“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. 

 “It's been a pretty tough day," he said. "No sense making it worse with a salad.”

― Susan Juby

Home to Woefield

I had a salad for dinner last night. You know you're getting older when healthy choices become conscious ones, and they become so much harder to stick to. Like blogging, which I have forgotten to do for more than a few months. 

My salad left me craving for sugar a few hours after. And then I came across this set of photos taken when I met a friend for mid-morning doughnuts at the little cafe across the street, and I forced myself to be thankful for the days when I could eat a doughnut, pair it with really good coffee, and not feel guilty about it. 

Happier times indeed. 

This post has been a long time coming. My friend N is a licensed tour guide and he was trying out experience tours around Chongqing for Air BnB. One of the stops is this lovely tea house above a commercial building in Shapingba. He introduced me to the owners and what followed was an afternoon drinking tea in between nibbles of traditional Chinese dessert as they talked about their tea shop, the kinds of tea they have, and how to savor the different flavors of tea.

Of course, I came with loads of questions and they graciously answered every one of them. I found out that they have a healthy foreign clientele because it seems like a lot of foreigners have taken to tea drinking while living in China. Also, they source some of their furniture from a local flea market here in Chonginq that I still have to visit someday.

What's so inspiring is that this place is a labor of love. The owners transformed this rooftop into a Zen oasis in the middle of the city, with private rooms and even conference rooms, as well as an open courtyard with a fountain and a fishpond.

And the interiors were a feast for my eyes. Mr. White is an architect and he designed the place himself. The care and thought he put in making sure there was symmetry and artful use of negative space, as well as the use of old, repurposed doors and tables that added texture just blew my mind. They also have a collection of teaware, from porcelain teacups to pots set in a gallery that would look right at home in a proper museum. My eyes had a field day just taking everything in.

We came to this teahouse way back in January, before the lockdown and everything that happened because of it. I was glad to see that they have reopened their doors to those who are looking for some peace, quiet, and excellent tea.

A few photos from that day.