I’ve been a fan of most things Korean since I first visited Seoul many years ago to speak at a conference. Any free time I had, I went exploring. I walked for hours in any direction that looked interesting, tasted any foods that smelt good. When I returned, I spent years watching kdramas, reading the subtitles until I started to understand the gist of what was being said. So last year I jumped at the opportunity to bring my family to fall in love with Seoul as well.

There are some amazing chocolate makers in Korea. While in Seoul, head straight to CacaoDada. I can still taste the chocolates as I type this, long after any of my large stash of bars bought after my visit there has, sadly, finished. When we visited it was hot, very hot, and the shop completely empty. No chocolate was being made, although you could see through into the chocolate making area. We walked, wide eyed, through their display of products, tasting each one as we went. 

We tried many different things here and all were excellent. The highlight was the chance to have a chat with the chocolate duo themselves, Hyungwon Yoon and Yurim Go.  They do magic with beans they source from Costa Esmeraldas in Ecuador which are available in bar form but also transformed into a thick drinking chocolate. Their Tanzania bar made using beans sourced from Koko Kamili is my son’s favourite milk chocolate bar ever. 

Cacao Dada: 15 Huiujeong-ro 10-gil, Mangwon-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea Open Thursday-Saturday 11am to 8pm. Cacaodada.com

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The area around Busan is home to many stunning UNESCO World Heritage Sites. If you are short on time, as we were, luckily several companies offer full day bus tours where you can visit all the sites in one day. While I am usually not a fan of such trips, The one we took today was fantastic (booked through Klook). The bus zips through Busan to pick up other passengers, giving glimpses of life outside the central areas. We then visited Bulguksa Temple with its beautiful and serene gardens. It was absolutely bucketing down rain as we drove into Yangdong Village, but the clouds miraculously parted just as we parked the bus. Apart from the local residents, we were the only visitors to this traditional Joseon Dynasty village. We wondered through the streets before stopping for a fantastic lunch at a restaurant in town followed by one of the worse hot chocolates I have ever had. But honestly, who comes here for hot chocolate. The day ended at Daereungwon to visit the royal tombs and then walk along the nearby shopping and restaurant streets, one of the highlights of the day (stop at Gyeongju Restaurant for mind blowing gimbap). We spent sunset at Donggung and Wolji and after dark we stopped to see Woljeong Bridge all lit up.

Dogma Restaurant and Cafe, 122-1 Yangdongmaeul-gil, Gangdong-myeon, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea. Hours: 10:00 – 17:00 most days.

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Busan looks a bit rough around the edges, but dive in and it quickly starts to sparkle. It is vibrant and colourful, and this is especially the case with Gamyeon. This town within the city is made up of narrow, winding streets and houses painted a variety of colours. Hidden amongst the houses are works of arts, murals interesting little shops and lots of fantastic photo opportunities. It is touristy, but still worth a visit, especially early in the morning or later in the day when there are less people.

We arrived very early and were the first in the tourism office to pick up a map of the neighbourhood. For 2000 this map allows you to collect stamps at different points which helps you see all that there is to see. I’d recommend starting at the top near the tourist office and winding through the streets, down the hill, ending up in the fish market for some fresh fish (you can pick your live fish downstairs and then bring it upstairs for them to cook, or, if you are courageous, try the live octopus which you eat while it is still wriggling!).

Three things I’d recommend doing first thing before the tourists arrive. First, stop at the Cafe Wooin, order anything and bring it upstairs to enjoy on the rooftop terrace. From here you get an amazing view of the area. The hot chocolate was actually not bad, only lightly sweetened and had a nice chocolatey flavor. But don’t order the marshmallows which have a horrible artificial and overly sweet flavor to them. Second, visit the flipbookstudio downstairs. In only 10 minutes, you can create a flip book memory to take home of your time in Busan and it is a lot of fun to make. Third, head to Gamcheon Bakery to try their famous salted bread.

Cafe Wooin, 2-202 Saha-gu, Busan South Korea. Hours: 9:00-20:00

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Onion is the place to be in Seoul. All the “best of” lists say so, as does the tourism office, the hotel, instagram. So when in Seoul….There are, I assure you, no onions at Onion, just incredible looking pastries and a selection of hot chocolates. Yes, a selection. And it is incredibly instagrammable to the point that it is difficult to move around without inadvertently photobombing someone’s latest post. 

