While on my trip to Jeju Island I headed down south to Seogwipo, the second largest city on the island. Just a five-minute walk away from the Jeongbang Waterfall is a café with a cracked concrete driveway. At the end of this short driveway there are white pavers leading to the cafe Neobeun.
The café seemed like it had been converted from an old home into a café. The outside of the café had a huge yard that was planted with various trees. The courtyard had two parts, one that was covered in grey stones with white rock pavers marking a path to walk on. The second part had bark and a dirt path and was had a few rows of luscious green fruit trees. In both of these areas was seating.
Before entering the main café, you could also see a small covered area to the left of the space. This building was semi open with a long u shaped bench/table where you could sit. This building had patch work style concrete walls and silver roof beams uncovered which gave off an industrial feel.
The main building had a completely different feel to this. The space was warm and inviting. The walls were plastered in a honey tinted beige, while the floor carried a similar tone but with a tiny pebble like finish. The support beams of the roof were uncovered like the other building, but these beams were a warm toned wood.
Most of the seating was for groups of twos or fours and the tables were circular, mostly white or glass. The decoration of the café was simple with built in shelving on one wall that displayed some pottery and simple posters. Decoration inside the café was simple because it was the view of the font yard that was the focus. Large windows on three of the four walls looked out onto the beautiful lush greenery of the yard. Not only was this beautiful to look at, it also helped to open up the relatively small space.
This main area gave off a warm and comforting feeling. It had a more feminine feel to it and while the space was appropriate for working, it definitely seemed more like a place to socialise. Moreover, while the interior and exterior seemed, a little miss matched, drawing from different aesthetics, taken separately each area was well done.
The best part however, was the menu. My friend got an iced americano, I got an iced strawberry latte and we shared the Baeknokdam Crater Lake Croffle. The croffle was named after Baeknokdam Lake that sits on the top of Hallasan Mountain in the centre of Jeju Island. The croffle came with vanilla ice cream and was topped off with shaved white chocolate. The croffle was crispy, and combined with the ice cream was a good combination as the ice cream softened the pasty. Plus, the shaved white chocolate added another flavour dimension to the desert and made it creamier.
The latte was lovely with a homemade chunky syrup. It had a well-balanced flavour that wasn’t artificially sweet, but rather fresh. My friend said it reminded him of strawberry milk his grandma made for him when he was young. My friend also said his americano was well brewed and had a well-rounded flavour to it.
In dead beat terms, Neobeun is a lovely little café with a beautiful garden just a short walk away from Jeongbang Waterfall. Not only is the café set among a beautiful garden, its menu is also top quality and has a feeling of being made with love at home. This is a lovey café that has a cozy and feminine feel, perfect for a date or a day with friends.
Comments