Gangnam café for fig cake and Einspänner: Upper and Under

A dessert café between Gangnam and Sinnonhyeon stations

After a meal, Choi absolutely has to finish with a delicious dessert! After lunch around Gangnam Station, I went looking for a great dessert spot and visited Upper and Under.

Upper and Under is 298 m from Exit 6 of Sinnonhyeon Station, right between Gangnam Station and Sinnonhyeon Station. There are so many great cafés around here that I thought I had tried them all, but Upper and Under has such good desserts that I came back again. The café spans basement level 1, the first floor, and the second floor, and it is always packed on weekends, so you have to be quick on the draw for a seat.

There is outdoor seating by the entrance too, but it was still rather hot during the day, so nobody was sitting there.

Once inside, this is the first floor. It gets wonderful sunlight, so I loved the bright atmosphere, and the window-side seating is set at different levels, giving the same space an open, layered feel.

The window seats also feel subtly private, so wouldn’t this be great for a first-date café? Keep it in mind if you are planning a first date in Gangnam, haha.

Sadly, the first floor was already full, so I headed upstairs to the second floor. That was nearly full too. There were exactly two seats left, so I grabbed them right away. It filled up immediately afterward★

There was outdoor seating on the second floor as well. With lush green trees right in front, I thought photos would turn out beautifully there. It would be nice to sit outside once daytime gets a little cooler, or when visiting in the evening! After securing a seat, Choi went back down to the first floor to look at the desserts and order.

From figs to baked treats and cakes

Figs are in season these days, so I have been seeing lots of fig desserts, haven’t you? Upper and Under had fig desserts too!

There were pies and baked treats such as madeleines, financiers, and canelés, and everything looked so delicious that I wanted to eat it all, haha.

The display case beside it also had Basque cheesecakes—vanilla Basque cheesecake and yellow-cheese Basque cheesecake. Don’t they both look delicious? Truly a dessert gem★

And that was not all. The large display case was lined with all kinds of cakes too—visuals that made me think, I absolutely have to have one.

There was also a wide variety of delicious coffee to pair with the desserts.

Choi’s picks

• Einspänner ₩8,000
• Peach Earl Grey sparkling ade ₩8,000
• Fig cake ₩8,500
• Pistachio canelé ₩4,700

Even after a big lunch, I could not give up dessert, so I ordered two drinks and two desserts >_<

The beautiful-looking menu items arrived. I think I chose such a great combination.

Peach Earl Grey sparkling ade and Einspänner

First, time to try the drinks. It was peach, but with orange? Grapefruit? on top, so for a moment I thought I had been given the wrong drink 🙄

The Earl Grey and peach syrup were separated, so I stirred it well to mix them. It had a subtle Earl Grey fragrance, and the sweet peach syrup was so good! I also loved getting little pieces of peach, and the fizz made it feel perfect for when you are thirsty.

This time, the Einspänner. Doesn’t that thick layer of cream look delicious?

The cream was so chewy and rich. Its substantial texture went well with the strong café latte underneath, and the coffee was quietly bold, making it great with dessert.

Pistachio canelé and fig cake

Now for the showstopping desserts: a canelé wearing a pistachio hat and a fig cake piled high with figs!

First, a little slice of the canelé. It was crisp outside and moist inside.

I could taste the nutty pistachio, and the canelé’s crisp-outside, soft-inside charm was incredible. It was just sweet enough and really delicious. The fig cake was a little awkward to cut, so I just ate it with a fork, haha.

I tried the figs first. They were nicely ripe and sweet—so delicious. I really think everything should be eaten in season.

They were even more heavenly with the fluffy sponge and cream. The cake sponge was not dry at all, just soft, and the sweet cream and figs were such a lovely pairing. At Upper and Under, not a single coffee or dessert disappointed. If you are looking for a café around Gangnam or Sinnonhyeon with a nice atmosphere and a good place to talk, I recommend Upper and Under!