Saturday, January 18, 2014

Korean Winter D1 - PLANT, My Love 플랜트, 내 사랑 ❤

The first destination of my trip.... A long-awaited visit to vegetarian/vegan cafe PLANT !!! Home to my favourite vegan cakes and pastries made by the cute Mipa! I got to know her through her blog, which shares about her daily life as a vegan, and veg-friendly eateries in Korea! I benefited so much from all the information on her blog for all my Korea trips. ^^ The baking studio and cafe was opened in collaboration with Yona's Kitchen , who makes beautiful (non-vegan but ovo-lacto-vegetarian) pies and pastries.

Mipa and Yona opened PLANT officially on the last day of my July trip and of course I visited them! I was so happy~~ ㅋㅋㅋ But mains were not available on the first day. ㅠㅠ So this time I was looking forward to tasting them after drooling at all the delicious pictures they posted every week on Facebook and Instagram when I was stuck in Singapore!!

하연 언니 drove us to Itaewon, where we would also be meeting 미선 at PLANT. She was coming up all the way from Yongin to spend Christmas Eve together!

하연 언니's really funny because she doesn't like to refer to maps and she just navigated around by her hazy memory and instinct... ㅎㅎㅎ We went in rounds for quite awhile before we found a carpark at some office building nearby. Then we walked to PLANT. Fortunately, I must say I have quite a good sense of direction. Even places I have been to just once in Seoul, I am most probably able to find it again~! I'm not too bad with maps too~ Very thankful for this skill since I really love to travel and explore!




귀여미 cutie pie we spotted on the way there! The puppies in Korea are always so cute, and because it's winter, people tend to dress them up a bit ㅋㅋ 하연 언니 has 2 energetic little puppies too! Pictures will be revealed later... (;


Sloping alleys in Korea, I've missed you!


Pretty cafes and buildings in Korea, you have been missed too! 


And we arrive! My beloved, I've missed you more than the aforementioned~~ ㅋㅋㅋㅋ


*gasps* The legendary carrot cake I saw on Instagram was available that day! Whoopie~!


*gasps* The purple sweet potato scone I have been wanting to get my hands on!


Oh my all the pretty vegan goodies~! (All those with a 'V' sign is totally vegan!)


Yona's beautiful pies! I've yet to try them and yay the purple sweet potato chestnut pie I have been eyeing for months on Instagram! *dances*




More vegan and vegetarian goodies! Spot the christmas specials~ I want to buy everything but I can't. Shucks~ Bought a couple of goodies for dinner later. See what I bought here!


The cafe is really cosy, I love the very homey feel. But unfortunately, it's rather small, only 2 tables with a grand total of 9 or 10 seats... (><) Thankfully there were seats when we came, quite a few people came in while we were eating and had to takeaway instead. Usually you'll have to share tables!


The cute girl in a cup is Mipa's art piece! She used to design lots of pretty things and even sold them online. Now she only has time for the shop.


Menu! There are 2 different mains available each week, each made by Yona and Mipa and all vegan! It changes every week so look forward to new creations~! I really wanted to try the lattes after I saw someone else's green tea latte (soy is available!!) that looked absolutely delicious. But I didn't get to because they were on holiday the last week I was there... ㅠㅠ


We ordered both mains and this is Yona (in front) and Mipa behind preparing our meals!


Winter Veggie Cream Stew with baguette with garlic butter and olive oil fusilli pasta salad. (12,000KRW)
Creamy goodness~ The potato flavour shines through!


Smoky Tempeh Wrap w/ couscous, lettuce, tomato, mayo and curried carrot lentil soup (and tortilla chips) (12,000KRW)
Oh yum~!! The wrap is fresh and delicious and the soup is very thick and tasty~


I like the addition of tofu cubes on top!


The mains didn't disappoint at all! As yummy as they looked. ^^ Although I must admit the prices are a lil steep here.


ㅋㅋ And our pretty 미선 arrives after the mains were served. Look at how happy she is (cos I'm here ㅎㅎㅎㅎ)


No one should skip dessert at PLANT!!! This lovely vegan red velvet cupcake (4,500KRW) was moist and fluffy with a hint of chocolate (or was it my imagination..).


Behold the purple sweet potato scone (3,500KRW)! A crumbly, not-very-sweet pastry where the sweet potato and pecan flavours are distinct.


My favourite of the meal!! Vegan Carrot Cake (5,500KRW)! The best carrot cake I've tried so far~ Perfectly moist and soft and full of natural goodness! I love how the vegan cream is not "sickening" like usual cream cheese frostings. 
That concludes our very fulfilling meal at PLANT!


Walking back to the carpark and discovered the antique street in Itaewon! Lots of fascinating and pretty shops that really excited me and my camera. ㅋㅋ Explored the place a week later, look out for the photos~!

Other reviews of PLANT goodies: here.

PLANT
Address: 1F 63-15 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
서울시 용산구 이태원동 63-15 1층
Tuesday-Sunday 11am-8pm
Closed on Mondays
Alien's Day Out vegan bakeshop closed on Sundays

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