While checking out Naver blog for cool cafes to check out in Yeonnamdong, I chanced upon 아라리 오브네 (Arari Ovene) which turned out to be really popular and overcrowded during tea time and especially during the weekends. Fortunately, I came here during lunch hour, when there was fewer people on the wait list.
The oriental concept of this cafe is apparent in its interior design—white walls with traditional Korean wooden tray tables—and the use of mugwort in its desserts and its signature drink (쑥이우유, or mugwort milk). Mugwort is known for its health benefits and is commonly used in traditional oriental medicine; it is also used as an ingredient in making traditional Korean rice cakes.
I had both the mugwort cake and the mugwort milk on separate occasions because it’d have had been too rich to have both together, and I liked them both. I found it a good combination when I had the cake with a glass of yujacha—a traditional Korean tea made with the yuja (a citrus fruit) and water—because the tea balances out the creaminess of the cake.
Address: 서울특별시 마포구 성미산로16길 3-3 (3-3 Seongmisan-ro 16-gil, Yeonnam-dong Mapo-gu, Seoul South Korea)
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