“This year’s vintage is best enjoyed this year. Let’s begin.”
― Gina Barreca
The post title is a mouthful, but I seriously got kissaten vibes when this little cafe came into view. It's located in a residential neighborhood just behind one of the bigger malls here, on the first floor of another older residential building. Grannies hang out right outside watching after babies in strollers. The streets are also tree-lined.
Itaewon wants to remind you that you can find Japanese retro with a South Korean twist here. More and more kissaten-inspired little cafes are popping up, old apartments turned inside out and cobbled together to create spaces with good coffee, cute cakes and retro memorabilia.
These spaces are Instagram-worthy little vignettes, the kind that reminded me of my lola and her rooms in her house with all the lace, perfume bottles and yellowed book pages doubling as wall-art.
The husband and I hung out by the window, and I enjoyed my cake with its dried fruit and crunchy sugar toppings as we looked at the grannies fanning themselves and sharing the day's news. We were part of that neighborhood for an hour and it felt good.
