Gongdeok café on a rainy afternoon: apple churros, Fluffy Bake Shop

What is Fluffy Bake Shop near Gongdeok Station like?

Fluffy Bake Shop is a bake shop near Gongdeok Station selling baked goods like madeleines, financiers, canelés and salt bread. Pretty good, right? I was looking for a nice-vibes café around Gongdeok Station and had no idea a space like this was nearby. I almost walked right past it. The salt bread here is crisp outside and chewy inside, haha. I was worried because it was already late afternoon, but there were still a decent number of madeleines. I swept them right up, lol.

It had suddenly started raining, and I was tired from a day out of town, so I just wanted to grab a sweet Gongdeok Station dessert and get home to rest. But the space was so pretty that I ended up sitting for a bit. This is just part of what I brought home. The baked goods have good reviews, so I picked the cute-looking ones to my taste. And of course I added the one labeled "best," because I was curious.

The kind of place I wanted to come to alone rather than chat with a group. Doesn't it have a mood even if you just stare out the window? Maybe I'll have a cup of coffee before I go... you know.

Where is Fluffy Bake Shop and what is the atmosphere?

Fluffy Bake Shop is just to the right of Gongdeok Station Exit 2, so it's easy to find. The space isn't big, but lots of people were picking up takeout, and since everyone seemed to know exactly what they wanted, I figured it has plenty of regulars. If you're looking for a light dessert gift around Gongdeok Station, this should work fine. I even find myself thinking about it now and then since I got back.

What gift packaging boxes are there?

At the entrance of Fluffy Bake Shop you'll find a 4-piece pulp lunch box and 6-piece and 15-piece packaging boxes, among others. The little madeleine logo is so cute. With its clean white concept, I think you'd get curious and walk in even if you were just passing by. Dessert gifts like this are adorable too, and for a moment I thought you don't have to default to chocolate as a gift.

Popular items at Fluffy Bake Shop and what was left late in the afternoon

This is what the inside looks like. You walk all the way in and pay at the counter, and in the showcase on the left... ah, I came too late, I realized. Anyway, here's the popular lineup at Fluffy Bake Shop.

The chewy texture is great (I ate this with a coffee and then grabbed one more, okay?). If they have the vanilla canelé and the lemon madeleine, grab them right away; those are the top 3 sellers. I think I got there a little after 3 p.m., and there were almost no financiers left. The seaweed (gamtae) financier is the very baked treat that was featured on the TV show Nolltoe (Amazing Saturday).

• Apple churros
• Carrot madeleine
• Hallabong madeleine
• Dubai egg tart

I was curious about the salt bread too, and there was exactly one left. Mine!!

If it were only for me, picking just two or three would have been even harder. I also chose something for my friend, who'd been studying at home all day. That friend especially loves Dubai kataifi. Whenever they see it anywhere they grab one, but an egg tart combination is a first even for them.

While I paid and waited a moment... if someone said "I was down, so I bought bread," I'd probably ask what kind of bread, being such a T (the logical type). I came to buy madeleines because it's raining..., I'd say.

A rainy afternoon: 30 minutes with cream coffee and vanilla canelé

At Fluffy Bake Shop I recharged on sugar with a sweet cream coffee and a vanilla canelé and rested about 30 minutes. It was a quiet afternoon, so it felt even more relaxed. The more I look, the more nice-vibes cafés I find, and Gongdeok Station dessert spots are right by the station. Honestly it was an awkward time even for a meal, so a cup of coffee was a good call. With the rain as my excuse I ate the canelé there, and the rest of the best-selling baked goods were going home with me. I think I stayed about 30 minutes... then left before the rain got heavier.

How should you store Fluffy Bake Shop baked goods?

Once you bring Fluffy Bake Shop baked goods home, keep them in a cool place for 2–3 days, and freeze them if you won't eat them right away. Ah, come on... ours were gone the day I bought them. They were happier about baked-goods gifts than about me, honestly. Madeleines and financiers were familiar to them, but the canelé was something they were curious about.

When I bought them, it was in order of prettiness. I don't know if it was in order of best-selling, but once I got them home, I think it was in order of curiosity.

How was the Dubai egg tart?

The Dubai egg tart at Fluffy Bake Shop is a pie-style tart, crisp outside and moist inside, and the Dubai kataifi on top made it unique. The richness of egg tarts differs from shop to shop, so I tend to buy one wherever I go out of curiosity. Why was there only one left...? A shame, but we split it in half.

Financier, carrot madeleine and apple churros: how they tasted

The financier at Fluffy Bake Shop had that signature buttery flavor that spreads with the first bite, and the carrot madeleine and apple churros were especially good. The full lineup is a story for another day. An Americano would probably go great here, but I rushed and took everything home in a hurry. With a gentle sip of iced Americano, I only wished I could eat several at once. Not too sweet, just pleasantly right.

The cute carrot madeleine had cream where the carrot is. Sweetness and fluffiness... that was my favorite, oh, and the apple churros too. The texture and butter flavor were good. When I'm near Gongdeok Station, I think I'll remember that cute look and that moist, chewy texture.

What about the salt bread at Fluffy Bake Shop?

I'd wondered if the salt bread at Fluffy Bake Shop was a bit different from other places, and when I split it in half like this, the inside was chewy. Even just one is enough to replace breakfast. I wish there'd been more.

Fluffy Bake Shop makes its baked goods with AOP-grade Lescure butter. They told me they make 16 kinds of madeleines, 9 kinds of financiers and 3 kinds of canelés, but since I went late, I only tasted a few. But if I'm curious, lol, I can just go again.

Hehe... I took this on my way out because it was so cute. How does it make my legs look this long?

Fluffy Bake Shop hours and parking

• Hours: 08:00–18:30
• Weekends: 11:00–16:30
• Parking: 1 hour in the building's underground car park
• Location: right of Gongdeok Station Exit 2