Daehak-ro date café in Seoul: mango yogurt cake and gifts at I'm Ellen

Today's spot is I'm Ellen (아임엘렌), near Hyehwa Station! It's open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., every day of the year.

What does the outside of I'm Ellen look like?

The exterior of I'm Ellen has a tropical-pattern sign in pink, blue and green and a hot pink wall. The colors are so loud that you'll notice it from far away and think, "What's that place?" Isn't that tropical pattern with all its colors just so stylish? With the hot pink wall and the sleek I'M ELLEN logo, it really announces itself from a distance!

By the entrance there's also a cute banner showing off I'm Ellen's signature lettering cakes! From a cute teddy bear cake to a gorgeous flower cake, the quality is amazing, and just looking at the photos makes you want to order one right away. Perfect as a gift for a special day, don't you think? 🎂

Inside I'm Ellen: atmosphere and seating

Inside, I'm Ellen is a warm space with white walls, stylish lighting and lots of little decorative touches. It has a totally different charm from the flashy exterior! One wall is a big picture window, so the natural light is really good. Perfect for slowly enjoying a coffee while watching people walk by, right?

The tables and chairs are a little different in each area, so it's fun just looking around. From warm wooden tables to sleek transparent chairs, it feels like you'd get a great photo wherever you sit! 📸

And here's another thing that makes I'm Ellen special: it's full of traces of the many celebrities who have visited! One wall of the shop is covered in autographs, from famous actors to idols, so many people have stopped by. It was fun reading the messages on the signatures one by one, and seeing all the praise made me feel how popular I'm Ellen is!

How to read the I'm Ellen drink menu

On the I'm Ellen drink menu, the best sellers and signature items are marked with yellow boxes, so it's easy to choose even on a first visit. It's neatly laid out in a cute, handwritten-style font! You all know it's one drink per person, right? 😉 Even first-timers can pick without any stress! 👍 There's a huge range of drinks, and the signature items are clear, so whichever dessert you choose, it's easy to find a drink to pair with it!

What cakes are in the I'm Ellen showcase?

The I'm Ellen showcase has rows of fresh lemon cream cake, mango yogurt cream cake, chocolate roll cake and cheesecake. The moment I saw the showcase, the colorful handwritten menu was already so charming! With all those gorgeous-looking cakes lined up, my eyes were popping, it was seriously hard!

Starting from the top shelf, the fresh lemon cream cake stands out! It's a seasonal cake made with house-made lemon curd, using a whole 6 lemons. It's only sold from May to August, a true summer cake, so you'd really regret missing it! 🍋

And right next to it is the mango yogurt cream cake, a visual explosion! They say 2 whole fresh mangoes go into it, and look at the mango tucked between the sponge layers! It's piled high with fluffy cream too, so my mouth started watering the second I saw it... 🤤

In the middle shelf, the ultimate fluffy chocolate roll cake is cutely rolled up! It's full of rich chocolate cream, so you can feel the sweetness just by looking at it~ 🍫 Below that, there's a spot reserved for cheesecake lovers!

I'm Ellen lunchbox cakes and lettering whole cakes

On the bottom shelf of I'm Ellen's dessert fridge, lunchbox cakes with characters and lettering are neatly stacked. The moment I opened my eyes to that fridge, my head was spinning! From a Kirby character cake to a clean "To My Forever" lettering and an adorable puppy character cake, it's all just perfect! 🐶💖

The whole cake in the middle is dotted with tiny hearts and stars, and it looks great from any angle, so it was really fun to look at! There were also base cakes neatly iced in pastel pink and sky blue, and it seems custom messages get added to those later! The very definition of clean and neat, I have to agree! 👍

I'm Ellen baked goods: egg scones, handmade cookies and pound cakes

Next to the cakes, baked goods like egg scones, handmade cookies and pound cakes are prettily set out. First, the golden-brown egg scones under a glass dome really caught my eye! According to the handwritten name tags, the plain one has vanilla bean for double the flavor, and the chocolate scone isn't too sweet, so nobody dislikes it! I bet it's crisp outside and moist inside~ 🤤

Next to those are handmade cookies, each prettily bagged! There's a real variety: yellow cheese (hwangchi-jeu, a sweet-savory cheese powder flavor), Oreo, plain chocolate chip, black sesame, and a chewy s'more cookie topped with marshmallow~ 🍪 They're all a flat ₩4,000, so I wanted to grab one of everything and had a hard time holding back...

