If you’re a fan of mugwort or black sesame, this place is not to be missed. Naeja & Co is a hanok cafe in Seochon home to desserts such as castellas, affogatos, and crookies.
Hanok Cafe in Seochon
Located a short walk away from Gyeongbokgung Palace Station, the cafe retains the iconic traditional hanok structure, while making a few modern tweaks. The contrast between traditional hanok and modern interior is something unique to Korea and can be experienced right here at Naeja & Co.
The cafe brands themselves as a spot for ‘Coffee & Tools’, and true enough, you’ll find a display of items from homeware to camping needs.
Menu at Naeja & Co
The cafe offers up a simple espresso-based menu with items such as Long Black (5,000won) and Flat White (6,000won), alongside a menu of filter coffee options (7,000won).
They have a signature menu item known as the Danpong Latte (7,000won). Danpong in Korean is translated to autumn foliage, and the drink uses a bergamot black tea in the drink along with espresso and milk.
Their other signature drink is the Mugwort Latte (7,000won), which we tried. There’s no coffee in this, instead, a rich and fragrant mugwort concoction is poured over milk and topped with a light, nutty, red bean cream.
As fans of mugwort, we loved this drink. The red bean cream and mugwort combination worked so well, and the drink had a nice pleasant herbal aroma to it.
For desserts, the cafe serves up a selection of castella cakes topped with a generous portion of cream. For example, the Injeolmi Castella (10,000won) sees injeolmi rice cakes and castella cakes topped with cream and almond slices.
A black sesame version also features chocolate castella, topped with Injeolmi and Oreos, and a black sesame cream. The mugwort version uses a green tea castella, topped with mugwort injeolmi and cream.
However, we opted for their Mugwort Crookie (7,000won), which was a croissant stuffed with mugwort cream, baked together with a mugwort cookie on top.
The textures from this Crookie were amazing, with the flakiness of the croissant pairing so well with the crumble from the cookie. Taste-wise, the herbal aroma of the mugwort was perfect for us, and not too overwhelming.
Other flavours of the Crookie included Black Sesame, Original Rice Cake, and Corn.
Mugwort Desserts in Seoul
If you’re a mugwort lover, the mugwort items from Naeja & Co will be sure to please. The next time, we’re coming back to try their black sesame items because they looked exceptional!
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Naeja & Co (내자상회)
서울 종로구 사직로10길 3
3 Sajik-ro 10-gil, Jongro-gu, Seoul
Mon-Sun, 10am-10pm
Nearest Subway: Gyeongbokgung Station (Line 3), Exit 7
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*This was an independent review by MiddleClass
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