Mapo café for pistachio chocolate bingsu: Puru Papa

I planned a trip to Mangwon Hangang Park with Dudu, packed a picnic mat, had lunch in Hongdae, and then headed over to Mangwon. We ate more than expected, so I considered walking to digest, but the timing was awkward. We took the bus, stopped by a little goods shop, then spread out the mat at Mangwon Hangang Park for a picnic.

Originally, I was going to get takeaway from a great dessert spot near Mangwon Hangang Park and eat it there, but we decided to digest a bit more first. The autumn weather that probably will not last long had arrived, but the sunshine was still hot. As it approached 2 p.m., I felt myself starting to sweat, so even though I did not think I had fully digested, I headed to Puru Papa Hangang MAPOINT Branch for dessert.

Puru Papa Hangang MAPOINT Branch location and hours

It is on the first floor of MAPOINT Naru at 435 Maponaru-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul. It is open Tuesday through Sunday from 12:00 to 20:00 and closed on Mondays.

Puru Papa Hangang MAPOINT Branch is on the first floor of MAPOINT, which floats on the Han River. You can spot it right away from the bridge leading over to MAPOINT.

From desserts to pub food

There was an ordering kiosk right in front and another one inside. It shares the space with Kkeokke Sushi, so there was one more kiosk, but that one could only process Kkeokke Sushi orders. Puru Papa Hangang MAPOINT Branch had a seriously wide menu, with plenty of desserts as you would expect from a dessert spot near Mangwon Hangang Park.

They had ice cream, bingsu (Korean shaved ice), butter rice cakes, Dubai chewy cookies, Dubai chocolate bars, cheesecake, tiramisu cake, carrot cake, red velvet cake, chocolate ganache cake, cookies-and-cream cake, potato bread, sweet potato bread, and cookies.

There were lots of drinks to go with them—coffee, lattes, decaf, non-coffee drinks, smoothies, ades, juice, and tea—and they also had meal options.

For pub food, they sold draft beer, chicken, tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), and fries. The person ahead of me took away a draft beer—ahh, a drink while looking at the Han River! But I came for dessert, so I ordered a fully sugar-loaded lineup.

• Pistachio chocolate bingsu
• Lemon caramel latte
• Cheesecake
• Chocolate ganache cake

Han River-view and indoor seats

Inside, there was one table for three and two tables for two. Outside, there were seats overlooking the Han River and seats facing the bridge. It seemed to be getting busier, so Dudu grabbed a seat first while our desserts and drinks were being prepared.

When our drinks and desserts came out and we carried them over, it had become quiet again. I considered eating while looking at the Han River, but it felt hotter than I expected, so we settled back into Puru Papa instead. Everything came individually packaged. Normally, we would have enjoyed it during our Han River picnic, but it was nice to eat somewhere cool.

Pistachio chocolate bingsu and lemon caramel latte

The pistachio chocolate bingsu came topped with ice cream and had a mix of colors. The pistachio flavor was not as strong as I expected; it was cool and sweet. There was cereal inside, so the texture kept it from getting boring while eating. I scooped up the ice cream first, then mixed the lower part. That way, it felt like I could enjoy both the ice cream and the bingsu. Like catching two rabbits at once!

The lemon caramel latte had lemon cream foam on top of a caramel latte. At first, I wondered if I should mix it all and stirred it with the straw, but thankfully only the bottom mixed while the top stayed mostly separate. Push the straw all the way down, keep it centered, and gently think of rotating just the top and bottom; that preserves the lemon-cream layer. Rather than drinking it through the straw like an Einspänner, drink from the cup: you get the caramel latte underneath and the tangy lemon on top. Maybe because the lemon tang balanced the sweetness of the caramel latte, it was not overly sweet. I worried that only an Americano would work with cake, but this paired nicely too.

Cheesecake and chocolate ganache cake

I ate the cheesecake first. It had a plastic base underneath, which made it easy to eat. Just in case, I folded the box and laid it underneath too. It felt like it had come out after being stored frozen, but it had texture, and Dudu liked it. It held its shape firmly without collapsing.

The chocolate ganache cake was topped with an Oreo cookie, though it was not crunchy. Since I ate it later, it was soft and fluffy, sweet, and totally my taste. The chocolate sponge and layers of whipped cream went well together. There was a plastic base underneath, but I accidentally knocked it over while eating and got startled. Luckily, I had put the box underneath, so I could clean it up neatly.

If the weather is getting nicer and you are planning a Han River outing or a picnic at Mangwon Hangang Park, try picking up tasty drinks and desserts from Puru Papa Hangang MAPOINT Branch to enjoy together. Chicken and draft beer sound good for the evening too!