Seocho Station pie café: Aurora Pie and honey cookies, Saison de Pie

If you stroll slowly down a peaceful, quiet side street in Seocho-dong, you'll run into a magical little spot where the sweet, nutty smell of butter stops dessert lovers in their tracks. You've only stepped a little way in from the big, busy streets of Gangnam, yet it feels like a cozy, carefully made dessert shop hidden in a quiet European residential neighborhood!

Today I'm telling you about my visit to Saison de Pie (쎄종드파이), a pie specialty shop near Sarang Church, by Seocho Station. The flavor was deeper than I expected and you can really feel the craftsmanship, so let me walk you through this happy takeout story in detail.

What are the atmosphere and seating like at Saison de Pie?

The Saison de Pie shop in Seocho-dong is on the small side, but it has a long bar table where you can sit looking out at the alley, plus several small tables. When you open the door, the warm, snug interior wraps around you, which I found really charming. The space is used in a cute, clever way, and the bar table is especially appealing for people visiting alone: you can gaze calmly at the quiet alley outside and sink completely into your own dessert time. For solo café-goers, or anyone who wants a sugar boost while quietly lost in thought, it felt like a heavenly spot.

There are also several small tables that are great for chatting away with someone dear to you, so the place came across as small but comforting and endearing. It was so charming that I left wishing I'd stayed instead of taking out. Next time I really want to sit at one of these cozy tables with a freshly baked pie and a hot cup of coffee and take in the whole atmosphere.

Will there be pies left at 3 p.m. on a weekday?

I got to Saison de Pie around 3 p.m. on a weekday. There were still plenty of pie varieties, but the apple pie I wanted had already vanished from the showcase. Saison de Pie is a proper, authentic pie specialist, and the name alone inspires confidence. I went at an awkward time, well after lunch.

As you'd expect from a Seocho Station spot with such a great reputation, there were lots of kinds of pie~ I wanted to try the apple pie, but the showcase was empty. I should have come a bit earlier~ So I scanned the other pies.

Why I chose one Aurora Pie and three honey cookies

That day I only took out one Aurora Pie and three honey cookies (₩12,000) from Saison de Pie. I couldn't go straight home, and I was worried about carrying around several cream pies. Honestly I wanted to stock up on one of everything, since they look gorgeous, but I was planning to get home late in the evening after all my other appointments. I worried that pies with soft cream would get horribly squashed or lose freshness while I lugged them around.

So after much thought I picked just one pie, the Aurora Pie that kept catching my eye,

and compromised by bringing along baked cookies, which keep more easily and won't collapse on the way. I really wanted the generous "honey cookie set," which lets you enjoy 7 different flavors at once, but plenty of other people had their eye on it too and it was already completely sold out. With a big sigh, I settled for the second-best option: three honey cookies (₩12,000).

What about the packaging fee and ice-pack packing at Saison de Pie?

At Saison de Pie, taking out just a single pie adds a ₩500 packaging fee. But the moment you receive the box, you realize that ₩500 is not a waste at all.

The kind, warm-looking owner packed it for me, and when they learned it would take me a while to get home, they thoughtfully tucked in a cooling ice pack, very carefully! They also packed the pie firmly with paper cushioning so it wouldn't slide around and lose its shape in the box. Seeing that, I could sense real craftsmanship and warm consideration for customers.

Thanks to the owner's perfect, thorough, touching packing, the pie survived a long weekday afternoon out and about and a jolting ride on public transport. The cream didn't slump to one side or melt, and I got it home in the same lovely shape, which honestly amazed me.

How does the Aurora Pie at Saison de Pie taste?

The Aurora Pie at Saison de Pie is filled with vanilla cream, and the rich, not-too-sweet vanilla cream goes well with the crisp pie crust. I picked it because I couldn't walk past the sweet, enticing words "vanilla cream" on the showcase name tag. I absolutely love soft, deep vanilla flavor, so I was satisfied.

I carefully cut off a bite, and it was just fantastic the moment it hit my mouth. The rich, smooth, not-too-sweet, high-class vanilla cream gently wrapped my tongue, and the crisp, nutty texture of the flaky pie crust blended perfectly with the cream. It was so well made that I hated to see each bite disappear.

What do the honey cookies at Saison de Pie taste like?

The honey cookies at Saison de Pie were characterized by the rich sweetness of honey and the chewy, nutty texture of almond powder. I carefully took out a sealed honey cookie and tasted it, and the nuttiness that burst through my mouth with the first bite made my eyes pop open! Just as the owner said, it isn't the artificial, sharp sweetness of sugar, but the soft, deep sweetness of natural honey soaking through, which felt like the pinnacle of luxury. And thanks to the almond powder used in place of flour, every bite was chewy yet intensely nutty.

The desserts were so good that I naturally craved a cup of bitter hot coffee, so I quickly brewed a capsule and enjoyed them properly with a fragrant Americano. It was late and I hated to finish them, so I'd firmly resolved to just taste one and keep the rest sealed for the next morning. But what do you know, they were so addictive that once I opened the bag I couldn't stop my hand, and I ate every last one right there in no time. Instead of guilt, deep happiness filled my whole body. It was the perfect taste.

Is Saison de Pie worth going back to?

Thanks to the owner's thoughtfulness and dessert quality that doesn't skimp on ingredients, I plan to come back to Saison de Pie as a weekend opening-time visit. In a quiet Seocho-dong alley, the sweet scent of pie drifting from a small shop, the owner's warm care, and the dignified dessert quality from not skimping on good ingredients: nothing was lacking, and it was the best discovery. It's a shame that many items were sold out because I went in the late afternoon, but that let me taste the precious Aurora Pie and the insanely delicious honey cookies, so I have no regrets. To conquer the other handmade pies that keep floating in my mind, I'll definitely be back soon to stamp my revisit, at opening time on a weekend.

If you want somewhere easy to reach by public transport near Seocho Station or Gyodae, and you want the real essence of carefully made handmade desserts rather than factory-stamped flavor, go check out Saison de Pie, the hidden gem in the back alley by Sarang Church near Seocho Station~~