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Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Seoul 2013: 커피랩 (Coffee Lab)

One of, if not, the best place for coffee in Seoul.

커피랩, 홍대 2013


One of the girlfriends had searched online for coffee joints in Seoul and had bookmarked Coffee Lab as a place to check out. It took us a while to find the place, we even had to stop to ask for directions, but we eventually found our way there.

Portafilters


The place was done up in dark metallic tones, giving it a sorta edgy, no-nonsense look, different from the usual cutesy cheerful Seoul cafes. I love the decor of portafilters adorning the ceiling of the place. I read that previously, it was chairs instead that were dangling from the ceiling, but I thought the portafilters are more appropriate for a coffee joint and definitely a nice touch.



The staff there were all dressed in crisp white fitted shirts and I thought that it gives off a professional looking vibe. Personally, I have a weak spot for men in nicely fitted white shirts. Ha. The staff in general looked quite broody and unfriendly, but I think some of them are pretty cute though. ;)



Most of the independent cafes in Seoul have pretty decent coffee, but Coffee Lab's coffee was packed with a good punch of caffeine. And that's how a good cuppa should be. We all enjoyed our own cuppas immensely. If I'm not wrong, I ordered one of the specialty lattes, forgot which one exactly but it was definitely thumbs up.



Coffee Lab has three branches - Coffee Lab (the main cafe), Coffee Lab Express, and Coffee Lab Roasters. All three are around the Hongdae area. We were at Hongdae on another day, and we stumbled upon Coffee Lab Express. Well, in reality, we were walking along the streets and we followed our noses towards the strong smell of coffee and ta-dah, it was Coffee Lab Express. It was a tiny takeaway-only shop, with no seating space. No photography allowed inside, thus no pictures of it. My cousin couldn't resist the aroma of the coffee and  bought a takeaway cuppa. Coffee Lab is definitely a recommended spot for coffee lovers.

커피랩 (Coffee Lab)
Address: 마포구 서교동 327-19 (327-19 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu)
Get there: Hongik University (Line 2), Exit 8. Walk towards slight right road, at the roundabout, turn left. Walk about one block, turn right. Walk past Hongik Sutbal Galbi. Walk about 7 minutes till you see a CU supermarket. Turn left and you'll see Coffee Lab.
Phone: +82 2 3143 0908
Opening Hours: Mondays-Thursdays 11 a.m.-midnight, Fridays and Saturdays 11 a.m.-1 a.m.
Website: http://www.coffeelab.co.kr/
To try: Coffee

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