Vintage Korean Cafe Trendy Future Drinks

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During the Japanese occupation, the Japanese opened a "tea shop" in South Korea and sold coffee. It was at that time that coffee shops gradually became popular.

At the end of the 19th century, the Korean Lee dynasty Gaozong fell in love with this strange western drink while taking refuge in the Russian mansion and became the first coffee fanatic. After returning to Luan, he specially ordered the Russian woman Sontag, who had made coffee for him, to build the first coffee shop in South Korea at the former site of Rihua Goddess in Seoul today.

At the Round K Cafe Cafe on the Lower East side of Manhattan, owner Ockhyeon Byeon wants to rediscover the almost lost retro cafe culture in his hometown of South Korea. In this dimly lit coffee shop, there are brick walls, old typewriters and antique telephones, showing a sense of beauty of the old days.

The little decorations in the store. (Annie Wu/EpochTimes)

An old typewriter. (Annie Wu:EpochTimes)

In the 1950-1960s, these cafes were very popular among the younger generation in South Korea, but in 1996, when the elected president of South Korea was eager to erase traces and memories of Japanese colonization, many of the old buildings where the cafes were located were demolished. But Byeon still wants to do his best to preserve the coffee culture of that period. "We have to know what happened in history, and to really remember, we have to see the real things of history and culture," he said. "

The custard cappuccino on the menu comes from a recipe that adds yolk to coffee to add more egg whites. Looking at the drink, it's hard to notice the difference from the standard cappuccino. Byeon pours the egg yolk into the espresso before pouring it into the milk. The temperature of the yolk is crucial because it must be low enough to not be cooked in coffee. Byeon uses professional techniques to add a smooth and bubbly texture to the coffee and make it taste better.

Custard cappuccino. (Annie Wu/EpochTimes)

Byeon also has his own invention, because he wants to make a real "black coffee" by mixing coconut ash, coconut milk, almond paste and cocoa powder to pour out a cup of pure black iced coffee, which is his own unique idea based on Italian iced coffee (shakerato). According to Byeon, coconut ash can clean teeth, so you don't have to worry about blackening your teeth.

The real "black coffee". (Annie Wu/EpochTimes)

Another inspiration comes from the invention of mustard pea snacks, the mustard latte, which mixes the foamed homemade mustard syrup into milk and then pours it into espresso. But unlike most mustard-flavored foods, lattes don't have a choking spicy taste, just a mild spicy feeling.

Mustard latte. (Annie Wu/EpochTimes)

Cafes also serve breakfast meals, and it is worth mentioning that American scrambled eggs are steamed with hot steam from an espresso machine. The eggs are extremely soft, just like the steamed eggs you eat in ordinary Korean restaurants, but with more texture.

What are you waiting for? Looking for old Korea in a modern cup of coffee and steamed egg breakfast on the Lower East side of New York.

Round K Cafe

Address: 99 Allen St, New York, NY 10002

Tel: 917475-1423

Web site: www.roundk.com