At the end of April, Shinsegae in Myeongdong hosted an event supporting small independent bakeries. It was over a month ago, so anyone interested has probably already been. These days it feels like I post less to share food tips and more out of a sense of duty to keep a record.
Maybell Bakery
It’s a hugely popular bakery in Itaewon. They seem to have brought a mountain of bread that day, but by the time I got there the main items had already vanished. I hear the queue is so long lately that it’s hard to buy anything, so I’m never sure when to go.
A look inside.
This was roughly the atmosphere; apparently there were even more people at peak time.
Caramels from Suave
Delicious, of course~
A cake from and tarte
It looked tasty, but they didn’t seem to be doing tastings.. handing out samples of cake would be a bit awkward, I suppose..
Fell + Cole
I visited them not long ago. Their unusual bacon ice cream made an impression. I ate a huge amount of delicious things for free that day.
Chocolates from Piaf
They look like delicious chocolates. The place has a great reputation, so I need to set aside a day and go buy some, but I just never get the chance to be in Apgujeong (during the day).
Chocolate decoration
Chocolate piled up like this is a joy just to look at.
Today’s tasting sample
They said they used natural sea salt; the style is a bit different from the standard chocolates I’ve had until now, but it’s good.
Desserts from Hôtel Douce
Covering a wide range of desserts all at once is what Hôtel Douce is about. They fall a little short of the specialist shops for each item, but the prices aren’t that high and the quality is decent.
The big haul of the day
I managed to get the last remaining éclair. And not just because it was the last one — it really was delicious. The chocolate inside melts smoothly in your mouth. The macarons were good too.
Publique
Publique in Hongdae is a bakery I go to often, so running into them at an event like this was even nicer. The bread + butter I came away with was of course superb.
Breads and pastries from Maison de Zoé
It’s a bakery I personally treasure and love, and I had no idea they would be taking part in the Window Bakery Collection.
Macarons from Maison de Zoé
Again, just looking at them makes me happy. Places like this have multiplied, which makes life in Korea fun.
A cup from Coffee Libre
Since I can’t drink coffee, I don’t know much about cafes or coffee. I hear the coffee was good.
I did a full lap, ate this and that, and came away thinking it was a really rewarding event. This was the fourth edition, apparently, and apart from the shame of not being able to buy any bread, I was very happy with it. I felt it again that day: the progress of Korea’s bakery scene lately is dazzling. Looking at Hongdae alone, it feels like it has nearly caught up with Tokyo over the past few years. I’m looking forward to even more progress ahead.