Being an avid coffee drinker, tracking down a solid cuppa is like an everyday routine for me. Coffee Arco is on the list of the better finds I encounter along the trendy streets of Garosugil. A roastery itself, Arco’s in-house roaster is around every day to take care of the beans that go to your cup. Serving aromatic and perhaps, the most interesting speciality coffee, Arco is one of my usual coffee stops when I am at Garosugil.  

Coffee Arco serves a variety of coffee, from the single origin to different seasonal house blends. You’ll find standard espresso varieties including Espresso, Latte, Flat White, Americano,  etc. on their drinks list. Pretty common, but the surprise comes from the second page of their menu.

They serve drip coffee, coffee cocktails (sweet!) and their speciality coffee from the “Arco Story Coffee” range. Sorry dear readers, although I have been to Arco for at least 5 times, I have never ordered anything else other than Shakerato, and the addictive Orange Latte from their “Arco Story Coffee” range. Another interesting drink I noticed during my latest visit was Lady Latte. A coffee cocktail made of Kahlua, Baileys, Frangelico & Espresso — most excellent coffee combination imaginable! I am going to order this on my next trip.

Orange Latte — An Arco signature drink made with homemade orange syrup and espresso. I have to admit I was quite hesitant during my first encounter. I find the slice of fresh orange was floating on the dense latte form in my cup quite dubious. However, the drink was certainly a cuppa to be remembered: Rich and dense latte form, strong and thick espresso with a nice hint of zesty orange flavour at the background. Certainly a beautiful way to wake up the senses in the morning.

On various occasions, I happened to be at Garosugil in the early morning, and the first thing I would do was to head down to Arco and indulge in their signature latte. I am not a latte fan nor I love any milk infused drink, but I always make sure I don’t miss the good ones, Arco’s Orange Latte is one of them.

Shakerato. [Read: Sha- K – rato] One of the trending espresso-based iced coffee in South Korea. It is an espresso drink infused with syrup and then shaken with ice. A drink perfect for summer. If you are not a fan of Ice Americano, this is what you probably will like. The sweet flavour at the front of the pallet with a slightly dry, dark chocolate aroma was a pure luxury.

Writer’s Note: A cafe at Gangnam that offers various interesting (and good) espresso drinks. If you like coffee cocktails, Arco is a must visit. Just in case you’re interested, their roasted blends are available for sale too.

Contact Details:

Coffee Arco 커피 아르꼬
519-17, Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-Gu, Seoul.
서울시 강남구 신사동 519-17
Tel. 070-8777-0316

Directions:

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I was with the two coffee experts hailed from Singapore one fine winter afternoon at Garosugil so we decided to visit Ikovox Coffee, a cafe that roast it’s own beans. The entrance was brimming with that lovely scent of freshly roasted coffee before we stepped into the cafe.

The interior of the cafe was simple, not overly adorned but furnished with taste and comfort in mind. It was pretty quiet in the cafe for a Friday afternoon. We decided on espresso — A very tricky drink for the barista, but a relatively easy drink for consumers to identify if the beans and the technique are good.

Ikovox’s espresso — Look at the golden fluid. Thick, smooth, foamy and dark crema was a visual beauty. Inhaling the deep, rich aroma just got me feverish. All I wanted to do was to just shut up, drink my coffee and embrace the moment. The moment of strong, rich and aromatic fluid running down my throat. The aftertaste lingers — so sensational, so good!

Cafes are everywhere in Seoul but roasters are relatively rare. More importantly, Ikovox’s coffee are made of freshly roasted beans everyday. Pricing are about the same as any franchise coffee you can get around in Seoul, but TWO shots of espresso are added to every single cup of coffee here in Ikovox — Now you know where to get stronger coffee at usual price at Garosugil.

My Verdict: It is hard to come out with a fair judgement since we only tried their espresso. However straight espresso is difficult to make, not to mention maintaining the consistency, so I guess this cafe is a keeper for future visit. Since coffee is their main focus, there isn’t many choice for food. Limited slices of carrot cakes and caramel chocolate cakes were available at the counter. Oh well, I am not complaining. Good coffee is the only thing a cafe is qualified as a good cafe afterall. ; D

Contact Details:

Ikovox Coffee 이코복스 커피 (가로수길점)
Apgujung-ro 10 gil-37, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.
서울시 강남구 압구정로 10길 37.
Tel. 02-545-2010

Directions:

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This restaurant, Villa de spicy that YJ brought me to offers a variety of fusion style Tteokbokki. This premium Tteokbokki are different from what you can get at the snack bar (bunsik jib). Stepping into the restaurant with the modern + minimalist interior leaves you wondering if you are actually inside a Tteokbokki house, a cafe or a fashion runway. It is a dining space in the most fashionable area of Korea (The Garosu-Gil)  where these pop-ups function as a gallery to showcase the latest fashion collection.

