Autumn here in Korea can be so beautiful. The leaves turn to wonderful reds, oranges, and yellows, and the leaves slowly and blissfully descend from the trees creating a visual that looks very similar to a vibrant snowfall.
In the cities it can be hard to enjoy this sort of natural beauty, given the high level of industrialization that the country has undergone. However there is still lots of wonderful natural beauty to enjoy in the countryside and the mountain regions of Korea.
A few weekends ago, we decided to take a drive to find a country coffee shop and to hopefully enjoy the wonderful scenery that Korea has to offer.
As we drove out of Ulsan and entered a suburb, the apartments and stores gave way to mountains, trees, and rivers.
Finally, we turned off the expressway onto a smaller road, and were greeted by the sights of wonderful scenery.
Our destination this day was the DanJangMyun Coffee Roasters. Located near the town of Miryang, DanJangMyun is on a quiet country road nestled between two small mountains next to a river. The location is absolutely gorgeous and the owners of the coffee roasters must be very lucky to have such a wonderful plot of land.
As we entered the driveway, a parking lot attendant was kind enough to wave us to an empty space. Luckily it was early and not too busy, so we had a chance to explore the shop and the surroundings.
The coffee shop itself looks like it is a very old barn or church that has been converted into a café. With two floors of seating (including an no-kids zone on the second floor) there was ample space to sit.
There is also lots of outdoor seating including private elevated tables so that you can enjoy the river and the scenery in a more peaceful setting.
There was a lot of interesting architecture in the shop. The wooden beams looked very old, as if they had been part of a structure that had been there for a very long time.
There were also lots of interesting lighting fixtures, which definitely caught my eye. I even mentioned this in an article I did about Starbuck recently, how lighting fixtures are very fascinating.
There was also a TON of interesting decorations and little pieces that were very interesting, including some old coffee magazines.
As I waited for our order of café latte, one drip coffee, and one piece of tiramisu, it was so fun to explore.
I waited patiently, and even saw the barista work to slowly and delicately make the drip coffee.
Finally, our order was ready and we went up to the second floor to get a better view of the mountain and to enjoy the coffee and dessert.
The café latte was fine. It didn’t have a strong taste, and was quite sweet. The bitterness was almost non-existent, which might be fine for some people.
The drip coffee was quite good. It had a nice fruity taste to it, with a smooth aftertaste, and some subtle tones of nuts in the mixture. I would say that the barista actually went to fast when making the drip coffee, as I thought it could have been much stronger.
Finally the tiramisu. The price for the tiramisu was quite high, at $8 for a piece. It was very large, which was good for sharing.
The barista prepared the tiramisu by getting two huge portions from the baking tray and layering them on the plate. Then he proceeded to sift an ENORMOUS amount of cocoa powder on top. In fact, I would say that it was too much cocoa powder.
The tiramisu was tasty. While it was a little different from the tiramisu I ate in Italy, it was delicious. It tasted like the Mascarpone cheese had been supplemented with some whipped cream. Also, the lady fingers were replaced by a sponge cake.
As I mentioned, the cake itself was delicious, but I wouldn’t exactly call it traditional tiramisu.
The real attraction on Danjangmyun is the surroundings. The quiet splendor of the mountains and the soft flow of the river make for an idyllic setting to enjoy yourself.
I would definitely recommend taking a trip to Danjangmyun Coffee Roasters, if only to see a truly beautiful slice of nature in South Korea.
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