Sweet Tooth Satisfaction - Publique

Publique is an extremely famous bread and pastry shop in Korea for their variety of baked goods, labeled one of the best in Seoul and they definitely do stand up to their title. This small bakery offers a cafe for you to sit and enjoy the baked goodies and pastries as well as a small outdoor seating area to enjoy the beautiful weather, surrounded by flowers. Freshly baked daily, Publique offers a handful of baked goodies, but the most popular just might have to be their eclairs. Rather than being stuffed with a cream filling, the chocolate eclair is filled with a chocolate mousse that takes it over the top. Their almondcroissant is also something different, offering a cream filling that takes it up a level. Publique is a must visit for anyone who loves pastries, breads, and sweets (that means everyone). 

Directions: Take Sangsu station, line 6 exit 1 and go straight. Take a right at the first block that you see and walk straight until the dead end. Take a left and go straight. Publique will be in a hidden cement building on your left which you can miss if you are not looking carefully!
Address: Seoul, Mapo-gu, Sangsu-dong, 311-1 서울시 마포구 상수동 311-1
Phone: 02-333-6919
Hours: 11am-10pm, Closed on Sundays

Sweet Tooth Satisfaction - The Cupcake Factory (Seoul)

The Cupcake Factory (not a branch of the NY version) is a hidden treasure in Hongdae of Seoul that is baking up cute cupcakes that are extremely moist and flavorful. This small shop offers the traditional vanilla, red velvet, and cookies and cream flavors, but they also break away from the traditional kinds and bake up their own which include, but not limited to cappuccino, mint chocolate, and my all time favorite is the midori with no lime. 

The Cupcake Factory offers one of the moistest cupcakes I have had in Korea. The midori with no lime was actually a great compliment of a vanilla cupcake-like base with a lemony frosting. It was a great compliment of tangy and sweet fluffy icing to the cake. Unfortunately, I could not say the same about the mint chocolate. The one thing that was different about the mint chocolate cupcake is the fact that the mint icing is light in taste initially, but the mint flavor kicks in after a little. The mint flavor can be a bit overpowering because it really does taste like mint and doesn't quite compliment the chocolate cupcake. Furthermore, the cupcake base was a bit dry to taste which is one thing I do not recommend.

Although the cupcake shop is small in size, the pink interior offers a cute seating area in the back to enjoy your cupcake. The Cupcake Factory offers a handful of drinks to order as well and enjoy in a seating with pillows under a tree of yarn. It is extremely girly in decoration and a great location to visit with a group of girls. Cupcake are priced at $4 a cup which is average for Korean standards. To find this hidden location, turn into the only street where Baby Gorilla and Club Naked in Hongdae is. You will see it on your left: bright and pink.

Address: 364-11 Seogyo-Dong Mapo-Gu
Phone number: 82 2 337 4585
website: www.thecupcakefactory.com