Heart of Five Poems - Café 5cijung

Café 5cijung is a quaint and dainty gallery café in Garosugil ("Tree lined Road"), Shinsa-dong. Once a seedy ajusshi drinking hole, the area has seen renovations the past couple of years and has been reborn with chic trendy cafés and chef-owned restaurants. It is now one of the favorite neighborhoods for Vogue-y women and GQesque men. Style is carried in a friendly and casual manner and is distinctive to Garosugil, unlike some other uber-trendy spots that can be regarded as intimidating.

Café 5cijung represents five (5) + ci (or si, poem) + jung (heart, affection) and when you enter the café you can immediately recognize why. When you walk into Café 5cijung the first impression you get is 'cozy'. The café itself isn't that large and I've been told that many customers ask if there is a second floor. (There isn't.) The warm ivory walls, soft wood chairs and tables, small details in nooks create an intimate ambiance. The small kitchenette is visibly open and you can smell scones being baked and salads being tossed.

Unsurprisingly, the ambiance being as such, the clientele were mostly women when I visited. The owner, who is as lovely as the place itself, remarked that there were days when not a single male customer would visit. Apparently Korean men aren't that comfortable being in a completely open space, especially if that space blooms with femininity and if mostly occupied by women. (Probable typical inner reaction : "Too much estrogen! Arrrgh! Panic!")

The café is well known for its light menu. The most popular seemed to be 'soft persimmon', a persimmon sorbet - we were the only table that hadn't ordered it. (None of us were keen on persimmon.) Scones with perfect texture are provided with every drink you order and can also be bought separately. Ginseng milk is another unique seller.

They have a short but effective wine list; the selection being the owner's preference and mostly chosen to be accompaniment for the dishes on the menu.

We ordered a lot of salads. There was a cheese platter and we also had the scones but no photos of those. I think I was busy eating.

A light crisp pizza. As you might notice, the portions are extremely girl-friendly. Not meant to be a dining place for guys, unless said guy is on a super-diet.

Took a picture of my Junko Mizuno Qee (I don't have to mention that I'm a doll and toy geek every single time, do I?) with the vase of flowers that was on the table. Perfect color match, don't ya think?
Café 5cijung's site : http://www.5cijung.com/