Gwanak café for brûlée pie and long black: Pulse Line Coffee

While on a date in Sharosugil, I was craving a sweet pie and found Pulse Line Coffee (펄스라인커피). The brûlée pie caught my eye, so I tried it with coffee.

Where is Pulse Line Coffee?

It is on a side street a little farther into Sharosugil. It felt almost midway between Seoul National University Station and Nakseongdae Station. The address is 101, 1F, 13 Gwanak-ro 14na-gil, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, South Korea.

What are the hours and parking situation?

At the time of the original post, the listed hours were 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends. Last orders were at 7:55 p.m., and it was said to be open daily. Parking is not available.

Are there good seats for two?

When I went inside, the café felt fairly spacious. There were also posters introducing the signature menu.

There were many two-person tables, as well as some four-person tables. With plenty of seating and a nice atmosphere, it was a good place for the two of us to take a break.

Which pie and coffee did we choose?

The menu marked its signature items separately. The Einspänner and lattes also caught my eye, but I had come for pie that day, so I chose from the signature pies.

I considered the crumble pie and brûlée pie, then chose the brûlée pie because it felt a little more unusual. I ordered an iced Americano to have with the sweet dessert, while my boyfriend ordered an iced long black. There was both machine coffee and filter coffee, with a range of bean options.

I could look at photos of the pies to see their shape. I was curious about the crumble pie too, but this time I only tried the brûlée pie.

Desserts other than the pies were displayed in a showcase, so I could see them before choosing. There were muffins and pound cakes too.

Did the brûlée pie and long black go well together?

After ordering, our menu came out quickly as we waited at our table. I noticed that they sold both Americanos and long blacks.

I had a pleasantly bitter iced Americano.

My boyfriend remembers the long blacks he drank in Australia, so he tends to choose an iced long black whenever it is on the menu. He said he liked its fuller flavor.

The pie I had been looking forward to was finished with brûlée on top.

When I tried it with a fork, the brûlée layer did not crack with the sharp crispness I had expected. It was less crisp than expected, but still sweet with a light crunch.

The filling reminded me of egg tart. Eating that familiar small egg-tart flavor in a large pie felt different.

The sweet brûlée pie and iced long black went well together. The crispness of the top was a little different from what I expected, but the experience of eating egg-tart-like filling in a pie stayed with me. Looking at the seating and atmosphere, I thought it could also be a nice place to come for work or studying, not only for a date.