so I couldn’t tell you which one, but either way business still seems to be going well.

Fruits (fruit and nut bread)

This is the bread I’d recommend most here. It’s baguette dough studded with nuts and raisins and such, with a crisp crust and a chewy inside. It feels more like a snack than a staple, but it’s an excellent loaf.

Mentaiko baguette

They say they use mentaiko from Yamaya in Fukuoka, the company famous for motsunabe and mentaiko, and it tasted like it would be perfect with a drink. The baguette itself is top-notch, and the balance with the mentaiko is spot on.

Cream buns

The cream is incredibly smooth. Maybe that’s because it’s Japanese-style bread. All three breads I bought that day were seriously delicious. I can’t speak for the branches, but the main shop is one worth remembering and visiting often.

A scone from Maison de Zoé

Hmm… I bought one just in case, but it didn’t do much for me. They seem to be doing really well these days, so I guess the old Maison de Zoé isn’t coming back. Oh well. Good bakeries keep popping up these days anyway.

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