#339 Caffe Bene / 카페베네 @ Seoul, Korea
I just came back from Hong Kong last night and boy, am I tired to head to work this morning with barely enough sleep! I will backtrack to my Korean food diary once again but if I ever feel like blogging about my recent Bangkok or Hong Kong or Macau trip, I will definitely fast forward again. So if you realized, I have been blogging about the countless cafes, which I went to in Seoul. However, no matter which cafes I visited in Seoul, there is only one cafe that I patronize because it is the cafe that has everything I ever wanted and that is none other than…
Caffe Bene / 카페베네
FIRST VISIT: 7TH JANUARY 2013
On our third day of the trip, BFF and I went to the Caffe Bene located next to Sinnonhyeon Station, which is also close to our hotel (Dormy Seoul Inn). The cafe is decorated rather uniquely with huge European-like clocks, tiles and walls made with bricks and wood and Christmas decorations. I believe the reason why everything is made with wood is due to the cold winters in Seoul. People can seek refuge and warmth in the cafe and sit comfortably with a cup of coffee. Although it was hard to converse with the barista, it is still bearable.
As you can see from the pictures above, there are a variety of waffles, shibuya toasts, pastries and parfaits to choose from. BFF and I decided on liege waffles. She got herself a liege cream waffle with strawberries for 4,000 won while me, being a green tea fan, ordered the liege waffle with a scoop of green tea gelato for 4,500 won. Although I prefer brussels waffles to liege waffles, Caffe Bene’s liege waffles are delicious and it goes well with the green tea ice-cream! Vivian and I fell in love with this cafe at first sight and taste that we decided to come back again before she left Seoul…
SECOND VISIT: 9TH JANUARY 2013
On our second visit, we went to the Caffe Bene branch at Gangnam for breakfast. Trust me when I say that there is another Caffe Bene branch right opposite so the cafe can be found practically everywhere! One reason why I gained lots of weight at Seoul was because I constantly consume all sorts of waffles at different cafes or even the same cafe. This time I got the double liege waffles with berries and greek yogurt for 9,800 won. It was my first time having greek yogurt so I was not really used to it’s taste. It is an acquired taste so either you love it or you don’t. I felt that the waffles was a little dry this time due to the lack of gelato. I regretted not ordering gelato right after my first taste of this set.
THIRD VISIT: 13TH JANUARY 2013
Even after a heavy lunch at Sushi O’ Sushi with Stella, we went to another Caffe Bene located at Gangnam to share liege waffle with a scoop of coffee gelato (4,500 won). Stella complemented the dessert with a cup of coffee for 5,800 won. The set came with a discount of 5,00 won and a complementary Caffe Bene chocolate lollipop. How cute, really! I never seem to get enough of Caffe Bene that I went there for the forth time with Von Von.
FORTH VISIT: 18TH JANUARY 2013
Von Von and I reunited over tofu stew at a Korean restaurant. Right after, we decided to find a cafe to chill and enjoy our desserts. Von Von wanted to bring me to another cafe. However, most of the places at Sinchon were already closed since it was close to midnight. Since Caffe Bene was one of the few cafes open, we decided to share a slice of chocolate cake and a bowl of red bean porridge instead of the usual liege waffles. I was not a fan of their chocolate cake but I love the red bean porridge!! It left me craving for more!!
PAYMENT METHODS: CASH/CREDIT
Ambiance: 9/10
Service: 6/10
Food (Taste & Appearance): 8.5/10
Value: 8/10
Total: 7.88/10★
There seems to be an affinity or fate between Caffe Bene and myself as I fell head over heels over it since I first stepped into the cafe. Everyone should definitely chill and try the food in this cafe!
