Seocho cake shop, strawberry mango cake a non-cake mom loved: Chef Cho

In my house we always get a cake for a birthday. (Okay, it's only me, haha.) This time it was my sister's birthday, and after wondering where to buy one, I went to Chef Cho (쉐프조), a very famous cake spot at Shinsegae Gangnam in Seoul. I'm a total bread-and-dessert lover and pretty picky about cake, but the whole family was happy with this one, so I wanted to share it.

Where is Chef Cho at Shinsegae Gangnam, and where to park?

Chef Cho Shinsegae Department Store Gangnam is in Sweet Park on B1 of Shinsegae Department Store Gangnam, 176 Sinbanpo-ro, Seocho-gu, Seoul, and it's open daily 10:30–20:00. It connects straight to Express Bus Terminal Station, so access is really good.

Walk into Sweet Park and you'll find Chef Cho right away! For parking you can use the Shinsegae Gangnam lot, but I came by public transport!

Why Chef Cho is popular in Shinsegae Gangnam's Sweet Park

These days Sweet Park at Shinsegae Gangnam is a must-stop for anyone who likes desserts!! As a dessert lover I've been there many times. Famous dessert brands are gathered in one place, so browsing is fun, and even choosing a cake is a happy time!!

Among them, Chef Cho was one of the places people visited most in Sweet Park.

On the day I went, customers kept buying cakes, and I could see popular items selling out fast.

It's a legit famous spot that was even on Master of Living (생활의 달인), a Korean TV show about master craftspeople!

Chef Cho has whole cakes and also cake slices, so it was easy to buy without any pressure!

Which Chef Cho birthday cake did I choose?

For my sister's birthday I chose the Chef Cho Strawberry Mango Fresh Cream Cake No. 1 for ₩53,000. I wondered which of the many cakes to get, and a kind staff member recommended the mango cake, the pistachio, and the Strawberry Mango Fresh Cream Cake as signature cakes!!

I went with the Strawberry Mango Fresh Cream Cake No. 1, the one I wanted to eat myself.

• Strawberry Mango Fresh Cream Cake No. 1: ₩53,000

It's summer, so I assumed the mango would obviously be good, but the strawberries looked surprisingly great too.

Big pieces of mango and strawberry were piled on top without holding back, and just looking at it put me in a good mood. It has real presence as a birthday gift and photographs beautifully. Taste matters for a birthday cake, but looks really can't be ignored.

Do you need a cooler bag for a Chef Cho cake in summer?

In summer I recommend buying the cooler bag sold at the Chef Cho counter. It was only about an hour, so I figured it'd be fine and just carried it, but the whipped cream melted a little on the way.

Luckily it didn't affect the taste much, but if you want to bring it home looking prettier, I think buying the store's cooler bag is the way to go. Especially for a birthday or anniversary gift, you'd feel much safer carrying it.

So shiny!! My sister's birthday cake made it home safely!!

It's loaded with an insane amount of fresh fruit that makes your mouth water just looking at it!

True to its name as a top cake spot at Shinsegae Gangnam in Seoul, Chef Cho even tucked in a heartfelt card!

I didn't know how old my sister is, so I grabbed a ton of candles and stuck them all in, hahaha. Happy birthday!!

Honestly, we'd had a family dinner out that day and I was really full. But to make room for this cake, I ate less dinner than usual, haha.

How does Chef Cho's Strawberry Mango Fresh Cream Cake taste?

The cream on the Chef Cho Strawberry Mango Fresh Cream Cake isn't overly sweet and is soft, so I could finish it cleanly to the end. The moment I cut a slice, the fruit tumbled down, which gave off a bit of a Sungsimdang cake vibe! (I've never actually had a Sungsimdang cake, haha.)

The first thing I noticed on the first bite was that the cream isn't heavy at all. My family usually gets sick of whipped cream cakes if they eat a lot, but this one was clean all the way through. It's not too sweet and is soft, which lets the fruit flavor come through even more.

Summer mangoes and summer strawberries: were both good?

And the most surprising part was, of course, the fruit! The mango was really sweet. Every bite was full of juice, and the rich sweetness of in-season summer mango was very satisfying.

The strawberries, on the other hand, are summer strawberries so I didn't expect much, and I was completely wrong. They kept a fresh, sweet taste and went really well with the mango. You could tell the fruit was fresh the whole time I ate. The sponge was moist too, so the balance of cream and fruit was excellent and I enjoyed it to the last bite.

How my mom, who doesn't eat cake, reacted to the strawberry mango cake

Even my mom, who rarely eats cake, kept eating the Chef Cho Strawberry Mango Fresh Cream Cake, saying it was good because it isn't sweet. My mom isn't a big cake eater and tells us never to buy a cake for her own birthday, so this was a real surprise. She said she doesn't eat cake, yet she just kept going!!

My sister said it was delicious too, and the whole family enjoyed it so much that the cake vanished in no time. Everyone in my family except me eats like a bird, so pleasing every palate isn't easy, but this cake was a really successful choice.

If you're looking for a cake shop at Shinsegae Gangnam in Seoul, I'd recommend Chef Cho. The not-too-sweet cream, moist sponge, and the mix of sweet mango and fresh strawberry were really satisfying. If you're deciding on a birthday or anniversary cake, I recommend giving it a visit.