Bo-eun leads the digital content team. She has covered foreign affairs, North Korea, tech, economy and gender issues at The Korea Times. She did a short stint at the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, where she obtained a new perspective on news production and life. Small sources of joy for her are lounging in the sun, having a good latte and swimming.
Discovering the charms of Yeonnam-dong
By Kim Bo-eun
By Kim Bo-eun
When this reporter moved to Yeonnam-dong in 2010, it was a rather dour, working-class neighborhood. What was noteworthy were the abundance of authentic Chinese restaurants and diners for taxi drivers.
Yet over the course of five years, trendy cafes and bars have replaced the car repair shops and butcher’s to become a hip area where office workers come on weekdays for after-work drinks, and young people flock to on the weekends.
Even so, Yeonnam-dong remains far from sophisticated. In a way, it is still the same old neighborhood with old rice cake shops and hardware stores, but that’s perhaps what gives the place its charm. Tucked away in a residential area a walk away from Hongdae Station,
its narrow streets are mostly lined with small shops. Take a stroll down Yeonnam-dong’s alleyways this fall, and indulge in its retro ambience. The following are a list of places you might want to drop by. Note that many of the stores are closed on Mondays.
Salon de Ceylon
A marvelous sweet, buttery scent will greet your nose as you step into Salon de Ceylon, a café specializing in milk tea and macarons. Its milk tea, which takes at least 10 minutes to prepare, has a deep and rich flavor. You might also want to try its carrot cake.
#227-15 / 070-8742-3310
Isim
Isim was one of the first coffee shops to open in the neighborhood and can probably be said to have the best in the area. A wide variety of beans from around the world are available for hand-drip, and the barista-owner will give recommendations if you aren’t so familiar with the different kinds. You can watch drops of water splatter all over the counter as the owner-barista pours a thin stream of boiling water from above his head into the grounds to make a great-tasting cup.
#227-5 Yeonnam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul / 070-4235-5050
Pinokio Bookshop
There is something warm and inviting about the shop’s yellow interior. Once you step in, you can feel a pleasant sense of nostalgia at the small illustration bookstore. The owner brings in picture books from a couple of dozen countries including Canada, India and Portugal. On one side, the shop also exhibits the work of rising artists.
#227-17 / 070-4025-9186
Place Mak & Maksa
When you walk into Yeonnam-dong’s Dongjin Market you might hear a sudden shriek seemingly coming out of nowhere. It will probably turn out to be a play staged at Maksa, a small space for performances located right by the marketplace. Right around the corner is Place Mak, where art exhibitions are held.
017-219-8185
Papaver
Papaver is a place you can drop by for a glass or two of wine and companionship when you’re feeling the melancholy of autumn. The small wine bar in the relatively quiet neighborhood allows you to feel comfortable visiting on your own. You can get decent wines and platters at affordable prices – most of the bottle wines cost around 40,000 won to 50,000 won and platters are available at 20,000 won and below.
#228-5 / 070-4656-7887
Octa
Octa, among the older establishments in the neighborhood, used to be the kind of place you would want to keep to yourself. What was once a quiet little Japanese-style bar is now a crowded place that you need to line up for in order to get in. Even so, the food may make you want to endure the wait. Simply but deliciously prepared, served in small portions and priced under 10,000 won, you will find yourself ordering everything on the menu from the salmon braised in soy sauce (8,500 won) to curry with baguette slices (8,000 won). Octa offers Japanese soju as well as draft beer and wine.
#257-16 / 02-325-8056
Cycle de l’eau
Cycle de l’eau – “cycle of water” in French – is probably the only shop in the country specializing in cactus plants. Its cactuses – of all shapes and sizes – are sold in recycled Campbell and Heinz ketchup cans, and if customers bring old shoes or cups the shop also plants them there. Cycle de l’eau also offers organic teas and even organic coke imported from the U.K.
B1, #387-11 / 02-322-3820
Hyangmi
Among Yeonnam-dong’s most popular authentic Chinese restaurants is Hyangmi. The flavorful broth of its niuromian (beef noodle soup) will keep you coming back for more. The soup is perfect after a night of drinking. Hyangmi’s xiaolongbao, or soup dumplings, are also worth a try.
#228-26 / 02-333-2943
Soi Yeonnam
Soi Yeonnam is one of the newest openings in the neighborhood where you can get a quick meal and a beer or two in the evening. There are only a handful of dishes – beef noodle soup, papaya salad and barbecued pork on skewers – which aren’t spectacular but probably closest to what you can get in Thailand. For a larger and more satisfying variety of authentic Thai food, visit TukTuk, run by the same owner and located further up from the intersection. Note, however, that you will need to brace yourself for a lengthy wait to eat there.
#229-67 / 02-323-5130