Koffee & Kpop

This post will be a mix of cafe review and other things my friends and I got up to on a beautiful August day wandering around Jung-gu, Seoul, near City Hall Station.

It’s very frustrating to travel an hour by subway to visit a new cafe only to discover said cafe is closed on Sundays. (Shame on me for not double-checking their day off). Still, I was determined to visit Aire Coffee and try one of their cinnamon rolls.

Located a few blocks from City Hall station, Aire Coffee serves up specialty espresso as well as pour-overs and goods baked in-house. I arrived prior to my friends and ordered an iced Honduran pour-over and a strawberry crumble bar, as I was informed cinnamon rolls were sold out at the time and wouldn’t be available for another 40 minutes. I felt no shame in ordering ahead of my friends, because by the time they were to arrive, I would have finished my first coffee and be onto my second–and if you know me, you know I have a minimum of two coffees wherever I go. Plus, I could get a cinnamon roll.*

First impressions of Aire Coffee were that it was very white, clean, and, well… airy. There are ceiling to floor windows at the front of the cafe, leading to lots of natural light. The pastries are self-serve on a table before you get to the wrap-around counter and the menu is a digital board. There is marigold-colored light that wraps itself over your head along the counter, which seemed a bit out of place but also serves to guide you to the counter. Coffee beans are also available for purchase and, strangely, there were two large bags of “French Wheat Flour” sitting on the floor in front of the counter. (The ServSafe-certified worker in me is screaming.) I believe they also roast their own beans, as they had a roaster hidden away behind the main cafe in a little room you pass heading to the bathrooms, which are in the main building and well-maintained.

My second coffee was a Costa Rican geisha and honestly, the Honduran was better in my opinion. I know that geisha is considered a gold standard when it comes to coffee, but I found the Honduran was smoother and had a sweet, lingering finish that the geisha lacked.

After our coffee, we sat around a bit asking each other, “So, where to next?” I took control and suggested popping into the Seoul Museum of Art, which is just around the corner. (Much to the chagrin of one of my friends who is decidedly not an “art” person.) They were renovating for a new exhibit so it was only partially open, and to my dismay, I discovered the previous exhibition was of one of my favorite painters, Edward Hopper. More on the above sculptures: La vie in rose, Thinking 1-4.

Then we decided to take a stroll along the Deoksugung Stone Wall Path. It is perhaps most famous for being featured in the popular K-drama “도깨비,” “Goblin: The Lonely and Great God,” as well as many others. It is a popular, romantic place for an autumn stroll but there is also a myth surrounding the path: walk along it with your lover, it says, and you’re doomed to break up. This stems from the fact that the road used to be along the path to the Supreme Court, where many couples would go to get divorced. Now the Supreme Court is the Seoul Museum of Art, and the curse is supposedly broken.

We passed by a solo violinist, whose rendition of Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” previously reverberated throughout the courtyard of the Seoul Museum of Art. His name is 탁보늬, Tag Bo Nee, and he actually performs paid concerts in Seoul. (An upcoming one is approximately $50 USD for a ticket.) It was wonderful to hear his lovely music, and you can find his Instagram page here.

Around the corner is 덕수궁, Deoksugung Palace. The entrance fee was 1,000₩, less than $1 USD, so we decided to wander around for a bit. (Had we been wearing hanboks, admission would have been free, and there is a discounted rate when you buy a ticket that allows you to see Deoksugung, Gyeongbokgung, Changgyeonggung, Changdeokgung and Jongmyo Shrine.) The royal family of the Joseon Dynasty lived here until 1910. Although only a third of the original buildings remain, there are still various buildings to check out, although you’re not allowed to go inside of them. It does, however, have a beautiful garden and pond. During the annexation of Korea by the Japanese government, it was turned into a public park and downsized in area. The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art is also located on the grounds, and in the middle of the traditional Korean architecture, you might be surprised to see some Western Neo-Classicist architecture, the first of its kind built in a royal palace in Korea. The Daehan (Korean) Empire History Museum is located in one of these such buildings, and you can read more about the buildings here or here.

Above is the modern front gate to Deoksugung Palace. Originally the east gate, it was moved back to accommodate the road in front of it. It is unusual in that most main gates of royal palaces are found on the south side. It was originally called Daeanmun, “greatly peaceful” or “national prosperity and the welfare of the people,” but later renamed to Daehanmun (대한문), “Seoul becomes prosperous.” (Please note: my translations of the Hanja signage may be incorrect. Some of the buildings may be mislabeled as well, but I’ve tried my best to research and provide the most accurate information I can.)

Above is Gwangmyeongmun Gate. It was relocated to its original and current position back in 2018. It had been relocated by the Japanese in 1910.

We were hungry after all this walking around, so we set off along the stone wall road in search of food. There was a popular liege waffle restaurant, but we wanted sustenance and ducked into a noodle shop nearby. I found it quite fascinating that while we were sitting there, enjoying our noodles, a group of older gentlemen came in, ordered, slurped their noodles down in no time flat, and headed out immediately to go elsewhere. The place was small with only a few tables, so it definitely gave off the “eat quickly and then leave” vibe.

After that, we bid our goodbyes and headed to our respective homes. If you’ve got a couple of hours and want to do minimal walking around Seoul but still see several cool things, I highly recommend walking around this area in Jung-gu!

*Reader, I forgot to get a cinnamon roll. Oh well, guess I’ll have to make a return trip!