The ongoing popularity of the Hongdae neighbourhood in Seoul is rubbing off on adjacent areas, and although the Mangwon-dong area has resisted gentrification for a long, long time, the first signs of modern urban lifestyle have emerged. The opening of eert‘s newest outpost certainly falls into that category. The café chain, known for its pairing of tea concoctions with excellent desserts, operates a number of cafés across the South Korean capital, and this one sees a collaboration with local architecture practice Workment. The company secured an existing residential structure built in 1974, and which has since not only seen a number of expansions and modifications, but also purposes. With the objective to retain as much as possible of the building, the three separate retail spaces on the ground floor have been unified, and upstairs, the design concept is hardly any different.
Upon entering the eert café, customers see an elongated table which is embedded in a zen garden on one side, while across the threshold, it seats four people in a traditional izakaya-style setting with wooden flooring. At the table, staff prepare orders, allowing guests ample views of all activities. One floor up, existing walls have become merely decorative, thanks to modern reinforcements, and as such, they see large cut-outs, creating an airy space with plenty of room for an elongated table that stretches across the entire length of the floor. A variety of finishes commonly found at residences have been applied, including wallpaper, floor coverings, and ceiling decorations, and the service unit playfully boasts a ceiling crafted from a grid of floorboards with cut-outs for lighting. As said, eert serves a selection of exquisite desserts, while on the beverage side, a variety of tea and coffee concoctions are on offer.
eert
415-33 Mangwon-dong (Mapo-gu)
04009 Seoul
Telephone: +82 2 3366610
Daily 12.30pm-9pm
Publishers Note
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