S, N and I were going to go on my last out-of-Seoul trip before I leave the country next week, but circumstances prevented us from tasting the authentic regional specialty chicken dish. Ah, well.

Instead, we headed for Sinsadong's Garosu-gil, the pretty street full of shopping boutiques and cafes and restaurants. We chose Papergarden randomly from a mobile app - and gosh, was I glad!

It's a cafe/restaurant/and even a corner clothing and magazine shop. Decorated like an industry warehouse with vintage lights and grey tables, the interior was spacious yet warm and inviting. Love!

Papergarden is a pasta place. And a French place. You can see why I love this place, now, huh. Complementary bread. Soft long breads and cut raisins and cheese baguettes, served with butter and strawberry jam. 

I don't usually like strawberry jam (because Mum is obsessed with it and she totally bored me out of it as a child), but this one was nice. Then I found out, when leaving the place, that it was Bonne Maman!! The French classic. Haha.

I chose chicken lasagne with a chilly twist. I love lasagne, especially the ones K makes. Lasagnes are considered camp food where I come from, because it's so easy to make in bulks. But sadly, good lasagnes are hard to find, even in NZ. Chicken lasagnes are not common either, so I thought I'd give it a go. The portion was massive, and the cheese was extra chewy. With the chilly sauce, it was like eating a thick pizza without the base. I liked, though I couldn't finish it.

S couldn't join us, but H did. She chose a funghi risotto.It doesn't look much, but the hole was pretty deep and H, even with her slow chews, ended up clean licking the plate off. I don't think I've ever seen her eating so satisfactorily.

N had a spaghetti alle vongole. Look at the number of clam shells on top! Actually, they are half for decoration, but the presentation was nice. Think it was the prettiest dish out of the three, and even though it's not tomato or cream based, the oil pasta with the slight saltiness of the sea clams was perfect.

Papergarden also serves house wines and gasp, Marco Polo tea?!!! 

Can it be?!!! Yes, they serve Mariage frères tea here!! I like this place more and more...

My second eating experience at Garosu-gil, and another success. Despite its high price, I like the area. 

There are many foreigners who visit Garosu-gil, and the neighbouring block where there's a street just like Garosu, but full of aesthetic clinics instead of shops. When you see people walking around with surgical masks covering half their faces, you can bet they have just come out of one of those clinics for a procedure or two. 

Because this is Korea, where looks are very important, and where even the donkeys are fashionable...

Papergarden

653-11 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul

11am - 1am

papergarden.co.kr