Cheongsudang Bakery

Cheongsudang started as a small hanok cafe in Ikseon-dong and was later expanded by its operator, Glow Seoul, into a much larger bakery cafe that joins six hanok around a garden of about 300 pyeong (roughly 1,000 square metres). The approach is the draw: you step through a grove of bamboo, over stones and a shallow stream, before reaching the hanok buildings beyond. The counter turns out a broad dessert line-up, from the made-to-order egg soufflé castella and fromage cakes in strawberry and matcha to chestnut Mont Blanc, madeleines and yakgwa, the honey-glazed Korean cookie that is also sold in gift boxes. Coffee is brewed as a slow stone drip, and there is an egg-coffee version plus teas and a matcha ice cream served on volcanic stone. Seating spreads across the hanok rooms and a terrace. Prices sit at the top end for the neighbourhood, so many people share one cake between two. The bamboo path and the garden pond make the best photos.