Cha-teul

Seoul is full of new and modern cafes, and new instagrammable ones will occasionally pop up on my social feed. With so many kinds to choose from; fairytale-decorated, forest-themed, waterfall and nature-themed, it is no wonder cafe hopping is one of the tourist itineraries list. Personally, I am intrigued by the traditional tea houses in tea-drinking countries like Japan, China and Korea and although tea houses are much lesser compared to cafes, there are a couple of famous and popular ones like Cha Teul

Loosely translated from Korean, the name Cha Teul means “Tea-drinking Garden”, which is really adept for the teahouse. Located on the slopes of the Buchon Hanok Village in the Samcheong-dong area, the 100-year-old tea house really stands out from the rest of the Hanok in the area

I used Google Maps and navigated my way to the teahouse as there were no signs and the name of the teahouse was quite hidden but a telltale sign was the long queue of customers waiting to get a table. The first queue is located just opposite the teahouse along the steep road and the queue gets moved in batches to the small courtyard where you get to sit down and wait for the table

When I finally got ushered into the teahouse, I was greeted by this picturesque sight of gorgeous greenery amidst the traditional wooden structure of the 100-year-old Hanok. Minus the customers, this scene really looked like it came out of a Korean period drama. Full-length windows were installed so air-conditioning could be installed and customers could chill in the cooling temperature. The interior of the teahouse was kept as close to its original with necessary renewal to the walls and some of the ceiling beams. There is only 1 room with table and chairs so be prepared to sit on the floor when you visit

The menu features traditional Korean tea and snacks like Ssanghwa tea which is a popular herbal tea, Omiji tea ( five fruits tea), bingsu (seasonal) red bean soup (seasonal), persimmon leaf tea and mulberry leaf tea. You can also find other more common teas like green tea, chrysanthemum tea and flower tea

As I had the mulberry tea leaf before in another teahouse, I ordered it again as I loved the taste. My friend had the iced citron tea and I ordered another iced omija tea. The taste of the tea was great and what was even better was the service of the staff as they took time to explain the tea properties and way of brewing my tea to make it the best taste. The staff brewed the first round for me so I could do the rest myself. The Omija tea was refreshing and had small ice cubes with herbs frozen inside while the citron tea was pretty normal

We wanted to order the red bean soup and glutinous rice cake with fruits but were told they were either sold out or not in season so we opted for the pumpkin cake which takes 30 mins as they are made to order. The cake came served in this cute plate with a dome-like porcelain cover with holes which I believe was used to steam the cake. The cake was piping hot when served on our table and it took a while to cool down so we could eat it. At first bite, it reminded me a lot of our gula melaka steamed cake but with a stickier consistency. After a few more bites, it reminded me a lot of Tutu Kueh with a sticky consistency. In terms of flavour, it was an extremely light-tasting cake which could do with more sugar in my opinion. While you can taste the light pumpkin fragrance and sweetness, it is closer to a blander taste. It really does match the light-tasting menu of the traditional Koreans ( with my experience of the traditional palace meal dinner. Read the review here)

Overall, I highly recommend visiting if you are in the Hanok Village area but be prepared to wait as I waited for almost 45 minutes to get a table and my legs also got numb from sitting on the floor so if you wish to get the tables, do let the staff know at the entrance so they can allocate the right seats for you. It is a perfect place to chill and catch up on some quiet moments away from the bustling Seoul city life

Address: 26 Bukchon-ro 11na-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Operating hours: 12 pm to 9 pm ( from 11 am on Sat and Sun and Closed on Mon)