May 16, 2016

Teapot Cafe in Jangseong (Jeongeup Countryside), South Korea - En Rogel Teapot Café

May 16, 2016/ Roxy Hutton

I have been wanting to visit the Enrogel Teapot Cafe ever since reading about it on Seoul State of Mind. When my friend Sam from There She Goes Again (you might recognise Sam as the stylist behind a lot of my styled photo shoots) recently took a trip there and I saw her photographs, I knew I had to make a plan to get there. Most of the weird and wonderful places to see in Korea are in Seoul. As I live way down south in a tiny little town called Buan, getting to Seoul is only really possible on the weekends.

I was delighted to find out that the teapot cafe is a mere 40 minute drive from Buan, and so I was able to go visit it one afternoon afternoon after school.

The cafe itself is actually just outside Jeongeup, which makes getting there quite easy as you can catch a train to Jeongeup and then from there a local bus. I am not sure of the exact route to take via public transport as I have a car (having a car in Korea is a real game changer especially if you have a dog here like we do).

The cafe is located in just outside Jangseon village , which is between Jeongeup & Gwangju and is actually quite near the famous Baekyangsa Temple in Naejangsan National Park. Naejangsan is particularly famous for its display of Autumn leaves, and Baekyangsa temple is a very special place to visit during Autumn.

We visited the teapot cafe at the end of Spring, and must have just missed the cherry blossoms. We were able to catch a glimpse of the end of the blossoms, but from the little we could still see of the blossoms, it must have been magnificent during full bloom. The drive itself from Buan to Jangseon is beautiful, and well worth an afternoon drive if you have a car.

March 01, 2016

Racoon Cafe in Seoul, South Korea - Blind Alley Cafe

March 01, 2016/ Roxy Hutton

If you're from the US, chances are you're not a big fan of these furry creatures. You probably have visions of your rubbish being riffled through and your pets being harassed. But to us South Africans, this funny little creature is a complete novelty.

We don't have racoons in South Africa, the only thing we can compare to the US 'racoon' in terms of how much havoc they wreck around your house is the vermit monkey. Most South Africans (at least those from Kwazulu-Natal) have at least 1 story of a monkey (or even a troop of monkeys) breaking into their house, causing complete chaos with the dogs and cats and stealing any food they can get their hands on.

I'm not a big fan of monkeys, so I can understand some of my American friends and their aversion to these so-called 'pests' but I was quite taken with these two racoons that we spent time with at Blind Alley Cafe near Sookmyung Women's University in Seoul. Obviously, these racoons are pets and so tame, I wouldn't advise anyone running up to a wild racoon and try and give it an affectionate scratch (ouch...you'll be in for a nasty surprise).

These two racoons were very entertaining (especially the white one who was the braver of the pair).

January 22, 2015

개 편한 세상 Dog Cafe & Dog Hotel in Gunsan South Korea

January 22, 2015/ Roxy Hutton

Having a dog here in Korea means that we have had to sniff out all the local dog friendly places to spend afternoons and weekends at. This dog cafe was a wonderful find as not only can you take your pup there to socialise with other dogs, but they also offer boarding if you have to go away.

w5 000 gets you in and includes a drink so anyone can pop in to get their share of puppy cuddles even if you don't have a dog yourself. Dog owners can bring their pups to play and the entrance fee is the same (W5 000 per person). The cafe itself is on the 4th floor and has an indoor area and outdoor patio so bigger dogs can run around to their hearts content.

Here are some photographs of our visit a few months ago. Our pup, Shadow (the black and tan Jindo in the pictures below) had a ball romping around and especially loved meeting the sweet Spaniel mix, Olive. Thanks so much to Erin for showing me around the place and for bringing along Olive (who she was fostering at the time).

Indoor Cafe & Dog Boarding Facilities:

Outdoor Patio

Pet Cafe's are really popular here in Korea. Click the following links to see photographs of a Cat Cafe & a Dog Cafe that we visited in Seoul.

개 편한 세상 (which means More Comfortable World in Korea) Dog Cafe & Dog Hotel in Gunsan South Korea is home to a number os street rescue dogs thanks to the kind owner and entrepreneur Doo-Soo Jang.

Address:

Jangmi Building 4th floor, Gyeongjang-dong 466-01, Gunsan-si, Jeonbuk, South Korea

In the picture below you can see the sign for the cafe in brown with an aeroplane logo (picture on the right). To enter the premises you need to go around the building where you'll see the green sign below. Go up the stairs to the top floor.

Have you ever been to a pet cafe before? What did you think of the experience? I'd love to know your thoughts, so please do leave me a comment below!

July 09, 2014

Blute Flower Cafe, Seoul South Korea

July 09, 2014/ Roxy Hutton

Blute Flower Cafe in Seoul South Korea Review by Roxy Hutton CityGirlSearching_Artboard 3.png

** EDIT** The cafe has moved locations and can now be found a short walk from Sangsu Subway Stationer. These photographs are from when they were based in Hannam**

This delightful flower cafe is tucked away on a small side street in the very fancy Hannam area of Seoul. Just as Cat and Dog Cafes are popular here, flower shop owners have come up with the idea of a flower cafe to bring in more business as the flower trade has seen a decline in sales over the past few years. Cafe owners hope that customers will be enticed to bring back the tradition of giving flowers as gifts, and so have a variety of bouquets on display that you can buy along with your coffee or cake.

This particular cafe also offers flower arranging classes.

The food was incredible, freshly baked panini bread with sun-dried tomatoes and salami for myself, and a medley of freshly roasted vegetables for my friend Dominique. The menu was small, but sufficient, and the cakes on display looked so inviting. However, we had a cupcake cafe lined up for dessert and so stuck to their lunch menu. The prices were average, ranging from w8 000 - w12 000 a meal, with their drinks menu more expensive than other cafes I have been to. But the atmosphere is well worth the extra price of a drink.

Address:

New address in Hongdae:

12 Wausan-ro 14 gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul

October 02, 2013

{Cat Cafe} in Seoul, South Korea

October 02, 2013/ Roxy Hutton

A little while ago, Farmboy and I visited a dog cafe in Seoul (it's not what you're thinking...click here to see more) and this time we popped by a cat cafe to give these little ones some love and attention. The idea behind these animal cafes is that people, who are unable to keep pets in their homes (usually due to lack of space here in Korea) are able to spend time with animals in a 'controlled' environment.

The place is kept very clean, with you having to remove your shoes and wash your hands thoroughly before entering. Cats are generally very hygienic anyway, and their 'bathroom' area is a secluded, walled off area in the corner so no worries about that side of things. You simply pay an entrance fee which includes a drink of your choice, and then enter the kitty den and cuddle to your hearts content. These little guys were all pretty sleepy, but when the chicken liver treats were brought out we suddenly became very interesting to everyone. A delightful way to spend an afternoon in Seoul.

There are lots of cat cafes in and around Seoul, this one in particular was in the Myeongdong district. It's pretty hard to explain how to find it, but if you wonder around the busy streets you're bound to come across a banner filled with images of cute cats.

They are usually on the third/fourth/fifth floor of buildings, so keep an eye out on the upper levels of buildings.

More Pet Cafes in Korea