[Bingsu in Hongdae] Imi and Sweet Lie

One of the best dessert in Summer is the sweet and cooling bingsu (shaved ice). Strawberry, mango, orange, peach, chocolate and other flavors of Bingsu give us strength to move on during hot day.

In this post, we will introduce Imi and Sweet Lie, which are popular bingsu cafes in Hongdae.

#1 Imi (이미)

Imi is a famous bingsu cafe serving creamy orange bingsu near Hongik University Station.

The cafe is spacious and has warm and cozy atmosphere. There are seats with table and bar-type seats, so it is convenient for people who have study or work alone. There are also tables outside, you can enjoy the fresh air while you eat the delicious bingsu when the weather is nice.

You can find some books displayed at the shelf on the wall. If you come here alone, you can even enjoy reading as well. Feel free to pick up a book!

Imi cafe serves coffee, bingsu, special drinks, tea and others. In addition, there is dessert such as pound cakes, tarts and puddings, so you can also try these when you come here for bingsu.

This is the signature menu of Imi - Creamy Orange Bingsu (for one person). The outer layer is white and soft with orange zest on top. You should not mix it when you eat creamy orange bingsu.

The cream is soft, sweet and savory. The chewy texture and freshness of the orange zest mix well with it. Below the cream, there are orange ice cubes. It tastes like frozen orange juice!

Soft cream and orange ice cubes is a good match. But just make sure you eat it quickly because the shaved ice melts fast.

For bingsu lover who loves orange as well, give Imi a try!

[Information about Imi]

1. Getting here: AREX Hongik University Station Exit 2, Walk 6 mins
2. Address: 1st Floor, 7 Donggyo-ro 25-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul.
3. Opening hours: 12:00 – 22:00 daily
4. Contact: +82-6368-5228
5. Website: https://www.instagram.com/cafeimi/
6. Price: Creamy Orange Bingsu KRW 7,000 (one person), KRW 13,000 (two person)

#2 Sweet Lie (달콤한거짓말)

Sweet Lie, located near Sangsu Station, is a dessert cafe famous for cake and mango bingsu. The sign board is hidden behind the leaves so it is easy to just walk past it. But the white building, wooden signboards and green leaves blend together quite well.

There are a variety of dessert such as cookies, cakes, macaroons, etc... displayed inside and outside the cafe.

Just like Imi, you can also order 1 person or 2 person portion of bingsu in Sweet Lie.

After you orrder, you may go up to the second floor to find a seat. The seats on 2F are quite spacious, with chairs and tables in different design. However, they all have 1 similarity - in woodtone.

This is the Mango Bingsu!

You can eat the fruit first, then mixed them with the shaved ice. The bowl is filled with mangoes like it's almost overflowing. You will also get a strawberry that sits on top of the bingsu. The mangoes are fresh and sweet. Note: it is raw mangoe, not frozen mango.

Just mix the mango with the ice and syrup to enjoy the sweet and refreshing mango bingsu!

For bingsu lovers who like mangoes, please visit Sweet Lie cafe.

[Information about Sweet Lie]

1. Getting here : At AREX Digital Media City Station or Gongdeok Station, Transfer to Subway Line 6 ▶ Get off at Sangsu Station, Exit 1, walk 6 mins
2. Adress : 2nd Floor, 1, 61-4 Dongmak-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul.
3. Opening hours : 매일 11:00 - 23:00 / 월요일 휴무(공휴일 겹칠 시 정상영업)
4. Contact number : +82-3141-3338
5. Price :

Mango Bingsu KRW 9,800 (1 person), KRW 13,200 (2 person) Strawberry Bingsu KRW 9,800 (1 person) , KRW 13,200 (2 person) Sweet red bean bingsu KRW 8,500 (1 person), KRW 12,000 (2 person)

*Please wear a mask and practice social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Wash hands frequently and practice cough etiquette. Stay safe!