Last is the pound cake lineup, with cute descriptions on yellow rabbit-shaped memo pads! There's a banana pound cake, moist thanks to 2 bananas, and a lemon pound cake said to leave your mouth refreshed with a burst of zing, both gently wrapped! 🍋🍌

Gifts and party supplies sold at I'm Ellen

One side of the I'm Ellen shop is packed with little goods like knit plants, knit bouquets, mini postcards, cake candles and party supplies. Browsing was so fun that I wandered around that corner for a long time~

The lucky knit plant series, which looks hand-knitted, is so cute... 🌵 There's a real variety, from colorful three-color tulips to sunflowers and four-leaf clovers! Since this is Daehak-ro (Seoul's theater district), they'd be great as a light gift when you're going to see a play or show~ Next to them are knit bouquets with lovely wrapping and tiny mini postcards, and they look like they'd make the person receiving them happy, so I totally fell for them! 💖

And maybe because I'm Ellen's cakes are so famous, the lineup of cute cake candles and party supplies was crazy... 👍 Colored number candles are a given, and there are cute duck, chick and teddy bear candles, plus cute headbands, crowns and princess gloves! The little goods displayed in a mini cart show the owner's flair, don't you think? On the table, colorful 3D smiley, heart and tulip candles are neatly arranged, so it'd be easy to pick one to your taste when you want to celebrate a special day!

And one thing made me burst out laughing by myself while browsing... 😂 There were postcards with a "Monkey Letter" and "Yuseong Sexy" on them, full of B-grade humor (deliberately goofy, low-brow style)! They popped up out of nowhere among all the cute stuff, and the annoyingly funny look of them cracked me up! Haha! They'd be perfect when you want to write a witty, not-so-obvious note for a close friend's birthday~ 👍

In a corner of the shop there's also a photo zone with colorful garlands and a teddy bear against a hot pink backdrop! It has a real birthday party feel, so photos taken here turn out really pretty~ 📸

What we ordered at I'm Ellen

At I'm Ellen we ordered a lemon milkshake, a Hallabong ade (Hallabong is a Jeju citrus similar to a mandarin), an egg scone, a classic chocolate chip cookie and the mango yogurt fresh cream cake. We were chatting at our seat after ordering and the food came out on a pastel mint tray with heart coasters and a cute ribbon plate... 🎀 The owner must have learned Instagram style really well! It totally hit my taste! We ordered the lemon milkshake, marked as an I'm Ellen signature on the menu, a refreshing Hallabong ade, and for dessert the egg scone and classic chocolate chip cookie! And of course the mango cake that stole our eyes in the showcase! 👍

Photos alone felt like a shame, so I also took a short video when everything was out! On the mint tray you can see the yellow glow of the Hallabong ade and the creamy white lemon milkshake, along with the mango cake, egg scone and chocolate chip cookie on the cute ribbon plate, all at a glance! It's so Instagram-worthy that just looking at it is healing, right?

