Good cop... ee chuseyo

Don't worry. I won't restart my usual rant about the pervasiveness of coffee shops in Seoul (see "Brews and bruises"). This book cafe has something really special.

To get in, you have to leave an I.D. at a police booth, and that's totally normal since you're entering the headquarters of Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency (SMPA). From Gyeongbokgung Station exit 7, you can't miss this hulk of a building topped by an antenna that competes with Namsan Tower at night (picture two giant cuttlefishes exchanging colorful, LED-powered distress messages). The main entrance is on Naejadong-gil (now Sajikro-8-gil), but for the cafe, use the small one on Saemunanro-3-gil, opposite KEB / Kim & Chang.

Likewise, there are two entrances for this book cafe, the 'cafe' part being on the ground floor, and the 'book' one down a large set of stairs. The atmosphere is rather cool, and the proportion of uniforms lower on week-ends.

Now regarding the book section, this is serious stuff, far beyond the usual pseudo-cultural alibi (worn out hip magazines on stylish shelves): you're in an actual library, with rows of neatly sorted volumes. And if 99% of them are in Korean, they cover a wide scope: Korean literature, English literature, French literature (featuring Portuguese authors but we share the same Latin roots anyway)... Bonus, a whole section you won't find in any other library: "경찰" - "Police", complete with corporate news and criminal cases.

Here, anyone can borrow books, up to three per fortnight.

Unfortunately, not all police authorities display this really good cop routine nationwide. And judging by how poorly Suwon Jungbu Police Station's teams handled the abominable abduction/rape case last week, they probably were not encouraged to browse through this kind of literature...



Seogyeong Book Cafe / 서경 북카페 (cafe)
Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency
Sajikro-8-gil 31, Jongno-gu, Seoul, ROK


Seoul Village 2012
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Goghi (Seoul)

Now here is a spot that symbolizes the gentrification of Seochon aera.

Strategically located at a fork just North of Yeongjumun-gil, the new "bourgeois boheme" center West of Gyeongbokgung (between Tongeui-dong and Changseong-dong, South of Hyoja-dong), Goghi opened last year with a now classic business model :
- "smart" architecture : modern yet low cost design, one big public space with a small parking lot in the front and a small house behind... with a sense of timing (the area is about to be preserved, nearby hanoks shall not be sacrificed as easily)
- "smart" programming : diverse sources of relatively easy revenues to make the most of the same space - a cafe, a bakery, a restaurant proposing a limited choice of brunch sets all day, a gallery, and even cooking lessons.

That said, it's a nice spot to enjoy a break at odd hours in a peaceful atmosphere. They make good bread and use it in their brunch sets. Burgers and paninis are served with a nice salad. Not really Seoulite, and not very cheap (about 15k), but I could appreciate the pause in every season.

Yeah, I always feel a pang of guilt, too... but I sponsor enough small Korean eateries to indulge myself once in a while. Furthermore, as crazy at it may seem in this big artificial room half opened to the elements, a coffee mug in one hand, a book I just fished at Gagarin in the other, I'm often reminded of my pleasant reading hours in Perigord.

GOGHI (cafe - restaurant)
100 Changseong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, ROK 110-070
Tel: (+82) 02-734-4907

Seoul Village 2009

Patisserie B

My "boulangerie du quartier" is safely guarded by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Headquarters from across the street, where Naeja-dong-gil and Jusigyeong-gil meet.

Pâtisserie B's owner and chef majored Ecole Lenôtre and it shows : if you want to browse mouthwatering books on "desserts" while enjoying a great "tartelette au citron" with tea or some "truffes au chocolat" with coffee, this is it.

You can also pick up / order a cake that will change you from the usual sponge / cream combo (they do commit some cream cakes though - business is business).



Pâtisserie B (bakery - cafe)
Gyeonghuigungoe Achim / King's Garden block #3, 1F
Naesu-dong 72 bonji, Jongno-gu, Seoul, ROK
Tel : +82.2.739.5532