It can be hard to find a nice, calm brunch spot in Seoul despite the endless places to eat in the always-hungry city. Yeonnam-dong, a small residential area right by Hongdae which has seen a rise in hip, independent shops and cafes, has some of the perfect spots for your relaxing weekend brunch.
Up until a few years ago, Yeonnam-dong was a completely residential area. In the span of a few years, small shops began opening up right in between complexes of the tiny alleyways, and the area soon became the new hip spot. Yeonnam-dong is popular because it offers a wide variety of shops, restaurants, cafes, and provides an opportunity to try international dishes not common in other parts of Seoul.
smør
Smør is a cute, open-area cafe that serves Nordic and Danish breakfast menus. While most Koreans enjoy a hearty bowl of rice to start the day, Western-style brunch is becoming popular among younger people. Smør comes from smørrebrød, which is a Danish open-faced sandwich with toppings like salmon, shrimp, boiled eggs, herring, avocado, and veggies of your choice. It is a fulfilling, healthy meal that can be made colorful to your taste.
They also offer Nordic or Danish style breakfast trays. The Danish tray comes with homemade yogurt, rye bread, sunny-side-up eggs, grapefruit, kanelsnegl (Danish cinnamon roll), and bacon. The Nordic tray comes with smoked salmon, homemade yogurt, morning roll, scrambled egg, avocado, and sausages. There are 6 tiny plates on a tray which are decorated beautifully and look as good as they taste.
sarr
Now I am not a fan of pancakes, but I always wanted to try to super thick, fluffy Japanese-style souffle pancakes (makes sense since I'm more of a French toast person). In a tiny alleyway of Yeonnam-dong is a pancake-specialty shop called sarr (사르르, is a Korean onomatopoeia for the sound of something melting) , where I got to try the fluffiest pancakes.
You may be wondering, is this really a brunch? Brunch, dessert - it doesn't really matter because these pancakes are so darn good. Yes, you may get a blood sugar spike and be really sleepy after all that sugar...but sugar is so good. Maybe the coffee will help you stay awake.
Sarr has a small kitchen and the worker starts cooking the pancake as soon as he takes the order. They tell you that the pancakes take about 20 minutes each, but it's a nice chance to relax and chat with your friends while you wait. As long as they take, the pancakes are really cooked with perfection and care.
Their Sarr Pancake comes with ricotta cheese, blueberries, whipped cream, and maple syrup. The There is also the Banana Pancake, Tiramisu Pancake (yes), Berry Berry Pancake, and Green Pancake. Seriously...dessert heaven.
When I bit into the pancakes (my friend and I tried the traditional and the Green Pancake), happiness literally filled my mouth. You can't imagine the typical American-style thin pancakes, but the texture more resembled a combination of cake and custard. It's the kind of taste that gets a bit heavy after a while, but you keep eating, and then you feel like you need some kimchi fried rice after.
Places like sarr are becoming more popular around Seoul, but sarr is unique in its interior design and calm, quiet location in Yeonnam-dong. The shop had a beautiful and classy interior.
cafe time: veranda cupcake
If you've spent a few days in Korea you know...cafes are a must. Coffee is surprisingly really popular in Korea, and sometimes a receipt from a cafe can be more pricey than a meal. The first Starbucks in Korea opened in 1999 and currently South Korea is ranked as one of the countries with the most Starbucks stores per capita.
But you just don't go to a Starbucks in Korea. Cafes in Korea are no longer just for coffee, but new cafes have been popping up that constantly compete to offer newer dessert/drink menus, stylish interiors, and aesthetic photo spots.
While walking through Yeonnam-dong, my friend and I saw a 2nd floor cafe with comfy sofas facing outward on the balcony. Customers were happily chatting and enjoying dessert under the sun. Because there are so many cafes, they all try to have that one thing that is more appealing than the cafe right next door. This cafe was called Veranda Cupcake, and it was obviously a popular choice.
"keep calm and eat a cupcake"
Their specialty handmade cupcakes were beautiful and they had a variety of (very expensive) drinks. Because all the cafes in Seoul are so nice, in the end it doesn't really matter where you go, as long as you have a nice, relaxing quality time. Spending a day in Yeonnam-dong obviously offers a lot to choose from, but most importantly remember to keep calm, enjoy the vibes and make a memorable day.