I'm Ellen signature lemon milkshake (7.0)

The I'm Ellen lemon milkshake is a signature drink with a smooth milky taste and a refreshing lemon touch. The shake piled up above the glass like white snow looks pretty, and it came on a pink heart-shaped silicone coaster, which is just so cute~ It's pleasantly sweet and tangy, and the heat disappeared in one go! 💖

I'm Ellen Hallabong ade (6.0)

The I'm Ellen Hallabong ade was my partner's pick, with plenty of Hallabong pulp settled at the bottom. 🍊 Just look at that bright yellow that bursts with freshness! ✨ Stir it up with the straw and drink? It's pure tangy sweetness! The contrast between the blue heart coaster and the yellow drink was so pretty that I couldn't not take a photo! 📸

I'm Ellen classic chocolate chip cookie (4.8)

The I'm Ellen classic chocolate chip cookie is packed with dark chocolate chips and is crisp yet chewy. The second I tore open the plastic wrapper, a sweet, nutty butter and chocolate aroma brushed past my nose, and it was pure happiness... When I took a bite, it was crunchy and chewy at the same time, so delicious! 👍

It isn't just sharply sweet; you can taste a bittersweet, deep chocolate flavor, which made it a perfect dessert to eat with a drink! 🤤

I'm Ellen egg scone (4.8)

The I'm Ellen egg scone is a dessert with a crisp scone dough stuffed full of custard egg filling. It comes gently set on a plate with a cute pink ribbon and sky-blue polka dots, golden-baked! The top is lightly toasted to a mild brown, and doesn't it look appetizing? I gave it a passing grade right away just for the thick, tall dough! 👍

I picked up my fork and split it in half! The outer scone dough felt crisp right through my fingertips... and the inside was so full that even the feel of the fork going in was something else~ Cut right in half, the custard egg filling was packed in without a single gap! The soft, rich yellow filling looked ready to spill out, and I couldn't help but gasp when I saw it~ 💖

I scooped up a big piece with the fork and sent it straight into my mouth! No lie, the soft filling melts the moment it hits your mouth... A hint of vanilla bean comes through, nutty and sweet without even 1% of eggy smell, perfect! The crisp, nutty texture of the tart-like crust and the soft filling together were amazing... You get the nuttiness of a scone and the moistness of an egg tart at the same time~ If you like desserts, nobody will dislike this, it's tear-jerkingly good!

I'm Ellen mango yogurt fresh cream cake (8.0)

The I'm Ellen mango yogurt fresh cream cake is a cake that never feels heavy, with yogurt flavor and fresh mango pulp blended into the whipped cream. Back at the showcase I thought, "I have to eat this," and when it came out on a plate I couldn't help but gasp! The fluffy, wavy cream texture was incredible! It looked like a white cloud set on a plate, so I couldn't not take photos~ ✨

If you look closely at the cross-section, bright yellow, sweet fresh mango pulp is generously tucked between the sponge layers! The owner wrote that 2 whole fresh mangoes go in, and I totally agree... 👍 With every layer of sponge and layer of cream there are big pieces of mango, so you get real mango whichever part you cut! 💖

Finally I dug in the fork with high hopes! The sponge was so moist and soft that the fork slid right down~ And the first bite? A subtle, fresh yogurt flavor spread through the soft cream, and sweet fresh mango juice burst out... I almost fainted, seriously... 💛 Whipped cream alone can get heavy, but the lightness of the yogurt balances it so you never get tired of it, you could eat endlessly! My partner and I inhaled it without saying a word... 🤣

Is I'm Ellen a good date spot in Daehak-ro?

I'm Ellen was satisfying for the drinks, the desserts and the browsing alike, so it's worth recommending as a Daehak-ro date course. We were chatting with my partner while eating, and before we knew it the plates were totally clean! Haha! We scraped up every last bit of the mango cake cream, drained the drinks to the bottom, and even swept up the egg scone crumbs... From drinks to desserts, nothing let us down!

From the colorful exterior that lifts your mood, to browsing the cute little goods, to drinks and desserts that were perfect in both looks and taste! There's really no better place to relax while chatting cozily with your partner! 👍 If you're looking for a special date course in Daehak-ro, or a high-quality handmade lettering cake and dessert spot, don't hesitate to stop by, I recommend it with all my heart (and a little bias)! 😉 Thanks for the delicious meal today~!