Sunday, March 10, 2013

아기자기한 작은 카폐

An afternoon nostalgic walk on the streets outside Kyunghee University brought me to an environmental-friendly mom-and-pop cafe that serves vegetarian cakes and nice coffee. Once you step in, you can feel the passion of the two lady bosses operating this small but cosy cafe.

"How to be hot? Just drink and enjoy" Isn't that nice? For people who cannot take caffeine, there are non-caffeinated drinks like Roasted Barley Drink and Roasted Barley Drink - Latte. You can always expect something different from mom-and-pop cafe. Let's go in and check it out!

Cafe Half:Warehouse opens from Mon to Sat, 12:00 - 22:00. All desserts contain no butter, no egg, no milk. We are close on Sunday and public holidays. Our mission: Save the Earth. Lastly, "We will not harm you" (저희는 여러본을 해치지 않아요). Their manifesto sounds awesome, so much so that I must go in to say hi, lol. I support social enterprise that runs business with a heart!

Cafe Warehouse/2, 1/2F 42-54, Hoegidong, Dongdaemumgu, Seoul, Korea, EARTH


The tray and bowls are food and drink station for stray cats (길냥이). One bowl will be filled with lemon water and the other cat food during mealtime. Stray cats in the neighbourhood have learned to find their way there for their daily meals.

The main door is at street level but the cafe's door is at basement. There are several cute stickers above the door to warn you to be careful of your head but I think the likelihood of anyone of hitting his head is quite low.

Soy Choco Cake (소이초코케이크) made without milk, butter and egg, totally vegetarian. It is known as the "left arm" (왼팔) of the cafe, the "right arm" (오른팔)  I suppose is the Carrot Cake (당근케이크). What looks like cream in the middle is chocolate soy paste. Without animal-based ingredients added, the cake has a drier texture and not as spongy, but the feeling of eating the most healthy cake in the world is wonderful.

The air humidifier, wearing a pair of Rudolph's antlers, was hard at work, keeping the cafe's air moist and comfortable. The cool fog added a sense of warmth to the air.

No elaborate or flashy decor, just wood and bare concrete in this 50sqm space. Things are kept simple and natural. The most beautiful part of the cafe is the passion put in by the two lady owners


The post-it notes on the cardboard robot read: "팔 부러졌어요!" 눈으로만 봐주세요 ㅠㅠ. ("My arm is broken", please see with your eyes only). Every nook and cranny in the cafe is filled with pleasant little surprise like this.

8 comments:

  1. Thanks for the information. Will be going for a holiday in Korea this October and will try to find this cafe after revisiting Khyunghee University.

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  2. I thought you want to see snow. Anyway, to help you find the cafe - walking down from Kyunghee's main gate, turn right at GS25 convenience store (opp. Dunkin' Donuts), then turn left at the second lane (on your left). The cafe is at the second building to your left.

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  3. Thank you for the directions. I wanted to see snow badly but cannot find someone who wants to join me. So I have to settle for autumn leaves instead which should be nice too. I will be seeing some snow at the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine this May instead.

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  4. I must say i really love all the photos u took! I will definitely go to this cafe near KyungHee.
    Anyway do you know any accommodations nearby Kyunghee to stay for 3 months? I'm going to Kyunghee this coming Fall.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you.

      You can request to stay in any one of the school's dormitory.
      http://eng.iie.ac.kr/contents/bbs/bbs_content.html?bbs_cls_cd=003004003

      Or you can look at Co-op Residence (Hwigyeong) but it's slightly x
      http://rent.co-op.co.kr/rent_coop/eng/body01-2.htm

      They are also many officetels and goshiwons near the campus. The owner's mobile number is usually provided outside the building for you to contact them if you want to rent a room. This option requires you to know a fair bit of Korean.

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  5. Do you know if the uni like kyunghee or yonsei will be opened on sunday, if i intend to visit?

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    Replies
    1. kyunghee is open everyday, not sure about yonsei.

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