[Hongdae] Fuhaha Cream Bread and Bakery Bonggyo

Cream bread is a bread that has been loved by many Koreans since long time ago. These days, you can find special flavours of cream bread in Korea. In this post, we will introduce to you two popular bakery shop in Hongdae where you can try cream bread.

#1 Fuhaha Cream Bread

Fuhaha Cream Bread, located AREX Hongik University Station Exit 3, is a famous cream bread shop. Please take not that it is available only for take-out, so it is not possible to eat it at the store.

When you enter the shop, you will see autographs of celebrities who have visited the shop previously.

There are special cream bread menu such as Matcha green tea cream bread and yogurt cream bread. It is priced from KRW 2,500~2,800.

Puhaha's cream bread is made of French Brioche dough, 100% butter and non-antibiotic eggs. It sells one set that comes with 6 types of cream bread.

We bought Real Strawberry Cream Bread and Salt Cream Bread, both are the best menu of Fuhaha Cream Bread. It comes in a simple yet nice packaging with Fuhaha Cream Bread name printed on it.

The Salt Cream Bread looks like a large morning bread. If you split it into half, you can see that it is filled with thick white whipped cream. The bread is not too thick, so when you bite it with the cream, you can enjoy both taste together.

Although the name of this bread is called "Salt Cream Bread", the cream taste like sweet milk rather than salt. It uses special salt, thus the cream is not greasy but it is fresh instead. When you take a bite, you will go "bwahaha", just like how the name of the shop is (In Korean, it is called "Fuhaha").

Real strawberry cream bread contains small pieces of strawberries in the cream. You can enjoy the soft cream and fresh taste of strawberries together, and it is not greasy. If you want to try soft cream bread that melts in your mouth, come and check out Fuhaha Cream Bread.

[Information about Fuhaha Cream Bread]

1. Getting here : AREX Hongik University Station, Exit 3, Walk 3 mins

2. Address : 22-25 Yanghwa-ro 19-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul

3. Opening hours : [Monday ~ Saturday] 09:00 – 22:00, [Sunday] 09:30-22:00

4. Contact number : +82-02-333-6003

5. Price: Salt Cream Bread KRW 2,500, Matcha Cream Bread KRW 2,500, Real Strawberry KRW2,500

#2 Bakery Bonggyo 

As you walk out Sangsu Station Exit 2, you will notice the white building of Bakery Bonggyo. This is also a take-out specialty store, and they sell coffee along with various bakery.

You can buy different types of bread such as milk cream bread, scone, cannele, and jam and milk that you can enjoy together with the bread.

Popular menu at this bakery shop is displayed beside the check-out counters. You can find a variety of bread and cookies on the stand next to the door.

We bought the most popular menu of Bakery Bonggyo - milk cream bread and butter bread.  They sprinkled sugar powder on top of the milk cream bread.

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Take a bite of the cream bread and the flavor of sweet milk cream fills your mouth. The texture of bread is soft whereas the texture of the cream is watery and not greasy.

Butter bread has a small-sized butter inside the bread. There is a thin layer of salty butter, and the combination of sweet red bean paste with and salty butter taste good. The bread is soft and the outer part is crispy.

For the bread lovers, we recommend you to visit Bakery Bonggyo when you come to Hongdae next time!

[Information about Bakery Bonggyo]

1. Getting here:

 · AREX Hongik Universtiy Station Exit 9, walk 12 mins

 · AREX Digital Media City Station, Transfer to Subway Line 6  ▶ Get off at Sangsu Station Exit 2, walk 5 mins

2. Address : 46 Dongmak-ro 19-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul

3. Opening Hours : [Tuesday ~ Sunday] 08:00 – 19:00 / Closed every Monday and 1st Sunday of the month

4. Contact number : +82-2-322-7062

5. Price: Milk Cream Bread KRW2,300, Choco Cream Bread KRW2,500, Scone KRW2,000, Butter Bread KRW3,000

*Please wear a mask and practice social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Wash hands frequently and practice cough etiquette. Stay safe!

