I arrived in Seoul a few days before Pia, so I had booked a couple of nights in a guesthouse in Hongdae, which is a young and vibrant neighborhood close to Hongik University. Hongdae has a great selection of really nice cafes, and it turned out that one of the most trending spots, Imi, was just a few steps from the guesthouse.
Imi’s signature dessert, the Creamy Orange Ice Flakes, is a bingsu dessert with whipped cream (bingsu = Korean shaved ice). The dessert just had its big breakthrough, when I was there, so even though it was in December and snowy outside, this was what I wanted to try. It was the first time I had orange bingsu, and it was delicious. The orange flavor was intense and sweet but also refreshing, and super nice together with the whipped cream topping.
In Korea, fresh fruit and berries is expensive, but the quality usually more than justifies the price. The strawberries used in patisserie creations are the sweetest and finest of them all, so when I saw the beautiful strawberry cake staring back at me from the glass display counter, I knew I had to get a slice. It was very similar to the strawberry shortcake at Lady M, and it tasted so good, I considered getting another slice to go. Honestly, I would consider staying at that guesthouse again, just because of the location close to Imi.
Imi Patisserie x Roastery, 201-10 Donggyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul
