The strawberry tart from ANNIV, left, and chocolate mousse from Rhopalocera will be presented at the Strawberry Dessert Festival, held at The Hyundai Seoul in Yeouido from Feb. 21 to March 1. Captured from ANNIV and Rhopalocera's Instagram
A string of enticing pop-up events offering seasonal sweets and coffee is sweeping Seoul. These pop-ups, hosted by Seoul's hottest bakeries and cafes, present everything from strawberry-filled pastries to artisanal coffee, attracting food lovers eager to indulge in the latest dessert trends.
Dessert festivals
In time for strawberry season, Korean baking magazine Attention is partnering with The Hyundai Seoul in Yeouido for the Strawberry Dessert Festival from Feb. 21 through March 1. The event will invite pastry chefs from 13 different dessert shops, offering a variety of desserts made with strawberries.
A poster for the Strawberry Dessert Festival / Captured from Attention Magazine's Instagram
The brands will feature some of the famous patisseries in Seoul including Rhopalocera, which will present a chocolate mousse pastry topped with strawberry and strawberry tiramisu, and ANNIV, which will be bringing its signature dessert tarts topped with strawberries.
“Please look forward to sweet treats made with fresh strawberries harvested early in the morning directly from the farms,” the magazine said.
Shinsegae Department Store's Gangnam branch is having a monthlong dessert festival to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the opening of its dessert section, Sweet Park, located on the lower level of the store near Seoul Express Bus Terminal.
The festival, which kicked off last Saturday, will run through March 14 to offer various trending desserts and newly introduced dishes from the store's existing shops, as well as new pop-ups, under the theme "Blooming Sweets.”
Some of the new treats include spinach basil salt bread from popular salted butter rolls shop Beton and rose-flavored macarons from dessert shop Quelquechose. Churros brand Minute Papillon will also offer Churro Cheesecake as a limited menu item for the month.
Blue Ribbon Bread Week, another pop-up event at Shinsegae Gangnam, running through Feb. 24, features bakeries that won blue ribbons at last year's Le Pain Baguette & Croissant Championship.
The top three winners in the baguette category — Flour Artisan Bakery, Maillet and Bakery Mui —which won first to third place respectively, will participate in the event. They will be joined by the top three in the croissant category — winner Haewoldang, runner-up Boulangerie Chuncheon and third-tied Le Pain and Entique. The winners will showcase their creations and confections at the event.
People shop at Sweet Park, a dessert section at Shinsegae Department Store's Gangnam branch in southern Seoul, in this undated photo. Coutesy of Shinsegae Department Store
The department store also collaborated with convenience store chain CU to open a more accessible pop-up event as part of the festival from March 8 to 14. The event will feature reinterpreted versions of CU's bakery series.
Buan's steamed bun brand Seulji Bakery from North Jeolla Province, will participate in the pop-up from Feb. 25 to March 7. Candy Apple, a brand known for its candy apples from Hokkaido, Japan, will also set up an exclusive booth during the festival.
"Sweet Park, Korea's largest dessert section with the most brands, has attracted steady interest throughout the year, surpassing 12 million cumulative visitors,” Shinsegae Department Store said.
“Through the year's most diverse new menus and pop-up stores, we hope customers enjoy everything from sweet gifts for loved ones and family to new flavor experiences."
Models pose with products from Ralph's Coffee pop-up store, open through April 6, at The Hyundai Seoul in Yeouido, Feb. 12. Yonhap
Coffee time
Fashion label Ralph Lauren's coffee brand, Ralph's Coffee, is operating a pop-up store on the lower level of The Hyundai Seoul through April 6.
The store offers the brand's signature Ralph's Roast Coffee made from specially selected beans from Central and South America as well as the Uji Matcha Latte, Chocolate by Valrhona and a dessert dish called Ralph's Brownie.
It also sells new merchandise, introducing Ralph's Express, a train-shaped container package with the Ralph's Coffee logo, for the first time in Korea. New products like the Cold Brew Can and instant coffee mix will also be available, along with merchandise from Ralph Lauren's spring and summer collection this year.
The high-end coffee brand Bacha Coffee is holding a pop-up at Lotte World Tower & Mall in southeastern Seoul's Songpa District through March 16.
The Moroccan heritage coffee brand offers a special coffee drip bag gift box, with the theme of "Romance of Coffee," as well as a coffee trail taster and heritage gift set at the pop-up.