It was minus seven degrees Celsius when we stepped out of our hotel on a cold December morning.

We wanted to take a stroll around the famous Banchok Hanok Village in Seoul, and thought what better way to do this than to start our journey at a Michelin Star restaurant Baeknyeon Tojong Samgyetang? The hearty soup prepared us for the wintry weather outside.

Aside from the historic facades of the houses in the neighbourhood, Banchok Hanok Village is also known for its numerous cafes dotting every side street you wander into. In fact, that is how we stumbled upon Woodbrew Cafe; my friend stopped in a retail shop to buy some souvenirs and I took two right turns and a left turn into a quiet street where I came across this cafe.

The clean white facade and silver plated signage gives the two-storey building a minimalist aesthetic. What first caught my attention was the sign with a visual of stacked cookies. Meandering around the alleyways on a cold day called for an afternoon pick me up, and chewy, gooey cookies and a latte was just what would hit the spot.

The glass door leads into a white corridor, where a cookie display featuring twenty-four different flavours beckoned. From strawberry cream to chewy Oreo, matcha, S’mores and more, it was a tough decision and even harder to choose just one flavour!

I settled on the S’mores cookie because a gooey marshmallow dipped into my latte was the indulgent treat I needed. As I waited for my order to be prepared, I went into the seating area, where bar seating ran the length of the window with a view of the entry courtyard, and exposed concrete ceilings contrasted against the sculptural wooden seating booths. The far-side wall of the dining room features a large rectangular cutout that appears to frame the scenery outside.

Likely because it was a cold weekday morning, the cafe was empty save for me and another patron, so it was a relaxing experience to savour the chewy cookie with my warming beverage. If I have a chance to come back to this cafe, I would have loved to try their Strawberry cream cheese cookie flavour, but unfortunately it was sold out.

For those who haven’t tried a Five Grain Latte before, they call it a Misugaru Latte, with a nutty and earthy flavour due to the roasted or steamed grains that are in the drink. It’s packed with protein so not only is it a tasty option, it’s also a healthy choice, especially if you’ve made it a goal to visit several cafes in the area. I attempted to do this as well, but by the third cafe I was getting the caffeine shakes, so hopefully this review will helps you narrow down your search if you’re visiting Bukchon Hanok Village in the near future!

VISIT

Woodbrew Cafe

１９−１３ Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Photography by Florence Leung