Shinsegae Gangnam cake shop, hotel-room fig pistachio No.1: Chef Cho

Where is Chef Cho in Shinsegae Department Store Gangnam?

Chef Cho Shinsegae Department Store Gangnam sits inside Sweet Park on B1 of Shinsegae's Gangnam branch. It's right by the entrance to Sweet Park, alongside a bunch of other cake brands all packed in together — so you really have to look carefully to find the right one, haha!

I picked up Chef Cho's cake a few days ago as a birthday cake. I went with the fig pistachio cake, probably the hottest seasonal cake around right now — and honestly, it might be the best cake I've ever eaten in my life. ❤️

The shops inside Sweet Park at Shinsegae Gangnam are all proven, hyped spots, so pretty much anywhere you go is solid. But I always used to love the cakes from a certain brand and only ever bought from there — until they left Shinsegae Gangnam this year, and I became a cake nomad for a bit, haha. The newly opened Bonami cakes were good too, but once I tasted Chef Cho's fig pistachio cake, I found myself shouting that nothing else compares. Lol.

Chef Cho has even appeared on a Korean TV show about masters of their craft, and it's been named one of the '4 Great Cake Kings.' ❤️

Why I chose the fig pistachio No.1 at 58,000 won

Every time I walk past Chef Cho, I get distracted by how gorgeous the cakes look, and that day too, the peach berry cake (peach + strawberry, ₩53,000) and the real mango rose cake (₩56,000) had such overwhelming visuals that I stood there debating for ages. The peach berry cake especially, with peaches piled high between the strawberries, looked so tempting. 🍑🍓❤

But I pulled myself together, haha, and went with the fig pistachio cake I'd had my eye on since last month. 🩷 And it turned out there was only one No.1 size left! I was basically hypnotized into buying it. (Lol.)

As of 4pm on Friday, the No.1 size fig pistachio cake was already sold out, and since I was planning to stop by the lounge first, I picked it up at 6pm — by which point the mini size (₩45,000) was also completely sold out. Worth keeping in mind if you're planning to buy one.

I was only planning to share it with my partner, but I already knew Chef Cho's cakes were delicious, and a mini size felt like it wouldn't be enough for two, so I went with the last remaining No.1 size fig pistachio cake.

— Fig Pistachio Cake — (₩58,000)

This one's the mini size, for anyone comparing sizes! It was so good that the two of us cleaned out even the No.1 size and were licking our lips afterward... get the big one, people. ❤️

Chef Cho's pickup service if you want to keep shopping

If you have more shopping to do after buying, like me, carrying a cake around is a hassle — so after paying, leave your phone number and name and you can pick it up later. I came back around 6pm to collect mine, and they packaged it so neatly! For up to an hour of travel, a small ice pack is included for free, and for longer, you can buy an extra one for ₩3,000.

Carrying the Chef Cho cake to the hotel

The next day, we went to Sushi Cho at the Westin Chosun Hotel for a birthday staycation. ❤️ After check-in we headed straight to eat, and I almost left the cake at check-in, but since we'd booked a room anyway, I figured we might as well light the candles there, so I brought the Chef Cho cake along. My partner joked it was basically a full Chosun Hotel set — Sushi Cho and Chef Cho. Lol.

I was just planning to blow out candles, but the moment they saw the cake they stored it separately, then brought it out later with candles lit, plated beautifully alongside our desserts on a gorgeous cake tray!! ❤️❤️ They even said we could eat the cake in the room. ❤️ (But we were way too full, so we decided to save it as a late-night snack, haha.) I was so glad I'd brought the cake along. ❤️

They set it up on such a pretty cake tray, ugh... ❤️ The fig pistachio cake looked even prettier sitting on it. This was before I'd even tasted it, and I was already giddy. (After tasting it that night, I could think about nothing but this fig pistachio cake for days... couldn't function normally. Lol.)

I kept photographing it from the side, so my partner insisted we had to show the top too, lol. It's fig season, so fig cakes and fig pistachio cakes are pretty common right now, but I've never seen one piled this high with figs and still this uniquely designed. ❤️ The pistachio color combo is so luxurious too — thanks to Sushi Cho we got to blow out candles, and thanks to Chef Cho's cake, the birthday feeling was complete.

Midnight a day later: dairy cream that still held its shape

After two rounds at the hotel lounge, a trip to the sauna, plus a proper night walk around the hotel to digest, cake time finally arrived. ❤️ Cake tasting started at midnight, no joke. Lol. I was worried a cake made with 100% dairy whipped cream might collapse, but thankfully the shape was still intact by night. So impressive. ❤️

So this Shinsegae Gangnam branch is Chef Cho's fourth store.

I assumed it was a brand that just recently got hot, but apparently it's a 20-year-old cake institution. They use 100% dairy whipped cream plus fruit sourced fresh every day, which is said to make the cakes taste even fresher and softer. In our case, we picked up the cake the evening before and tasted it the following night, and it was still incredibly delicious, as if it had just been made. ㅠㅠ

Side view and cross-section of the fig pistachio cake

Peeling off the packaging for a little side view. On the sides, the fig cross-sections are lined up between layers of pistachio cream, and it looks so upscale. I didn't expect pistachio and fig to work this well together, and the color pairing is just as good, haha.

From above, the figs are piled generously on top, but they're also packed relentlessly inside the cake. The box felt genuinely heavy when I carried it — it reminded me of carrying the strawberry siru cake from Sungsimdang in Daejeon. Lol.

Gold flecks scattered throughout too. ❤️

Enjoyed with the non-alcoholic wine I'd brought and the Made in Korea 2 I'd been saving up for — a perfect late-night dessert time with Chef Cho's cake!!

How does it taste? The pistachio filling decides it

The subtle sweetness of the seasonal figs goes without saying, but this pistachio filling cream is on a whole other level of luxury... it's rich and dense without being too sweet, so it just keeps going in.

We had breakfast at Aria booked for the next morning, and since we'd cut into the cake past midnight, I told myself, just one taste! But I couldn't stop — we practically demolished it in three minutes.

We barely managed to save half for the next day's breakfast plans — and then spent the whole next day excited about eating the rest. Lol. The leftover half also got demolished in three minutes as a late-night snack the following night. ^^^^ Truly, every single bite made me so happy. ❤️ If you want to be happy, everyone, go buy Chef Cho's fig pistachio cake.

The one drawback of Chef Cho's fig pistachio cake

Chef Cho's cake made an already happy birthday even happier. ❤️ The only downside is that I've been thinking about this cake nonstop and talking about nothing else for days. Lol.

Friends who bought it after seeing my story said it tastes heavenly. Lol.

I hope everyone gets to experience that heavenly taste. I need to go buy it diligently again before fig season ends. Make sure nobody you know misses out on Chef Cho's fig pistachio cake! ❤️