This post was written in 2008. Shop details and prices may have changed since then.
I’d arranged to meet an old friend in Seongbuk-dong. I think it had been about five years since we last saw each other. It would be nice to at least see each other’s faces now and then, but I’d been busy with one thing and another, so it hadn’t been easy. Seeing this friend was one of the main reasons for this trip to Korea.
I got there quite a bit earlier than the time we’d set. I was going to take a shot of the front before going in, but it was awkward so I gave up. The whole front is open glass, you see. Inside there were quite a few people. I’d thought it was an out-of-the-way spot, but I guess it’s because it’s a well-off neighborhood.
What I ordered.
I remember it being the Berry Sweet. Lovely aroma and tasty. They seem to know how to make tea.
A shot from the second floor
Exposed concrete, and the interior is neat and nice. People usually call this minimalism. But built like this, the soundproofing isn’t great. The walls are hard and angular, so sound echoes around right away and the place feels noisy. It’s a café young people go to, so maybe a bit of noise doesn’t matter much, but I’m sensitive to that kind of thing, so I kept my headphones on the whole time I was inside. I’m going to meet you~
The counter
There were two staff, and they weren’t especially friendly. Kind of curt, I’d say. The tea isn’t expensive, so that much is easy enough to put up with.
The Berry Sweet once more
Does it look good? It seems to be pretty photogenic.
They hold exhibitions too.
A fun exhibition. It’s already over, though… look forward to the next one~
The chandelier
Very artistic. I can’t help worrying a little that it must be hard to maintain…
A painting by Jang Bak-ha
The tree-ring, or zebra-stripe, pattern was striking… It felt like a work made with the universe constantly in mind.
While I was waiting and researching mobile SEO strategies, my friend arrived, so we ordered tea again.
I can’t quite remember what it was called now, but it smelled nice.
I asked for a caffeine-free tea and they brought this.
One more
I have absolutely no memory of what it tasted like. Completely forgotten.
Coffee, an Americano
I haven’t drunk coffee in a long time. As I’ve gotten older I’ve become sensitive to caffeine. Time passing and getting older is a sad thing, isn’t it? You end up living always aware of what you can’t do, and of how little you can. But realizing that some things don’t change no matter how many years go by is as heart-fluttering as getting an unexpected present on a birthday nobody remembers.
I’ll keep telling you fun stories from here on too. Stay tuned…
P.S. For reference, the shop info!
Takeout Drawing http://www.takeoutdrawing.com
I hear they’re opening a branch in Dongsung-dong these days. I wish them good business.
But my reviews are always cold-blooded, so please don’t hate me too much.