Sinnonhyeon café for a quiet catch-up: custard tart, Upper and Under

Upper and Under, a Sinnonhyeon Station café: Einspänner and desserts

Looking for a café near Sinnonhyeon Station where you can talk quietly with a friend?

Upper and Under (어퍼앤언더) is a café on Gangnam-daero 102-gil near Sinnonhyeon Station, and its calm table layout made it great for chatting with a friend. I had made plans to meet a friend in Gangnam after ages, and I searched for a long time for somewhere quiet with good coffee. The Gangnam area is so crowded that you often can't even hear each other talk, right? But this Sinnonhyeon Station café welcomed us with relaxed air and cozy lighting the moment we walked in, and I loved it from the first impression.

The calm table layout really stood out, which made it the perfect pick for a deep conversation with a friend I hadn't seen in a long time.

A cozy, hideout-like retreat found in the bustling alleys of Gangnam

What cakes are in the Upper and Under showcase, and how much are they?

The counter showcase at Upper and Under held tiramisu, Earl Grey grapefruit cake, lemon cake and fig cake, with prices in the mid-₩8,000 range. What caught my friend's eye and mine the second we walked in was the counter showcase packed with desserts.

There was tiramisu piled with cocoa powder, an Earl Grey grapefruit cake with big chunks of fresh grapefruit on white cream, a lemon cake topped with bright yellow lemon slices, and a fig cake generously loaded with autumn-season figs. Just looking at them made my mouth water! The mid-₩8,000 price is quite reasonable considering what handmade desserts cost in Gangnam these days.

Baked sweets next to the showcase

On the table right next to the showcase were baked sweets (gumgwaja) like crème brûlée flan, pistachio canelé, lemon madeleine and chocolate financier. They sat cozily on pretty plates: a crème brûlée flan with its sugar top torched to a glossy golden brown, a pistachio canelé covered in a heap of green nutty powder, a lemon madeleine glistening with sugar glaze, and long handmade financiers coated in chocolate. The variety was really something.

The sweet smell of butter drifting over while I chose made just browsing a lot of fun.

How are the Einspänner and iced café latte at Upper and Under?

At Upper and Under I ordered an Einspänner (espresso topped with thick cream) and an iced café latte; the Einspänner had dense, chewy cream and the latte stayed richly nutty to the end. After settling into a seat, I agonized at the counter and finally ordered the Einspänner and a cool iced café latte.

The Einspänner, the signature drink of this Sinnonhyeon Station café, had a very dense, chewy cream that coated my mouth richly with the first spoonful. I tasted the white cream with the spoon first, then tilted the cup and drank it together with the strong coffee underneath.

After the rich sweetness of the milky cream came a bitter, nutty coffee aroma in perfect harmony, and my eyes went wide, haha

The iced café latte we ordered with it also had the nutty richness of the beans coming through, so even as the ice slowly melted it never turned watery and kept its deep flavor to the end. Definitely a latte hotspot!!

How were the tart and financier with the coffee?

The caramelized tart I picked at Upper and Under was crisp outside and packed with custard cream inside, and the chocolate financier had a rich butter flavor. A plate of dessert to go with fragrant coffee is a must, right?! I chose the baked sweets at first glance for their golden-brown surfaces in the showcase, and gently cut into the tart with its sweetly caramelized top using a fork. The outside crackled and crumbled while the inside was full of moist, soft custard cream, and the pleasant sweetness spread the more I chewed. Ahh~~

The chewy chocolate financier balanced a bittersweet dark chocolate coating on the outside with the butter flavor of the cake inside. The butter taste was so rich it couldn't compare with factory-made bread, and with a sip of cold latte the flavor filling my mouth was fantastic. Desserts that are too sweet get tiring fast, but the sweetness at Upper and Under was nicely balanced, so I cleaned my plate down to the last bite.

What are the seating and floors like at Upper and Under?

Upper and Under is nicely divided across the basement, first and second floors, so you can stay wherever suits you. Each floor has soft indirect lighting and a modern table layout, so photos come out moody without harsh shadows. I also really liked that the seats were spaced so generously that even after chatting with my friend for a long time, I never felt self-conscious about the next table.

I thought it would also be nice to come back alone with a laptop and work quietly. When you want to catch your breath in a busy daily routine, the comfort of a cup of coffee and a sweet dessert goes a long way. This Sinnonhyeon Station café, where I could sink into a conversation of our own with a dear friend I hadn't seen in ages without any interruptions, will stay in my memory for a long time.

If you want to spend a leisurely afternoon sharing good coffee with someone you like, this Sinnonhyeon Station café is worth a visit.

Why not recharge with a cup of smooth coffee just for yourself at the end of a tiring day?