Cafe Stay In-Seoul

Ok, I think I have found my new favorite place! Too bad it is so far from where I'm living now! But need not worry...it is well-worth the commute. ^^

The next cafe to introduce is Cafe Stay In. A short walk from Sangsu or Hapjeong Station, this cafe is nestled amongst many cute shops on a well-known side street in Sangsu. The place has it all: great coffee (including hand-drip), wine selections and other drinks, delicious brunch menu, fabulous atmosphere and layout with both indoor and outdoor (covered and uncovered seating outdoors), and to top it off, it has live jazz music on the weekends!

Yes, my friends, the sign says it all!

This sign is telling us that every Saturday from 8-10pm, there is a live jazz music performance. (There are also occasional performances on others nights as well.)

Store hours:

M-R: 11am-12am
F, S, S: 10am-1am

If you come to the cafe, you can chose outdoor seating in front or on the covered patio.

Here we are with our delicious brunch to compliment my ginger tea, Ahjin's fruit smoothie, and John's coffee.

 

On the menu, this is the "English Breakfast."

And this is called the "American Breakfast."

Please do NOT miss out on this place during your time in Seoul! It is a beautiful gem!

Peace of mind~piece of cake

So I haven't posted in awhile. Too be honest, Seoul life is VERY busy now. And when IIIIII say busy, we KNOW it means busy....but, despite this, I am blessed every week with spending time with my wonderful friend, 아진 (Ahjin). I have a few cafe posts I still need to upload, but I thought I would start with this one. 

This place is called PeacePiece. 

 

 

-directions to find it from Hapjeong Station or Sangsu Station

Look for this sign.

Where the masterpieces are made...While we were there, we could see her making many different cakes.

You can also purchase candles here to complete the gift!

So many delicious cakes and pies! How can we chose just one?

We decided on a cool, fresh iced americano to go with a scrumptious slice of key lime pie.

Singin' in the Rain

Wow, what a day. It's been raining ALL day due to yet ANOTHER typhoon passing through. By the time I got home, despite having my umbrella AND having rolled up my jeans to boot-length, I was still wet up to my thighs with water....And so I say, "Wow, what a day."

This photo is from an article by The Chosun Ilbo highlighting the flooding happening across the Korean peninsula.

And yet at the same time, I feel the rain is symbolic. Not only in the bible, but in movies and novels and songs, we hear of rain's "healing" properties and how it marks a "new beginning": the old is gone and the new has come. I find this quite fitting for my life now. God has brought me to a new chapter of my life and has issued me a call. I assumed this meant I had to do it right away. I am slowly--thanks to His limitless patience--learning how He often lets us know a call on our life, but we have to wait in HIS TIMING for it to come to fruition. Although I know what He has called me to, it does not mean it will happen this year...or next year....or even the year after. ...Only, for some reason, God knew I was ready to handle hearing the news. In the meantime, His is preparing and paving the way toward that reality; therefore, I only want to serve and long after Him and bring Him all the glory! Stay tuned, my friends, because BIG things are in store....and He is already doing them with both you and me! 

Deulgukhwa (들국화) Coffee Shop near Sadang Station

...The other coffee shop I want to introduce today is called Deulgukhwa (들국화), and it is located about 3 minutes from my apartment! (About a 10 min. walk from Sadang Station exit 14 and on a parallel street to the main road.)

I have passed by this coffee shop a few times, but I have never stopped in...until yesterday. This is a small shop that offers many refreshing choices. 

Here is an ad posted outside of the store with some featured items, which are reasonably priced (especially for being in a "richer" area like that around Sadang Station).

Seeing that they didn't offer hand drip coffee (or any coffee at all), I decided to go with the Mint-ade that caught my eye. (You can see the picture to the right. It is in the second row, second from the left.) 

***Mint+cool+refreshing=perfect after a long, hot day***

                                                                               Here is the inside of the cafe. Relaxing mint green wall paper (I'm sensing a trend with this "mint" concept for me today).           

And lastly, my delicious mint-ade, complete with lemon slices and a cherry on top!

Namusairo Coffee Shop in Banpodong

The search continues for the perfect cup of coffee...

I want to introduce a couple new coffee shops to you...neither are what I am looking for, but I am definitely one step closer, AND I got to try some nice stuff along the way!

My first coffee shop is Namusairo (나무사이로), located in Banpodong. The shop was recommended to me by the owner of Mansu, the coffee shop in Incheon. Because I was not sure where it was, I took a taxi from Sadang station. It turns out it is located across from the Seocho Fire Dept (서초소방서). If you see the Seocho Fire Dept, it is on the other side of the street. You will see a Hana Bank (하나은행), and walk up that side street. The coffee shop will be on your left a block or so up.

Here you CAN get a nice hand drip coffee, BUT there is only ONE choice off bean. Although it was a delicious cup of coffee, I am not sure how I would find it again without a taxi ride because I am not familiar with the buses. Too bad I don't live in this area because this coffee shop is nestled amongst an array of apartments. I would frequent this place often when in need of a pick-me-up and a good ol' cup of joe.

And speaking of joe, this is the inside of the cafe where they are making my hand drip. If you do decide to venture out and try this place, the hand drip coffee they do offer is from an Ethiopian roast. This is a top bean, I must say, and leaves a nice finish. Some may even say it has hints of dark chocolate in each sip.

If you are trying to get to this coffee shop, you can show this to a taxi driver: 나무사이로 서울 서초구 반포동 612-140 지에이빌딩 1 층. The phone number is: 070-7590-0845.

....And here is my delicious cup of hand drip, Ethiopian coffee. <3