Located in Ikseondong, one of the most hipster places for locals to chill, Tteuran Tea and Dessert Cafe is a traditional Korean teahouse offering healthy teas and snacks
Opened in 2009, Tteuran was in the Ikseondong Hanok Cluster way before it became a tourist hot spot. The name Tteuran means ” inner garden” which is fully represented by the small garden space the cafe recreated. There are 2 entrances; one from the side and the other which walks through this beautiful lush quaint garden with a small bench for customers waiting for a table
The space inside is split into the traditional floor sitting area and the western-styled table and chair seating. The entire space is quite small with only 5 Western-styled table seating and floor space enough for 4 to 5 small groups of customers. The entire decor complemented the look of the traditional Hanok building with well-maintained exposed wooden pillars and beams from the original Hanok. The furniture used was also in simple dark wooden colours with warm lighting used throughout the cafe
There is a huge variety of traditional teas and desserts on their menu and their menu has both Korean and English descriptions which are very helpful to tourists
Our group ordered 3 different kinds of tea, Citron tea, Mulberry tea leaf and another one was pear-based tea. Mine was the only dry tea leaves and the servers will pass you a small tumbler with hot water to make your tea. The other fruit-based teas are served readily made in small cute ceramic cups. The teas were all very tasty but the only downside was the serving is pretty small so it is suitable for slow sipping and not gulping. The mulberry tea was flavourful and had an extremely nice fragrance. In fact, it was so good, I bought 1 packet home
After reading great reviews online, I decided to order the rice cake set and the Danpatjuk which is a sweet red bean porridge dessert. Personally, the rice cakes were extremely traditional in flavour but at the same time more on the light and bland side. You will need to dip the cakes into the honey given on the side to add some sweetness to the rice cakes. In terms of texture, the green one was very soft and chewy while the yellow one is soft and crumbly. It is a nice light snack but if you like really sweet stuff, this is probably not for you
Overall, I liked the environment at Tteuran as the staff were very friendly and helpful and spoke enough English to communicate with us and answer our questions. The entire space left us feeling relaxed and zen as we watch the busy world go by. It would be perfect if we had more time to spend there and try the different kinds of tea they offer
Address: 17-35 Supyo-ro 28-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Operating hours: 12 pm to 10 pm ( Closed on Mon)
Bear Travels . Bear Eats . Bear Cooks 