[Hongdae/Yeonnam-dong Lifestyle Store] Jammer & Living Creative Shop KEY

When the season changes from winter to spring, some people like to change the interior of their house to make it brighter and more lively.

In this post, we are going to show you 2 lifestyle stores where you can find cute accessories for home interior and deco in Hongdae and Yeonnam-dong.

#1 Jammer

The first shop that we are going to introduce is a vintage interior lifestyle shop in Yeonnam-dong, which is called "Jammer". It is located about 10 minutes walk from AREX Hongik University Station Exit 3.  Upon arriving at Jammer, you will feel an exotic atmosphere at the entrance.

Yeonnam-dong lifestyle shop - Jammer opens from 12 pm to 8 pm every day.

When you enter the store, it gives you a warm and cozy feeling, which is the biggest characteristic and uniqueness of this store. The interior is filled with various props that brings warmth to you, and it feels like you are visiting your grandmother's house in the rural area in the United States.

You can find various fabric products that are rolled up nicely which is perfect to be used as home decoration. This is one of the most popular items in Jammer store.

Beautiful vintage items are displayed in every corner of the store. Therefore, time flies really fast when you look around in this shop.

Besides lifestyle items and deco items for interior, there are also various fashion items such as an apron, eco-bag and dress. How about taking a look at this corner to see if there is something that you may like? ^^

After you pass through bedroom and living room, you will enter the kitchen corner. Here, you can get a glimpse of the uniquely decorated kitchen interior items.

This section is decorated with some interior items such as table, kitchen counter, kitchen cabinet, hangers, etc that can be purchased. For those who are interested in changing the interior of your house but don't know how to decorate it, you can get tips and ideas from this place.

Right opposite the kitchen section, you can see a bathroom that is decorated with cute props. You can even buy the bathtub, basin, soap, toiletries, and other items.

Jammer is a unique lifestyle store that is decorated with beautiful deco items for each part of the house. If you are a fan of interior design and deco items, do plan a visit to Jammer when you come to Yeonnam-dong or Hongdae next time!

[Information about Jammer]

​1. Getting here : AREX Hongik University Station Exit 3, walk 10 mins

2. Address : 43-2 Yeonnam-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul

3. Opening hours : 12:00 – 20:00 every day

4. Contact : +82-02-2256-7720

5. Website : http://jammer.co.kr/

#2 Living Creative Shop KEY

Living Creative Shop KEY is operated by social enterprise, Creative Arts Creation Center.
This shop exhibits and sells various handmade products created by artists, and you can find many items here available for people who wish to create a beautiful and valuable life.

The store is located in an alley which is 3 mins walk from AREX Hongik University Station Exit 7. You may also check their new products on Living Creative Shop KEY's official Facebook and Instagram.

Living Creative Shop KEY, started at the Hongdae art market since 2002, is the place where you can see unique items made by various creative artists.

There are postcards, fabrics and posters with different design and graphics made by various artists. If you are looking for a gift for friends or lovers, you may check out this space.

As for the ladies, you can find many handmade accessories such as earrings with pretty petals, handmade leather wallets and pouches.

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Living Creative Shop KEY is small but it has all kinds of things available for purchase.

Come and visit Living Creative Shop KEY to give support to the artists, creators and small individual producers.

[Information about Living Creative Shop KEY]

1. Getting here : AREX Hongik University Station, Exit 7, Walk 3 mins

2. Address: 48-5 Wausan-ro 29-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul

3. Opening hours : Wed - Mon 13:00 - 21:00, Tues 13:00 - 20:00

4. Contact : +82-02-325-9955

5. Website : http://www.welcomekey.co.kr/, https://blog.naver.com/welcomekey, http://instagram.com/shop_key/




*Please wear a mask and practice social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Stay safe!