There are a few Onion cafes around the city, but the main one is Cafe Onion Anguk in Jongno-gu. it is housed in a beautifully renovated hanok (traditional Korean home) dating back to the 1920s. The line up to get in is long basically all hours of the day but it moves quickly and those who wait are rewarded with seats inside this stunning hanok. But that lineup is only if you want to eat inside. If you want to eat outside on the terrace, no need to line up, you can just walk straight in. Inside, the line loops around a table jam packed with ridiculously delicious looking desserts. Pick one (or more), place them on your tray, and proceed to the cash to order drinks and pay.

There are several hot chocolates on the menu. The one I tried today was made of 100% cacao, early grey, peppermint and smoked tea. Everything we ordered was delicious. So Onion isn’t just about looks, there is definitely substance there too! This provided us with the fuel we needed to explore the area. Bukchon Hanok Village is worth spending days in, wondering its windy streets where many an interesting little store is hidden. For lunch consider stopping by Bukchon Ginseng Chicken Restaurant for some Ginseng soup. Bukchon Traditional Craft Centre offers many opportunities to learn traditional Korean Crafts if you have an hour to spare. Stop for a tea and traditional Korean sweets at Chatteul or reserve a tasting of traditional Korean alcoholic drinks at The Sool Gallery.

Cafe Onion Angus, 5 Gyedong-gil, Seoul, South Korea (www.onionkr.com) Open weekdays 7:00-22:00 and weekends 9:00-22:00

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Coco Bruni was my last hot chocolate in Seoul and a very nice one. Unlike many of the locations I had visited before, specialty spots where I was strangely alone in savouring their beautiful creations, here I was accompanied by my whole class at university and their friends too. This is obviously where all the students get their fuel during the day, a fuel that consists not just of hot chocolate but a very popular cold chocolate, a lot of very decadent looking desserts, some frozen, some oozing with more chocolate. The hot chocolate is made using single origin chocolate from the Dominican Republic which is a very very good way of impressing me and getting a good review. I did have a moment where I wondered why they wouldn’t use a single origin from a little closer, there are quite a few good options in the Asia Pacific region, but hey, a little piece of home is always much appreciated especially when it is prepared so well. It isn’t as rich and decadent as you might expect given the dessert case, it is lighter, very easy to drink, a little bit on the sweet side but still very nice.

The café is fun with large empty (luckily) birdcages hanging throughout from the ceiling. Today they are advertising a tea and chocolate pairing event which, if I wasn’t flying out, I would definitely sign up for even though I wouldn’t understand a word, I’m sure I could just learn by the absorption method (Step 1. Eat chocolate and drink tea Step 2. Listen to teacher making various foreign sounds Step 3. Look at the faces of the students Step 4. Learn some things).

Once again I know very little about Coco Bruni because they have made a website that doesn’t work with Google Translate. They do mention natural and handmade a lot from what I can tell which doesn’t actually mean anything really (without context at least). I didn’t realise until looking through their website that they have a chocolate sampler where you can taste a little bit of the single estate, the dark (using cacao from Madagascar) and the milk chocolate (which has added honey for a bit of sweetness). Next time.

Once you are done you can hop across the street and rent out your own private karaoke booth and have a try. This area has lots of bars, clubs, shopping, people you name it. In the evenings there is a steady stream of students playing in their bands on street corners, some very well could be the next k-pop phenomenon.

Verdict: A crowd pleaser. Make sure you learn how to say “not in a paper cup please” in Korean. I must have said the opposite because I was the only one with a hot chocolate in a paper cup.  Coco Bruni, 166-12 Donggyo-dong, Seoul, Korea

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I had some fantastic hot chocolates in Seoul. I also had some very strange ones. The strangest was by far Ddo-dong Cafe, so strange in fact that I felt I needed to share this with you. When I say they have a bit of everything in Seoul I really mean it. And the beauty of Seoul is that it is all mixed together, the old the new, the traditional, the strange. I spent a lot of time in Insa-dong. There are little shops, traditional tea shops, Korean bbq restaurants, local handmade sweets. In the middle of it all is a four storey open shopping plaza called Ssamzie-gil Market. If you walk through the entrance and to the back left corner, hidden out of view is a tiny elevator. Take it to the top and you can walk around the whole mall back down to the entrance. There are no stairs, it is a spiral lined with all sorts of interesting stores.

