Gyesan-dong date-night bakery café: black sesame latte at Dalgeuraem

Dalgeuraem, a new bakery café in Gyesan-dong: what's it like?

Dalgeuraem (달그램) is a bakery café that just opened in Gyesan-dong, Gyeyang-gu, Incheon. I recently went with my wife to spend a relaxed weekend evening there. I love desserts, so when I heard a new bakery café had opened in the neighborhood, I was happy to head over.

Maybe because it's brand new, Dalgeuraem was very clean and pleasant inside and out, and the owner greeted us so warmly and kindly that I liked the place from the first impression.

The moment we walked in, the smell of nutty, sweet bread hit my nose.

The display case at Dalgeuraem was packed with appetizing baked goods and prettily made slices of cake.

What did the two of us order at Dalgeuraem?

After much agonizing, we went with the black sesame cream latte, one of Dalgeuraem's signature drinks, a fresh-looking orange juice, and for dessert the mango fresh cream cake, the pumpkin cream cheese cake and the soft salt bread.

• Black sesame cream latte
• Orange juice
• Mango fresh cream cake
• Pumpkin cream cheese cake
• Soft salt bread

Everything came out neatly and prettily arranged on a wooden table.

Clean white plates, drinks in clear glasses and colorful desserts together made a perfect scene that puts you in a good mood just by looking at it. It was a dessert spread you can't help taking a bunch of photos of before eating.

Dalgeuraem's soft salt bread: does it have a butter cave?

Dalgeuraem's soft salt bread is lightly crisp outside, soft and chewy inside, with a big, clear butter cave in the cross-section. The salt bread (소금빵, a butter roll topped with coarse salt) is the café's flagship, so it was the first thing I tried. Coarse salt was dotted over the surface and the whole roll was baked golden brown, which got my appetite going.

When I held it in both hands and pulled it open, I couldn't help exclaiming. In the middle, a big butter cave, formed by plenty of melted butter, sat clear and pretty. At the first bite it was lightly crisp outside and wonderfully soft and chewy inside. Best of all, the rich, heavy butter flavor that fills your mouth as you chew is just art, and I instantly understood why the place is getting a word-of-mouth reputation for salt bread.

How were the black sesame cream latte and orange juice?

Dalgeuraem's black sesame cream latte pairs rich black sesame cream with bittersweet coffee in a classy way. The layered colors in the glass were lovely: on top sat a generous helping of dark gray, chewy, heavy black sesame cream, sprinkled with black sesame seeds for extra nuttiness.

I tasted just the cream first, and the nutty, sweet black sesame flavor was very concentrated. Drinking the bittersweet coffee below, the smooth milk and the sesame cream all at once, the balance of nuttiness and bitterness was excellent and classy.

The orange juice we ordered alongside came topped with a big, fresh orange slice and a cute little green leaf, so it felt refreshing just to look at.

It wasn't the sticky sweetness of artificial syrup but the fruit's own fresh, cool sweetness, so it was clean and perfect to drink alongside the sweet, creamy desserts.

How were the mango fresh cream cake and pumpkin cream cheese cake?

Mango fresh cream cake

Dalgeuraem's mango fresh cream cake had cubes of yellow fresh mango piled generously on pure white whipped cream. Big chunks of mango were also tucked between the cake layers, so the texture was lovely and moist. The sponge was soft enough to melt in the mouth, and the balance between the lightly sweet, fresh cream and the sweet mango was really good.

Pumpkin cream cheese cake

Dalgeuraem's pumpkin cream cheese cake also caught the eye with a great look. Crisp dried pumpkin chips and nuts were carefully arranged on top of the bright yellow pumpkin cream.

Looking closely at the cross-section, thick layers of pumpkin and cream cheese were sandwiched between the sponge, with nuts dotted throughout for a nutty bite. It wasn't forced sweetness: the pumpkin's deep, gentle sweetness and the heft of the cream cheese went together perfectly, a high-quality taste that anyone, young or old, would like.

Dalgeuraem's opening-event cold brew concentrate

While we were happily eating dessert, the kind owner of Dalgeuraem gave us two bottles of cold brew Americano concentrate as a freebie to celebrate the new opening. They came in neat bottles, and the label even spelled out the water and milk ratios for the tastiest way to mix it at home. Such careful consideration and warm thoughtfulness made us feel looked after the whole time we were in the café, and I was really touched.

Is Dalgeuraem in Gyesan-dong worth going back to?

I'm really glad a bakery café with such a nice atmosphere and delicious desserts has opened in Gyesan-dong. From the layered, chewy, nutty salt bread to the handmade cake slices that don't skimp on ingredients, and the black sesame drink with its special flavor, nothing fell short and we were satisfied with all of it. The interior is also spacious and clean, so I'll surely come back without hesitation when I crave salt bread.

If you're looking for a tasty neighborhood bakery or a relaxed, pleasant new café, I strongly recommend stopping by Dalgeuraem in Gyesan-dong.