For the beans, instead of going for Kimbo or Passalacqua, which one will find at many a coffee bar in Naples, Lee and his team roast all the beans for Leesar at their Yaksu-dong location. To achieve the ideal flavor profile for Leesar’s house blend dark, Lee said he sticks to a blend which is composed predominantly of beans from Brazil and a small proportion of beans from Ethiopia to create a br...

The salmon, Lee said, is brought in daily from Noryangjin Fish Market and undergoes various levels of preparation before being layered in thick slices over a dome of rice or if one is lucky to nab one, embedded into a tasty roll with avocado and topped with wasabi mayo. “We make our wasabi mayo with fresh wasabi,” Lee said. The rolls -- both the salmon and avocado and shrimp tempura -- however,...

What emerged was cheese that tastes like its most basic ingredient. Cheese that tastes like milk -- like very fresh, very rich milk. Youngjun Farm’s mascarpone, in particular, tastes very much like fresh cream -- its primary ingredient -- so very luscious, thick and incredibly pure, delicious heaped over strawberries or slices of buttery French toast. Kim attributes this to the freshness of the...

Revisite 115-45, Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul Open Tuesdays through Saturdays from noon until 7 p.m. (will close early if sold out), closed Sundays through Mondays (070)8899-0607; @revisite.patisserie Tarts and cakes cost 7,500 won to 8,500 won, cookies and tea cakes cost 2,700 won to 3,600 won All desserts available for take-out only at the moment By Jean Oh ( oh_jean@heraldcorp.com ...

In addition to pasta, Won also whips up crisp calamari and plump arancini stuffed with Emmenthal and mozzarella cheese as well as crisp herb roasted chicken. Won stressed that Hugo is still a work in progress and there are more changes to come to both the interior and food through the end of January, when Hugo will transition from its soft opening period to an official launch. Hugo Dosan 106, ...

Chick Peace first opened in Sinsa-dong, Seoul two years ago, before opening a second location in Seongsu-dong this July as well as offering delivery via Coupang Eats. Park explained how it all began when owner-chef We Won-jun spent a year and a half in New York studying at a culinary school and accumulating experience with Israeli cuisine. When he returned, chef We took his experiences and chann...

New York Lots O Bagels 642-6 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (02) 3448-7777; @newyorklotsobagels Open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, closed Sundays Bagels cost 3,800 won to 4,200 won each, bagel sandwiches cost 6,800 won to 12,800 won, plain cream cheese to-go costs 3,500 won for small, 7,500 won for medium and 14,000 won for large. Menu items except for the salad and sandwich salad sets are available...

“In 2014, I was admitted to the Culinary Insitute of America and obtained a culinary arts associate degree in 2015 and a food business bachelor degree in 2017,” said Cho. Afterward, when his wife went to study in Sweden, he followed and worked at a prominent restaurant in Sweden for a year and a half from 2018 to 2020. Fast forward to this March, when Cho launched Aurora Real Burger in Sinsa-do...

Bunker Company Apgujeong Store 607-20 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (02) 540-1456; bunkercompany.co.kr; @bunker_company Open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Coffee-based drinks cost 5,000 won-8,000 won, with a 1,000 won discount for takeout; single-origin coffee costs 15,000 won to 25,000 won for 200 grams; espresso beans cost 40,000 won to 55,000 won for 1 kilogram By Jean Oh ( oh_jean@heral...

These muffins sport a soft, buttery, tea-infused crumb and nubs of sweet, house-dried figs and are one of many sweet treats that Lee has hidden up her sleeve. “Our carrot walnut muffins and cranberry chocolate chip cookies are also popular and we are getting ready to sell them again soon,” Lee revealed. “I want this spot to be a warm place that sells delicious sandwiches and sweet cookies,” Lee...

Kim also crafts sandwich-friendly cold cuts like Xesc Menzl’s mushroom wurst and honey ham. “We are always working on new products,” Kim said, adding that there is more to come. “Right now we are testing out a loin ham, aspic and dry-cured coppa or pancetta.” Xesc Menzl Seongsu Store 1F, 322-20 Seongsu-dong 2-ga, Seongdong-gu, Seoul Open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekends ...

For OBC’s take on biere de Champagne -- their Cosmos ale -- Park says Champagne yeast is used at the beginning of the brewing process, not after the beer has been bottled for an additional fermentation. “After the beer is bottled, the bottles are left to ferment on their sides,” Park added. “This is crucial for the creation of carbonation.” The resulting beer, which features yuja -- or citron -...

Oui Madeleine 1F, 122-35 Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul Open weekdays from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., closed Sundays (010) 2609-6479 Madeleines cost 2,500 won to 3,700 won each By Jean Oh ( oh_jean@heraldcorp.com )

Danil Seoul 1F, 656-471 Seongsu-dong 1-ga, Seongdong-gu, Seoul (02) 461-9779 Open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends Blended coffee and single-origin beans cost 5,000 won as pour-over, espresso, latte or flat whites. Select specialty single-origin beans cost an additional 3,000 won Beans cost 9,000 won for 100 grams, 16,000 won for 200 grams with the option of select...

Vinosn Seoul Store 20-7 Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (02) 548-7717 Open 5-9 p.m. Tuesday, 1-9 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 1-11 p.m. Saturday; closed Sunday and Monday. Vinosn Pangyo Store 562-5 Pangyo-dong, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province (031) 8017-7717 Open 1-5 p.m. Sunday and 1-7 p.m. Monday; closed Tuesday through Saturday. Official website: vinosn.com (Wine sets...