Hongdae dessert café, peach sold out: strawberry soufflé, Think Fruit

It had been a while, so I went with my wife and my sister-in-law, who'd just gotten her first car, to revisit Think Fruit, a place near Hongik University Station that's supposedly hot right now.

I'd promised to treat my sister-in-law to something sweet, and everyone said they were craving a soufflé pancake that melts in your mouth, so we ended up back at this spot, which I remembered being absolutely delicious.

Finding Think Fruit near Hongik University Station

Think Fruit is on the first floor of 14-12 Wausan-ro 29-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul, down an alley close to Hongik University Station. Arriving out front, the modern, dark-brick building with a clean white awning caught my eye right away.

Thanks to the stylish interior visible through the window, even my sister-in-law, who'd never been, found the place without any trouble.

Seeing the pretty soufflé signboard set up on the entrance steps, I already felt the dessert-café vibe before we even stepped inside.

Air conditioning at 18°C: the mood inside Think Fruit

Walking into Think Fruit, the interior felt really pleasant and sleek. Clear chairs and white round tables were arranged neatly, and unlike stuffy, cramped cafés, the space felt open — great for the mood and perfect for taking some emotional-looking photos.

Best of all, even though it was scorching hot outside, the air conditioning inside was blasting at a full 18°C, making the interior not just cool but downright pleasant. It felt like the best possible environment to enjoy a soufflé without breaking a sweat, even in hot weather. The tables were also spaced generously apart, which made it feel well suited to a small family outing like ours, or a date.

Peach soufflé sold out, so we chose strawberry

When we first sat down to order, unfortunately there was a sad little sign taped to the window: the seasonal peach soufflé we'd been hoping for was Sold Out.

Setting aside our disappointment, we went with Think Fruit's other bestseller, the strawberry soufflé pancake, as our main. Everyone picked a drink to match their taste too — we ordered a latte generously topped with Häagen-Dazs ice cream, a matcha latte, and a strawberry smoothie packed with fresh strawberry flesh.

How the Häagen-Dazs latte and strawberry smoothie tasted

First up, our three ordered drinks arrived beautifully arranged on a yellow tray.

The latte lineup with a round scoop of ice cream on top had the bitter, rich coffee blending amazingly with the sweet, chewy flavor unique to Häagen-Dazs — one sip and the day's fatigue just melted away.

The smoothie, loaded with tangy strawberry chunks over white cream, was also so rich and smooth that we nearly drained our glasses before the main dessert even arrived.

The strawberry soufflé pancake: presentation and taste

Finally, today's main dish, the strawberry soufflé pancake, arrived gorgeously plated on a large dish.

Two thick, fluffy-looking soufflé pieces were generously topped with pure white whipped cream, fresh strawberries, crumble, and Häagen-Dazs strawberry ice cream — just looking at it made my mouth water. It really lived up to the saying that you eat with your eyes first.

Carefully cutting off a piece, dipping it generously in cream, and putting it in my mouth, it melted away as softly as ice cream, filling my mouth with an intensely nutty, sweet savoriness.

The batter was so soft and moist that it genuinely felt like an art form, dissolving softly the moment it hit my mouth. Because the batter's flavor itself was already so good, pairing it with the tangy fresh strawberries and cold ice cream created a perfect balance of sweetness and tartness, delivering a whole different kind of flavor.

Putting a piece of soufflé with a bit of ice cream on a fork and popping it in my mouth was nothing short of heavenly — truly moving. My wife and sister-in-law, who came along, kept saying they'd freshly realized just how much a soufflé can melt in your mouth like this, forks never stopping.

Our verdict, the three of us

Overall, the hip and emotional mood of the space, the comfortable, cool indoor temperature that kept us from breaking a sweat, and above all the soufflé quality and taste — hard to believe it was right in the middle of Hongdae — all came together to make this a revisit that exceeded expectations in every way. The three of us ate until we were practically bursting, sweetly and happily wrapping up a great dessert time.

If you're looking for a healing break near Hongik University Station with a foolproof, soft soufflé and delicious drinks, I'd strongly recommend Think Fruit, this Hongdae dessert café.