Quaint and Cozy - Aioli 135

Tucked away in the quiet side of the Gwanghwamun area is a homey cafe restaurant named Aioli 135. The menu consists of bistro style French and Japanes fusion cuisine; there's not a dish too ambitious nor froufrou to anticipate skepticism, just hunger-fed curiosity as in 'I wonder what that tastes like'.

My friend and I decided to meet for lunch. The sun was shining that day. I arrived early and took a photo fo the entrance from the inside.

Tried to avoid taking photos of other diners and got an unusual angle. The lighting was very soft.

The serving counter is visible, the kitchen semi-visible. Loved how the fridge was laden with memos and photos - just like home.

There's also a terrace for those warm spring afternoons and summer evenings.

We had the dubu-tahng. Hot sauteed tofu in bonito broth.

We also had seafood udon. Stir fried udon rarely looks pretty when photographed. (Or it could be my mediocre photo-taking skills.)

Coffee and homemade tiramisu for dessert. The tiramisu was excellent. The perfect consistency and for once I didn't cough on the overabundance of cocoa powder; it wasn't toothachingly sweet like most tiramisus I've had here in Seoul. It was pretty big as well, for the price of one piece at a highend bakery. I'd go again for afternoon coffee and tiramisu.

The apple slices were rather random, though. Neither my friend nor I ate them.

Took a pic in the hallway mirror on the way out. Why so solemn? I wasn't digging the new perm I had gotten (too ajumma! I look so old!) - I've been wearing my hair in a ponytail ever since.

Aioli 135
(02) 501-6702 Situated near the Sungkok Museum.

Closed on Sundays. No homepage, unfortunately.