Basement café in Gimpo for golden rice latte and levain cookies: The

Hi, this is Pooh. I went on a date after a while, all the way out to Yangchon Station, because I heard there's a brunch café run by Chef 63. I visited on a weekday afternoon.

Parking and location — a café in the basement of the building

The parking lot was outdoors and right in front of the café, so it was convenient. It's also huge, so there's no need to worry about parking here.

The Nillai, a Gimpo favorite, doesn't take up the whole building — there was a camping goods store on the ground floor, while The Nillai café was in the basement.

Riding the elevator down to the basement, there's a spacious hall with a banner announcing it's a brunch café run by Chef 63. Even a single cup of coffee is made by a professional barista, so I was looking forward to it.

The bakery corner and duck character goods

I came expecting a brunch café, but it turned out to have a small yet solid bakery corner too. Lots of menu items that go well with coffee.

The Nillai also makes its own goods. There was a display full of cute, varied merchandise, many featuring an adorable duck character — fun to just browse through.

Maybe because it's run by Chef 63, the drink menu was also nicely varied. The origin of ingredients was posted at the ordering counter. Be sure to check if there's a Naver receipt photo review event going on — you might get a gift 😉

The media art room changes its video by time of day

There's a media room showing media art, and the video seems to change depending on the time. When I first filmed it, it was a cloud-filled landscape, but by the time I left it was a completely different scene. With so many great spaces like this, they'll need to be careful to keep it a care-kids zone rather than becoming a no-kids zone, right?

Seating — bright sofa spots and a forest-lake feel

The Nillai, one of Gimpo's large cafés, has a huge floor and comfortable seating that could easily accommodate a group, and it was pleasant to sit for a long time. This side gets great sunlight and felt bright and open, with wide, comfy sofas that kept me relaxed the whole time.

There's seating on both sides of the elevator, and the vibe is completely different on each side. I liked the sunny side, so I sat there, but the inner area had a unique forest-lake feel. The lush green backdrop looked great for photos, and the lighting and mood were lovely too.

Bread and dessert picked after brunch hours ended

Since brunch hours were over, I went for simple bakery items — and given its Gimpo-famous reputation, the bread was all delicious. The salt bread was tasty, and the whole grain bread was good too. I especially loved the plump levain cookie — hearty and satisfying. I couldn't get a photo, but there was a self-packing counter near the return station with a microwave to warm up bread. Tableware and napkins were all there too, easy to grab and use. I took home a meringue cookie and my kid loved it.

I also recommend the moist, soft Basque cheesecake! A dessert that goes perfectly with coffee.

The signature golden rice latte

Topped with something like puffed rice, the golden rice latte is a signature menu item you can only get here at The Nillai — nutty and sweet, it was delicious.

A good place for a long, quiet conversation

The interior grew on me the more I looked at it. True to a large Gimpo café, the tables were spacious and well-spaced, so the place never felt loud or crowded — comfortable for chatting quietly. It's just right for a long, quiet conversation. For anyone who dislikes noisy, crowded cafés, this cozy spot comes highly recommended. From a meal to a simple tea time, The Nillai, a large Gimpo café, lets you handle it all in one place.