Having heard good things about Coffee Factory in Samcheong-dong we set out into the bitter cold last Sunday night. Disappointment followed--the building that used to be Coffee Factory is now Kiehl’s soaps, or something to that effect, and Coffee Factory (now Coffee Faktory) moved down the road into a big two story building reminiscent of Caffe Bene. They no longer offered single origin pour overs, dutch coffee, or any of the good stuff we’d heard about. Such is life.
Our original idealism quickly descended into simple desperation for a warm place to sit down. This was the state of mind with which we came across Cafe Rosso--an all too cutesy cafe near La Clé*. Other than the building itself--which is great, the ideal building for a cafe--the place seemed like every other couples cafe in Seoul: polaroids pinned to a cork board, fashion magazines, Totoro figurines, smileys on top of your latte. Unenthused, but warm, we took a look at the menu. I was surprised by their offerings of single origins. Just enough to choose from--a Columbian, a Costa Rican, an Ethiopian, a Guatemalan, an Indonesian of some kind. I am usually wary of cafes that offer too many different coffees. How long does it take to sell out before they finally order and roast a new batch? Too long, I’m sure, but 4 or 5 coffees seem manageable for a cafe the size of Rosso.
I ordered Costa Rican pour over (I’ve been reading about them lately) and it was great. The flavors came through; the beans weren’t roasted too dark. The menu was one of the best I’ve seen in terms of explaining the coffee--roast level and flavor profiles. JiEun got a latte, which was...you know...a latte. And there were free cookies which...well, they’re cookies and they are free so there’s nothing else to say.
A little bit about the area: Samcheong-dong is a kind of stylish, boutique, art gallery, cafe-laden neighborhood. A popular destination of young couples. For those of you back home, I call it the Ann Arbor of Seoul (you know, if Seoul were Michigan). Anyway, the neighborhood borders Gyeongbokgung, it’s quaint, very clean for Seoul, and is generally filled with tourists. That being said, there are some great things to seek out if you find yourself there. La Clé (which I mentioned above) is a pretty cool little jazz club we’ve been a few times. It’s very casual, has a cheap cover charge, and has good local music almost every night of the week. The art cinema there, Cinecode Sonjae, is worth checking out, though they show mostly Korean films that only rarely have English subtitles. If you get off the main drag and into some of the alleys and back streets you will find more authentic Korean establishments. Restaurants in old Hanok serving delicious (and cheap!) Korean fare. Kimchi Jjim! Grilled Pork! Spicy noodles! Ok, enough.
To summarize, if you go to Samcheong-dong, don’t be turned off too quickly by the shiny facade you see. There is dirt to be found if you look in the corners, and by dirt I mean the gritty greatness that is Korean culture. Oh yeah, and Cafe Rosso is there, so if you want a good cup of coffee steer clear of Starbucks and go there.
The basics: Espresso, Latte, Americano. ₩4-6000
Single origin: Costa Rican, Ethiopian, Guatemala, Columbian, Brazilian, etc. (Be sure to ask when the beans were roasted, they’re stored in glass jars, which can’t be great for freshness). ₩6-7000
Cinnamon Caramel Toast ₩6000
81-12 Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Tel: 02-722-2622
Email: [email protected]
Web: Facebook
개인적으로 말하면 대체 왜 이 카페를 포스팅 해야하는지는 잘 모르겠다.
다만 이 카페를 알렉스가 매우 마음에 들어했고, 우리는 고생고생을 해서 찾아갔고
서로 속으로는 실망했지만 그래도 좋다고 생각하기로 마음 먹었다는 것 밖에는
삼청동은 그렇게 되어 버렸다. 어디 하나가 특별하지도 , 눈에 띄게 나은 것도 없는 그런 곳.
마치 하향평준화가 되어 버린 그 동네를 보고 있으면 과거에 '나만 알던' 그 동네를 잃은 것만 같아 마음이 좀 그러하다.
숱한 카페들이 즐비한 삼청동. 소비 문화의 중심이 되어버렸고, 이제는 누구하나 터줏대감도 토박이도 없다.
삼청동은 늘 실망감을 안겨주고, 더 나아가 그러한 삼청동의 기운이 옆동네를 펼쳐지는 것이 더욱 못마땅하다.
이는 어쩌면 데이트 할 곳이 없는 한국의 젊은 청춘 남녀들이 만들어 낸 문화일 것이다.
영화나 밥, 커피가 아닌 다른 데이트를 즐기고픈 이들이 삼삼오오 떼로 몰려다니다보니
지금의 삼청동이 북촌이 인사동이 탄생한 것이다. (얼마 전에는 점점 그 파급이 서촌을 몰려오는 것을 보고 실망감을 감출 수가 없었다. )
이 얼마나 슬픈 일이냐. 젊은 청춘들이 갈 곳이 없어 떼를 지어 몰려다니다니.
어찌되었든 삼청동의 카페는 어디를 가든 늘 실망감을 안겨주는 것 같다.
오랜 시간이 지나서가 아니라 애초에 나는 이 카페에 대해 기억할 것이 없었던 것이다.
The basics: Espresso, Latte, Americano. ₩4-6000
Single origin: Costa Rican, Ethiopian, Guatemala, Columbian, Brazilian, etc.₩6-7000
Cinnamon Caramel Toast ₩6000
기억을 더듬어 설명하자면, 삼청동 와플거리까지 걸어가서
청와대로 올라가는 언덕으로 길을 건너 좌측편 길에서 보이는 첫번째 골목으로 들어간다.
하염없이 걷다보면 인적이 드물어지고 그 길 끝에 카페 로쏘가 느닷없이 나타난다.
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