But right at the top of the elevator is a café that sells all of its food and drinks in little mini toilet seats. Yes you read correctly. Ddo-dong is Korean for Poop so this is the Poop Café. And this isn’t even the only one in the world, there is another one in the very civilized city of Toronto in Canada. Who would have thought? They have little stuffed poo shaped toys sitting on every other table and little poo shaped decorations hanging throughout. I know this is a “thing” (they sell poo shaped cookies too down on the first floor) but it isn’t a “thing” I have ever followed. The kicker is that the place was very very popular with both the young and old. One couple was feeding their young baby some food out of a toilet shaped bowl. What more can I say other than the hot chocolate was very sweet, not very chocolaty and most importantly, the only thing that was not served in a toilet seat much to my disappointment (strangely).

This is definitely not the highlight of Insadong, far from it. The highlights of Insadong are hidden in the little alleyways off Insadong-gil, the main through road that is just for pedestrians. Watch the men in the little sweet dragon beard stands pulling honey into amazingly thin strands dusted in icing sugar. There are several stores selling calligraphy materials including large brushes. All the little independent stores offer little treats that make much better souvenirs than in the tourist centers. There are traditional tea houses serving a menu of teas that will cure any ailes. Insadong has it all.

Verdict: Just another day in amazing Seoul. Poop Cafe, Ssamzie-gil Market, 44 Insadong-gil, Seoul, South Korea

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The main tourist attraction you will inevitably visiting at some point during your trip is Gyeongbok Palace or G Palace as I started calling it. There are so many different palaces across the city, all worth visiting which makes it difficult as a tourist to balance Palaces vs everything else. Gyeongbok Palace was the main royal palace of the Joseon dynasty build in 1395. It is stunning and you could easily spend a whole day here wondering around. Rent a traditional outfit (hanbok) from one of the shops close by (or your hotel if they offer them) and walk through the grounds for an hour or two, preferably around the time they have different ceremonies.

Before, or after, you visit (I chose before), turn left instead of entering the front gates. Walk two blocks and then turn right. This little area has all sorts of little local restaurants filled with locals out on their lunch breaks. And right there, and it is impossible to miss, is another palace or rather a castle, the Chocolate Castle.

It isn’t a castle so much, well not at all actually. The opposite of a castle if you go by size. It is tiny but in this tiny space you have two tables, 3 leather chairs, a display case, hot chocolate making equipment and one staff. Hot Chocolates are served in paper cups (unfortunately…again not very castle like, you could have a lot of fun with castle themed mugs for the hot chocolate). There are a few options including mocha, one with added cinnamon and most have some sort of alcoholic element to them (a party castle) including one with mint liqueur, baileys. All use dark chocolate as a base (between 60% and 74%). The kicker, they use Fletchin chocolate for all of their products. Fletchin makes beautify chocolate which is usually quite expensive. This hot chocolate was one of best I’ve had for this price. I savoured every last drip of it sitting on my tiny sort of table next to the window.

Verdict: The location might not feel very castle like but the hot chocolate sure does. There are several locations including one within the Chocolate Museum in Jeju, the second largest chocolate museum in the world. Chateau Chocolat, Seoul, Korea

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I fell in love with Buckchon Village and, for a few days at least, I was a local here. I was staying at a traditional house with 3 rooms and owners who spoke not a word of English but who fed me very well (who knew kimchi was good for breakfast too!).

There is a tourist map with a suggested waking path through the neighbourhood that you can pick up at the tourism office, or any hotel really. It is definitely worth doing and it seems that few tourists bother which means that other than in certain particularly scenic parts, you may have a big part of it all to yourself, at least you and the locals that live in this part of town. Along the way you will find tea houses, all sorts of interesting stores, cafes, restaurants. I did the whole walk in one direction one day and then did it in the other direction the next morning and it was definitely worth it.

There are parts of the walk that will take a bit more time if you are interested in doing a bit of shopping. Bukchon-ro 5ga gil and Samcheong-ro are lined with great little stores. There is a tourist office around that part of town as well but I found them generally not very helpful. On one side of the village is Gyeongbokgung Palace and the National Folk Museum and on the other side is Changdeokgun Palace. Right in the middle is the Traditional Crafts Experience Centre where, if you have an hour and a few dollars to spare, you can learn how to make different crafts from leading artists. Highly recommend the calligraphy session.

Wood Brick is a great spot which is made of, well, brick and wood. If you are looking for something a bit European then visit here for some bakery favourites, sandwiches, juices and a hot chocolate. And it was a good hot chocolate, the perfect mix of sweet and bitter and served very hot which meant that I had no choice but to linger for a while to wait for it to cool down enough to sip. I took my drink up to the second floor where they have a sort of roof top café with views over the street where you can watch Seoul walk by. Shiny black cars with tinted windows dropping off businessmen at a nearby restaurant, tourists dressed in traditional outfits. I loved everything about my time in Buckchon Village.

