The quiet area of Yeonhuidong, once just a residential neighborhood, has now become a hotbed of chic cafes and restaurants. Not far from the main road, in a side alley you can find a large billboard pointing to Protokoll Roasters one of these new cafes.
The cafe and roasters is on the second floor of the building.The interior of Protokoll Roasters’s had all the signifiers of an industrial style cafe. It was a large and open space, separated only by concrete pillars and with a floor and ceiling made of dark and aged concrete. Some of the walls were also bare concrete, while others were painted in a off white colour. There were large windows alongside one side of the building that let in natural light and made the space feel wider.
Stainless steel was also presents in lots of details throughout the space. Chair and tables legs, lamp frames, drawer handle frames and even little pencil holders on each table were made of a shiny steel.
Yet this wasn’t a typical industrial cafe. As soon as you entered the space, you could feel they were trying to create a particular atmosphere. From the calming yoga like music, woody incense and moody lighting all came together to create a zen ambience.
Alongside the industrial finishes, a warm toned light wood was used throughout the space to give it a lovely warmth. The ordering counter was made of this wood and so was a feature wall nearby. This buttery wood was also used on the edges of the tables, in the cabinetry for some display shelves and for what looked like custom-made map cabinets.
Moreover, the space was filled with many tables. In the centre of the space, the tables were rectangular and black with enough space to fit four chairs. Each of these tables had a lamp, and a notepad and pencil holder that were free to use.
The other seats went around the window and allowed you to look out onto the street. These seats had a little more space and there were also some small dividers between some of the tables to give each seat some privacy. All the seats were the perfect height for working.
All the furniture used in the space had a chic library with mid-century modern style feel to it. This further filled in the coldness of the industrial shell of the space and made it feel welcoming and calming. All of this came together to create the perfect environment for productivity and working.
Most of the visual decoration of the space came from the furniture and displays, however there were also a few large photographs of the space postered around the areas the needed a little more decoration.
The café is also known for its roasted coffee and in one corner of the space, next to the ordering counter, you could see the roasting room. It has also opened a second branch in the nearby neighbourhood of Sangsu-dong. However, since the cafe is so well known and busy, there is a three hour time limit. So beware if you need a place to work for an extended period of time.
Moving onto the menu, I ordered the fancy chamomile and a caramel banana. The fancy chamomile was a blended chamomile tea which had a beautiful flavour. It was lovely with a subtle spiced taste to it. The caramel banana was a small banana cake with a nut topping and a caramel centre. The cake itself was soft and light and the nuts added a nice crunch, however the filling had a strange bitter taste to it, almost verging on the edge of tasting like plastic, which was very disappointing.
Protokoll Roasters is a beautifully crafted space to maximize concentration. In dead beat terms, this is a working person’s paradise, given that you can finish your work in a short time. If you can get past the time limit, this is not only a great place to focus, it is a beautifully designed space which will set your eyes at ease. Plus, if you err on the side of caution when ordering any sweets, you will also have a nice refreshment to accompany on those days when you just need to get work done.
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