8 November 2014
It did not take long to browse through the shops along Garosu-gil in Sinsadong. We decided to find a place to relax and have drinks. There are so many cafes along Garosu-gil but the one of the place I wanted to visit in Seoul is the Jacob’s Ladder Cafe, owned by my favourite Korean actress Yoon Eun Hye.
Based on some research prior to the trip, I had downloaded a facebook page of the cafe with the address in Korean language and telephone number on my smartphone. Unfortunately, google map was not so good in locating street names in Korea, so I only managed to get an approximate location of the cafe in Apgujeong.
We headed towards the general direction of Apgujeong, passing though small streets, cafes, restaurants and residential areas. Somewhere in the middle of our trek, we came to a small park where we saw 2 local teenage girls chatting on a bench. We decided to ask them if they know the way to the cafe. I showed the girls the facebook page of the cafe on my phone. To our surprise, one of the girls whipped out her phone and started calling the cafe. I could only guessed at the conversation that was taking place, in Korean language.
Girl : “ Hello, is this the Jacob’s Ladder cafe?”
Staff at the cafe: “Yes”
Girl : “Are you expecting someone? There are two persons trying to find your location”
Staff: “We are open but not expecting anyone in particular. Can you asked who they are?”
Girl to us: “Where are you from?”
Me: “We are from Singapore”
Girl to staff : “ They are from Singapore”
Staff at Cafe: “We are not expecting anyone from Singapore. I am not sure why would someone from Singapore be deliberately looking for my cafe when there are so many others around. Hmmm, wonder who they are. Just send them over. We are at …., near …”
Girl to us, apologetically: “I think the cafe is quite far away, somewhere there”. She points towards the direction we were already heading towards.
We thanked the girls for their help. The Koreans are so helpful when you approached them for assistance.
So, we were on the right track, and we were probably halfway there. We continued in the direction we were heading to and in due course, we found the cafe easily along a busy street.
So, we were finally at Yoon Eun Hye’s cafe!
This is a cafe based on Christian or Biblical theme. The theme would not appeal to me under normal circumstances. But, the thrill of being in the cafe owned by my idol. I would really be in seventh heaven if she would suddenly pop by while we were there, but it was not to be.
We ordered the Citron Ale and Apple and Grape Ale from the man behind the counter. I wonder if he is the guy whom the girl in the park spoke with. He must be wondering if we were the two lost souls seeking the sanctuary of the cafe.
We stayed in the cafe for an hour. There were free wi-fi. The drinks were refreshing and tasty, especially after a relatively long trek to search for this place.
For the benefit of other Yoon Eun Hye fans who want to make a pilgrimage to her cafe, here is the actual location, based on GPS on my smartphone. Use the location of Apgujeong Station and Dosan Park as references.
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