The tarts are always beautiful in Korea, and Pimong Cafe was no exception. Neatly lined up in rows, they were among the first things you’d see walking inside.
The bakery was busy. I got they sense they are always busy. And I can understand why.
The space is a lot smaller than it looks. Most of the main floor is dedicated to the actual bakery. But this shouldn’t be seen as a bad thing. They’re constantly bringing out freshly baked goodness. Their salt bread is delicious and they have a couple variations. On a different visit, I tried the garlic salt bread. It was delicious.
Korea’s bakeries can easily spoil somebody from America. In America, bakeries have taken a nosedive with the proliferation of fast food and quick coffee joints. That and high rent, it isn’t a great industry to be in these days. Korea, however, has the density to support numerous bakeries. The baked good culture is thriving.
Sometimes I do wonder, though, how they arrive at the specific mix of older Korean flavors and Western favorites. Many of the newer, flashier bakeries are quite Westernized.
I can’t name everything in this photo and, despite wanting to, I have yet to eat one of these cups.
Some of what is in the picture, I hadn’t really seen before. The bear is cute. Not as cute as the jiggly cat I ate a few months ago but maybe I would really like the flavor. It looks chocolately and I’m a sucker for chocolate.
The cakes at these types of places always stand out. I rarely go through the process of ordering a slice. Maybe I should make that the order next time. Chocolate seems to be on the mind… a deep, rich piece of chocolate cake could be exactly what the doctor told me not to eat. But I bet it would be delicious.
Here’s what we brought home. Well, the small chocolate didn’t make it out of the store. We knocked it down at the register. I think we were both a little hungry at that point.
Actually, how we ended up here was a bit funny. We drove by and I was like, dang let’s go there. Why not, we had just hiked a while and gone through quite an interesting no taxi, where’s the right bus and then walk back to the car snafu. Some baked goods could set the mood back on track.
The pretzel bun was good. The oreo cookie was good. The cheesecake was solid. The rice donut balls were fantastic. The salt bread, it was magnificent.
All in all, a great stop. In Korea, places go in and out of business constantly. Places that have good history and have been open for 20+ years tend to have their craft down. Pimong Cafe was no exception.
The atmosphere was also worth noting. If you want to reserve their cute tea room, give them a call ahead. It has a nice little pond next to it and could be quite special. I have plans to return on a winter evening and book the room. With darkness coming in and a little fog resting on the pond, it could be a great place for a nice conversation or contemplation alongside a few tasty treats.
Naver:
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삐에스몽테 제빵소
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Kakao:
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149, Omokcheon-ro, Gwonseon-gu Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do
Son of a Chef 
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