Now that I am a lady of leisure, I have a lot more time to eat out. In fact my ability to eat brunch has gone from twice a week to seven days a week. Not that I am brunching that often of course, most of the time I am lying around in my underwear with the aircon on full blast watching reality TV. But at least I have the freedom to brunch if I want to. One spot I have always enjoyed is Little Neck. However when I last went to pay them a visit I found that they had moved to Cheongdam. Fortunately a few weeks later I had some business over in Cheongdam, so arranged to meet a friend for brunch to check out what had changed.
The new cafe is a light and minty affair set over two floors. It has plenty of comfy booths and small tables and is adorned with retro lights and accents of gold. It is very me. The menu is a mix of trendy breakfast and brunch items. Sadly it is another brunch joint without cocktails which is somewhat frustrating, but for people who are less fussy than I when it comes to alcoholic beverages they have beer and wine.
After some consideration we ordered the Avocado Toast (12,000), which came topped with sliced avocado, lemon zest, ricotta cheese, poached egg, and chili flakes. We both loved this dish, the combination of avocado and ricotta was so creamy, and the oozy yolk from the poached egg added a real richness. Plus there was a little kick and zing from the chili and lemon. All in all a very lovely brunch dish.
For our second dish we were feeling a bit naughty so we ordered the Egg Bacon Pretzel (12,000). This bad boy was a pretzel bun stuffed with hot sauce, scrambled egg, cheddar cheese, and bacon. It also came with a side of fries. One bite of this and my mouth was in heaven. The egg and cheese combined with the salty bacon and pretzel bun was just orgasmic. This is exactly the kind of thing you want to eat after a boozy night out. The fries really rounded it out too. I think it was quite the bargain for the amount of food you get.
After brunch we both fancied a coffee and we were both in the mood for something sweet, so when we stumbled across Le Bread Lab around the corner we decided to give it a try. The cafe has a cute and modern vibe and a lovely selection of french patisserie style cakes. We tried the Yuja Cake and the Milk Hazelnut, both of which were 8,000. They were both lovely, but the favourite was probably the chocolate and hazelnut concoction. The teas and coffees were your standard selection, however they did have really beautiful pink take out boxes that would make a very nice gift if you wanted to buy something for a friend or coworker.
Le Bread Lab - Cheongdam
Le Bread Lab - Cheongdam
Le Bread Lab - Cheongdam
Le Bread Lab - Cheongdam
Le Bread Lab - Cheongdam
Le Bread Lab - Cheongdam
Overall Little Neck is another brunch spot that gets it right food wise but needs a few cocktails to make it worth the effort of going to on a regular basis. However if you live near by or are in the area, the food really was rather good.
Little Neck is located at 653-7 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. To get there take a train to Apgujeong Rodeo and come out of exit 5. Walk straight and take the third road on your right. Then walk down that street and take the second left. You will see Little Neck just ahead on the right hand side. For more information you can call them on 02-792-1476 or visit their facebook page.