Two whipped cream castellas boxed to go in Gimpo Gurae-dong: Jinsim

Why Jinsim Castella on the last day of the holiday?

On the last day of the holiday, after driving a long distance and sleeping in until I felt totally sluggish, I got so hungry! So I searched for a good dessert place nearby and Jinsim Castella popped up. Oh, is this that giant castella that was trending a few years ago? I looked closer and saw the cream and bread come in all sorts of flavors. I remembered how delicious it was back then, so I ran right over.

Where Jinsim Castella Gimpo Gurae Main Branch is, and where to park

Jinsim Castella Gimpo Gurae Main Branch is at 525 Gimpohangang 4-ro, 1st floor, units 101, 102, 103, Gimpo-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, on the first floor of the Olive Young building at Gimpo Gurae Rodeo. There's a parking lot! You can register your parking ⭕️ They also run a Naver Smart Store, so ordering delivery is an option too 🤍🤍

Once you park and come up to the first floor, the Jinsim Castella shop is right there in plain view. As I got close, the smell of fresh-baked bread was already in the air.

The menu: 4 castella breads and 8 whipped cream flavors

The menu board is set up right in front of the shop so I could pick without wandering around confused. The bread comes in 4 kinds — mugwort, mocha, plain (jinsim), and chocolate — and the whipped cream combos come in 4 kinds too — plain, mocha, chocolate, and mugwort whipped cream. You can also buy the whipped cream on its own, and that lineup is even more varied, which made choosing fun. There are 8 flavors: plain, chocolate, oreo, lotus, injeolmi (sweet rice cake powder), salted caramel, apple cinnamon, and earl grey. Next time I want to try earl grey and mugwort.

Ordering at the kiosk and what drinks are on offer

You order easily at the kiosk, and after a short wait, the owner starts preparing the bread right away. There were also a lot of coffee and drink options to pair with it! But there's a vanilla bean latte on the menu — if I hadn't sworn off coffee I'd have grabbed one right away, argh, so disappointing.

• Coffee - Americano, café latte, vanilla bean latte, hazelnut latte
• Non-coffee - misugaru, low-sugar matcha latte, matcha latte, black sesame latte, mugwort latte, milk tea, devil choco latte, green tea choco latte, banana milk
• Drinks - fresh strawberry latte, peach and black tea (iced tea), peach ade, grapefruit shower ade, lemon dill ade

Check the drink menu for reference! There are so many drinks that pair well with the bread, which is nice. Since it's a takeout-only shop, you can't eat in the store.

They were quick to get things ready. You grab whatever knives or forks you need yourself! There are wet wipes available too, so anyone who needs them can grab their own. Since I was taking mine home, I didn't bother, but if you're going to eat it outside somewhere, you should grab some.

Inside the shop and the picture menu board

There were takeout boxes and a coffee machine, and the shop was so neatly organized that it looked really clean and hygienic, which I liked. Though seeing all the cardboard boxes lying around here and there did feel a bit off somehow ㅠㅠ

There are samples on display outside on a shelf, and above the store there's an image menu board you can take in at a glance! It's shown big and clear, so it was fun to browse the shop while waiting.

Receipt review taster and the 10-stamp coupon card

If you leave a receipt review, you can get a tasting sample — and the best part is it doesn't have to be the flavor you bought, you can try a different one. Isn't that great? Make sure you take part and get a taste.

While I was looking around the shop, the bread came out pretty quickly. They explained everything kindly and thoughtfully reminded me to grab a knife and fork. They even wrapped it up right in front of me, so I went home feeling reassured haha. And since I bought two — chocolate whipped cream castella and plain whipped cream castella — they stamped two coupons for me! Collect 10 and you don't get a coffee, you get a whole free castella. I need to hurry up and collect them.

How the boxed castellas traveled, and how they tasted

Because it's packed in a box, even loading it into the car didn't mess up the shape of the bread, which I appreciated. With cakes or other cream breads, sometimes when you get home you're sad to find everything's shifted around and fallen apart ㅠ

Yay~~ the cream is insane, exactly the taste I remembered. Soft and fluffy and delicious, no notes ㅠㅠ I've gone and found another favorite bakery, which is a big problem. If you love castella, you have to try this one!