Anyang brunch café on a cloudy weekend: bacon shakshuka, Eggroom

Eggroom is a brunch café in Dongpyeon-maeul, Anyang. It is open every day from 10:00 to 17:00 (until 19:00 on weekends) and closed on Tuesdays. You can park behind the shop, and coffee starts at ₩4,000.

Today was one of those gloomy, it-might-rain days, and I was in a bit of a funk. With very F-type (feelings-first) logic, I figured brunch and a coffee in Dongpyeon-maeul would cheer me up, so I headed to Eggroom, a Dongpyeon-maeul brunch favorite known for super soft poached eggs.

Where do you park at Eggroom?

Eggroom has parking behind the shop. There are 4 spaces, but only the left 2 can be used.

It was a weekend in Dongpyeon-maeul, so I expected a parking war and left my car on the roadside nearby. Oh no, turns out there was parking behind the shop.

Eggroom interior and seating

You can find Eggroom easily by going straight from the entrance of Dongpyeon-maeul, and there is a terrace that's great for outdoor dining when the weather is nice. The autumn weather has been lovely lately and I wanted to eat outside, but it looked like it would pour any minute, so I'm saving that for next time.

I did a bit of review homework before visiting, and Eggroom is quite famous as a brunch spot in Dongpyeon-maeul. Pops of pastel furniture give it a lively, casual feel, the kind of place where you'd think anything is going to taste good. I expected crowds, so I came a little after mealtime, but the inside still had quite a lot of customers.

I debated between the window seats with their big panoramic windows and the cozy seats behind the arched partition wall. Since rain seemed about to pour down, I picked the window seat to watch it.

What's on the Eggroom menu?

True to its name, Eggroom has lots of egg dishes. There's the 'egg cream latte' that reminds you of a fried egg, 'eggs Benedict' topped with a big poached egg, and 'shakshuka with grain bread', special things you can't get elsewhere, so choosing was fun. On a first visit anywhere I always agonize over what to order, but Eggroom's menu has photos of the food too, which made picking really easy.

Since it's Eggroom, I felt I had to try the egg tart. Definitely! It's big, and the soft custard cream looks delicious, but I'm saving it as an excuse to come back.

I should have just sat down at my seat..! Why does the pavlova cake look so good even though it's a model? I'd already ordered brunch, and it keeps haunting my eyes.

How are the coffee and egg cream latte at Eggroom?

Eggroom really sticks to its concept. They brought the drinks first, and I laughed the moment I made eye contact with the cup, haha. I thought it was a poached egg sticker, but it was one with the cup.

Eggroom's coffee is a clean bean: nutty, with a lightly fragrant acidity and not at all watery. It would have been good with dessert, and it's good enough that you could come just for coffee.

The egg cream latte is ₩5,500. Expecting great things from that cute look, I scooped up some of the cream with a big spoon, and I guess every cream latte I'd had elsewhere must have been non-dairy. I'd never had a cream latte with such a clean sweetness, so I forgot to savor it and just gulped it down. Drink it without a straw, of course, so the cream blends bittersweet into the coffee. The best.

Shakshuka with bacon and grain bread: how was the poached egg?

Eggroom's shakshuka with bacon and grain bread is ₩16,000. I looked up what shakshuka is: a signature dish of the Middle East and Africa, simmered with tomatoes, vegetables, spices and eggs. The poached egg is so soft it opens up the moment your spoon touches it, and with its soupy texture and basic tomato base, the dish was tangy and a little spicy.

The shakshuka was addictive even eaten like soup, but piled onto the grain bread that came with it, the seasoning balanced perfectly. The bacon is thick, and chewed together with the nutty grain bread, the flavor and texture matched really well. It was so good I wanted to add 4 more poached eggs. They really nail poached eggs.

Is the basil pesto risotto strongly basil-flavored?

Eggroom's basil pesto risotto is ₩19,000. Just by looking at it, it's basil itself in risotto form. Like a basil pizza, arugula, bacon and cheese sit on top in harmony, a photo-begging look that was really appetizing.

Even before eating, the basil aroma was deep and strong. Eating the basil pesto, cheese and rice together, I got basil's signature fragrant, slightly bitter peppery taste and sweetness all at once, and my mouth was very happy. It's rich and creamy, and of all the basil dishes I've had, this one felt the most like basil.

At Eggroom, do you have to stick to egg dishes?

Eggroom's dishes were very well made even when they weren't egg dishes. I'd wondered whether I should only eat egg menu items because it's Eggroom, but everything was so well done that working my way through the menu on every visit sounds like fun. Dongpyeon-maeul has plenty of cafés and brunch spots, but if you want a polished brunch, Eggroom is really good.