[Seoul] Instagram is one of the ‘tools’ I use when planning for a trip. The other thing is, how do you narrow down from all the bookmarked choices?
There are too many gorgeous cafes in Seoul itself, so selecting those few places is a combination of how good the food and place look, reviews, and the uniqueness of its offerings. (I try not to ‘café-hop’ too much in Seoul, but instead choose to ‘park’ myself at a place to get a better feel of the vibes.)
When I saw the Avocado Cake at UNAS 우나스, I was sold.
With a concept of “Creative Dessert Box”, this is a dessert café and baking studio co-owned by Patissier Eun Ah Lee, who graduated from Le Cordon Bleu London and previously worked at Hyatt Regency and Maman Gateaux.
Scrolling through the Instagram gallery, you would realise that the feed was not only about the typical pretty cakes of multiple-colours or cuteness, but desserts with elegance and attention to details.
There is a certain beauty in that calmness as well.
Finding the location could be tricky, as Google Maps do not necessary work well in South Korea (So try Naver Maps instead.)
The café is located on the 2nd storey of SB Tower, and there are a couple of restaurants downstairs which may interest you.
Upon reaching, I quickly wrote my name on the reservation sheet as there was already a line of customers waiting.
Most were Korean females out for a leisure time in groups of 3 and 4s and coordinated attire – they take turns taking photos for one another in various stylistic combinations (the most common being the gaze far away shot); and you also see the occasional couple with an excited girlfriend taking loads of selfies and the bored-looking boyfriend.
Cakes are freshly baked and prepared, and available in limited quantities. Therefore, the popular ones run out fast, and you might want to arrive earlier in the day.
Some of the signatures are the Unas Tiramisu (8,500 Won, SGD10.30) of a trio of cubes included with espresso gel, mascarpone cheese mousse and feuilletage (puff pastry); Mille-Feuille Harmony (9,000 Won, SGD10.90) of strawberries, strawberry custard, tahity vanilla cream, raspberry crisp and feuilletage.
I was really there for the UNAS Avocado (9,000 Won), and did not take long to zoom in straight.
The dessert arrived simply, looking just like an avocado on a while plate.
Ah, the shells are made of real avocados. But it is what goes on inside that got me curious.
As I dug in with the spoon, you would feel the smoothness of the avocado mousse; beneath it was lemon baked cheesecake, and mango & yuzu jelly.
It was a brilliant dessert. It captured that rich, buttery, creamy flavour of avocado with some hints of sweetness, and the other components adding that light zest.
I also had the Yuzu Forest (8,000 Won), while not as memorable as the former, was still a delicately-tasty cake with various intricate components such as almond cake, yuzu mousse and yuzu jelly.
It will be a waste to call UNAS 우나스 an “instagrammable” place because there is so much more than that. The desserts and cakes, are on another level.
UNAS 우나스
2F, C, Annex, SB Tower, 318, Dosan-daero, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
92 번지 SB 타워 별관 C-2 층 우나스
Tel: +82 2-3445-0387
Opening Hours: 12pm – 8:30pm (Tues – Fri), 12pm – 9:30pm (Sat – Sun), Closed Mon
Other Related Entries
10 Most Instagrammable Cafes In Seoul
C. Through Cafe 씨스루 (Itaewon, Seoul)
Cafe Mula 카페뮬라 (Sinsadong, Seoul)
The Skyfarm (Yeoeuido-dong, Seoul)
Cacao Green (Myeongdong, Seoul)
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