Verdict: If I really did live in this area this would be my daily hot chocolate. Wood and Brick, 5-2 Jae-dong, Seoul, South Korea.

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After making the rounds several times I kept passing Madang Flowers. This beautiful space is both flower shop and café at the same time. The outside alone is so stunning that it was difficult to get past all the selfie taking locals to get into the front door. Inside the tables have been arranged around the flower displays which are all for sale. In one corner there is a barista preparing drinks while in the other there is a florists putting together her creations. The floor is covered in (fake) grass and there are fairy lights twinkling everywhere. K pop is playing in the background.

The hot chocolate was pretty awful. Usually when I have bad hot chocolates I don’t bother writing about them. I had two sips and then left the whole cup on the table. More than one thing was off, but I didn’t really care, I just took the time to admire the cafe. I planned out how I would make this my new office, where I would put my desk, even where the cats could take their naps. It is such a gorgeous space and I just wanted to share it, and the neighbourhood with you.

Ikseon-dong was one of the highlights of my trip. The locals are very protective of it and local shop owners meet regularly to share ideas about how to prevent big chains and too many tourists from visiting and changing it. Visit but provide it with the same respect you provide your own neighbourhood. They have done something really special here and I hope it lasts for a very long time.

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My visit to CacaoBoom was a bit of an adventure, an adventure that took place mostly underground. Up until this point of my trip I had gone everywhere by foot. Today I decided to venture away from the centre and find some hot chocolates. I had a list with several options all in completely different directions. The thing about lists and recommendations is that on paper they all look the same. The reality is that you won’t know whether you chose right or wrong until you get there, sit down and have the hot chocolate. Until then they are all equally appealing, well at least they were in this case.

So I bought my metro card and thought, well, I can visit both of them (despite the fact that they were on opposite sides of the city). No problem. I jumped on the metro, started going towards one which meant taking two different subways. Halfway through that trip I realised that I wouldn’t have time for both and needed to revaluate my choice. I got off the subway…somewhere under Seoul, and starred at the two names. Cacao Boom, the one that I currently wasn’t on my way to visit won this silent debate. So I jumped back on the subway, but back in the other direction, changed subways a couple of times and finally found myself back up at sea level at Hongik University subway station.

Using my trusty tourist map (going old school) I dove in. Right here, then left, then right and what on the map just looked like a random street in a random neighbourhood ended up being a fantastic university area filled with little shops and, most importantly, Cacao Boom.

So was Cacao Boom the better choice out of the two I had written down? I can’t imagine how it wouldn’t have been because Cacao Boom has a fantastic hot chocolate. I had the whole place to myself today. Behind the counter you get a glimpse into their kitchen were all the magic happens…not today though, it was just as quiet as the café. I ordered a strong hot chocolate (you have a choice of mild, original or strong), selected a few of their truffles and sat down. I chose a seat next to the chocolate fountain in one corner because really, why not have a chocolate fountain. My view was of a tin robot with a bright yellow heart protecting the chocolate fountain because, again, why not have protective tin robots in a chocolate shop.

Owner Go Young-joo studied Belgian style chocolate making in Belgium and opened up this shop in 2006. You can taste that Belgian influence in the chocolates because despite being in South Korea, the flavour profiles are very European. I had heard that they had a truffle infused with Moonbaesool, a traditional Korea alcohol that tastes like wild pear but that wasn’t available today. I wanted to ask the lady working there more information but “hot chocolate” was the extent of her English and please and thank you the extent of my Korean. The website didn’t offer much else because not only is in all in Korean but Google translate wasn’t able to translate any of it.

So I know remarkably little about a place I liked so much. I know they also offer something that I think is called Cacao Bob, a hot chocolate that comes with granola. I think they might be bean to bar but I’m not sure. I couldn’t recognise the chocolate they used in their hot chocolate. I do know that the owner/chocolatier has quite impressive training in chocolate including chocolate making and tasting. Whatever their story, the hot chocolate is beautiful and definitely worth the detour.

Verdict: Each hot chocolate is served with a little dark golden leaf as well as a tiny shaker filled with cinnamon. You can also have your hot chocolate with alcohol (we are, after all, in a student neighbourhood). They offer chocolate tastings and short courses Cacao Boom, 337-16 Seogyodong Mapogu Seoul, Korea

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