Weather frightful, ice cream delightful
We live in a land of extremes. Where else on the face of the earth does one of the world’s most successful capitalist economies square off against its least successful communist economy, across the border of a divided nation?
Where else do diners savor piping hot ginseng chicken soup and richly spiced dog meat stew in mid-summer? And where else do people crave ice cream as soon as the thermometer plunges south?
While other people moderate their body systems with a food item that offers a contrast, temperature-wise, to the prevailing weather, Koreans, it seems, take the opposite tack, preferring an extreme of heat or cold to any moderating effect.
This may explain the crowds of people queuing outside a new eatery off Shinmunro, near Gwanghwamun, in recent weeks.
But man cannot live on ice cream alone. Wise to this, CJ has also opened, right next door, an outlet of its sandwich/coffee/cake franchise, A Twosome Place.
So this week, it’s sandwiches and coffee to start with, then next door for ice cream.
The main features of A Twosome Place are several glass counters showcasing bakery products, sandwiches and drinks. Menu boards offer the inevitable latte mochacinos. There is cafe-style seating where you can watch the world, or at least Shinmunro, pass by.
Our threesome orders a rib and mushroom sandwich for 6,000 won ($6.50), a herb chicken and roast pepper (5,800 won) and a chicken and hot chili pepper (4,800 won). All encompass a decent serving of foliage, but are otherwise a mixed bunch.
The rib and mushroom arrives between thick but airy, lightly toasted slices of brown bread ― good. However, the rib proves to be glazed ham, and the Lyonnais sauce is lacking ― bad. The herb chicken and roast pepper comes in a dense but soggy, brown, toasted panini; the filling is unmemorable.
The hot chili pepper is served in a white panini, nicely dusted with flour. The chicken is a slab of anaemic breast, but the pickled jalapenos are as hot as advertised. Ouch.
With Shinmunro today being sandwich central ― “Wood & Brick” and “The Place” are 50 meters up the street, “Florence” is across the road behind the Dong-Ah Duty Free building, and for serious gourmets, “Seesaw” is inside the nearby King’s Garden apartments ― A Twosome Place is facing some very stiff competition. However, I am informed that their cakes are better, and for 800 won, you get a coffee with your sarnie.
Anyhow, with sandwiches dealt with, we pop into “Cold Stone Creamery” next door.
This is an airy, bright red place, offering some seating, but obviously hoping for fast turnaround. The ice cream is freshly made. Someone has had fun with branding. Selections include “At the Cocoa Banana Cabana,” “Berry, Berry Good” and
“Strawberry Blonde.”
Your ice cream selection is scooped out of a bucket at the end of the counter and slapped onto an iced stone table further along. Here, a cheerful young maestro artfully adds toppings, sculpts the creation with a metal spatula, then deftly shapes it into a waffle-style wafer.
My first comment is: Wow. This stuff offers the texture of ice and cream. This is an experience to savor.
All in all, I am impressed. And with a four-ounce scoop setting you back only 3,800 won, this is pretty painless. This looks like a sure bet for kids ― and cold-weather Koreans.
Verdict. Dodgy sandwiches but very nice cream.
Cold Stone Creamery; A Twosome Place
English: On menus.
Telephone No: Cold Stone Creamery (734-0715); Twosome Place (733-2335).
Address: 1st Floor, Koryo Building, Shinmunro.
Subway: Gwanghwamun Station, exit No. 7
Hours: Creamery: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily; Twosome: 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
By Andrew Salmon Contributing Writer [andrewcsalmon@yahoo.co.uk]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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