The interior of the restaurant. The clothes on the racks are for sale. By the way, their menu here changes according to the seasonal changes in the fashion industry, the S/S or F/W, two times each year. Tteokbokki the fashionable way. Gorgeously yummy~

The huge projector in the middle of the restaurant was showing some fashion show footage on the day when we visited the place. Certainly, an interesting place fellow fashionistas should check out ^^

It was about 2 pm, the post-lunch hour when we arrived. We were seated at this cosy table right beside the road. I like the interesting structure of the restaurant as it is located somewhere between the basement and first level. Not a common scene at home.

Although they have several seasonal Tteokbokki menus here, the majority of the people who visited this place recommended their “Improvised Tteokbokki” 즉석 떡볶이 [Read: Jeuk-seok Tteokbokki]. It is the kind of Tteokbokki you can customize the ingredients you wanted.

For those who don’t know what is a Spicy Korean Rice Cake yet, it is a kind of Korean Street food with the chewy Korean rice cake as the main ingredient and cooked in sweet and spicy Gochujang chilli paste. Normally the cakes are tossed the fiery sauce with eomuk (fish cakes), cabbage, hard-boiled eggs, scallions and garlic.

YJ who brought me here ; )  Good to catch up with her and I am so excited about her wedding at the end of the year!

If you wonder how to order the Improvised Tteokbokki, to summarize, it is like ordering a Subway sandwich. Choose your basic menu and add the toppings and voila. Since the menu is in Korean, here’s my English translated version for ordering at Villa de Spicy:

HOW TO ORDER: 

Step 1: Choose your size.
Small (2 pax.) KRW13,000
Medium (3 pax.) KRW16,000

Step 2: Choose the spiciness scale.
Medium Spicy (mild spicy)
Hot Spicy (Very, very spicy)

Step 3: Choose your main toppings.
Bulgogi KRW 3,500
Seafood KRW 3,500
Vegetarian KRW 1,500

Step 4: Choose the rest of the toppings listed below:
– Hard-Boiled Egg
– Basic Fried Kimbap (Rice wrap with Korean seaweed and deep-fried)
– Dumplings x 2 pcs
– Cellophane Noodles (Dong Fen in China)
– Jjol Myeon – A type of Korean noodles made from wheat flour and starch that has a chewy texture.
– RaMyeon- Normal instant noodles
– half Jjol Myeon + half Ramyeon
– Pumpkin
– Sweet potato
– Cheese
– Beef
– Additional Rice Cake
– Additional Fish Cake
– Additional Vegetables
– Fried Rice

Pink pickles were served before the meal.

Here’s what we ordered for our Improvised Tteokbokki:

Small size, medium spicy. Bulgogi as main.
Extra sides: Hard boiled egg, Half Jjeol Myeon Half Ramyeon, and cheese.

Our own improvised Tteokbokki. The boiling fiery soup and the Eomuk (Fish Cakes) look so appetising in the pot. Here at Villa de Spicy, they use the top-grade rice cake, which is chewier in texture compared to other Tteokbokki places. We added Mozzarella cheese before tucking in and the rest is history!

WRITER’s NOTES:
A Tteokbokki for two at KRW 22,000 is a bit expensive. (11,000 per pax). However, the serving is certainly big for two. YJ and I couldn’t finish the whole big pot just by ourselves. YJ was saying their fried rice with Korean seaweed is a must-try, but we were too full to eat anything else. A small tteokbokki set with similar toppings should fit 3-4 pax if you order their fried rice when you finish your meal.

All in all, I enjoyed this premium tteokbokki experience here at Villa de Spicy. Certainly a fashionable way of eating Tteokbokki. Hidden in some back alley of Garosu-gil, this trendy spot is also a good place for people-watching since it is located in the fashionista Mecca of Seoul. One of the must-try Tteokbokki in Seoul.

Contact Details:
Villa de Spicy 빌라드 시파이시
541-10 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea.
Tel: 02-518-1973

How to get there: (click map to enlarge)

1. Coming out from Shinsa Station Exit No. 8, walk straight down the street and turn left at the 3rd junction.
2. Go down the road, where you’ll pass by Cafe Twosome Place, Olive Young, and this cafe with huge outdoor seating “Coffee Smith”.
4. Cross the road right infront of Coffee Smith and walk into the alley facing Coffee Smith.

5. Walk up the alley and you’ll find Villa de Spicy on your left-hand side.

Garosu-gil is such a good place for food hunting. And this caramel roll at Maman Gateau 마망까또 was amazingly wonderful. The roll cake was coated with a thick layer of insanely sweet caramel, but it was a perfect combi with the very thick Ice Americano that we ordered together. I love the nutty flavour from the inches thick cream and the crumb was incredibly moist and tender. I am still thinking if I should write about their caramel roll cake in a brand new post, but I am just too lazy lately ; p

Till the next post~