French dessert café in Suwon with melon shortcake: Lapelina

These days there are loads of pretty cafés and places selling all kinds of desserts, but once you learn what path the chef took to get to the desserts in the display case, you look at the shop differently, don't you? I was excited about this Cheoncheon-dong dessert café, Lapelina Pâtisserie (라펠리나), because it felt like it had expertise and authenticity that go beyond just pretty desserts.

Walking through the Cheoncheon-dong food alley, you'll spot Lapelina, an egg tart specialist with a white, European-feeling exterior.

What does Lapelina's melon shortcake taste like?

The melon shortcake at Lapelina has a decent amount of nicely sweet melon, and the sponge is seriously moist. I went a little after 2 p.m. and the fruit cake and peach yogurt cake were already sold out :( I figured they'd still have them at that hour, but next time I'll go earlier!

Still, the melon shortcake was delicious. The melon was just sweet enough, and there was so much of it that I was happy.

The sponge in particular is super moist. Once you start, you can't stop. I came in already full and the cake still vanished in a flash. I surprised myself with my inner piggy..

What is Lapelina's apple cinnamon egg tart like?

Lapelina's apple cinnamon egg tart has a layered crust that melts like cotton candy and a very soft filling. I had it with an iced latte. It's an egg tart specialist, so I definitely wanted at least one, and I agonized between chocolate, pistachio and apple cinnamon before picking the last.

See those layers in the crust? It's like.. shasha-sak, it flakes off in layers and then melts away like cotton candy.

The filling is sooo soft too, it just melts in your mouth. I've never had such a soft egg tart, and it was really good. It has a different charm from the springy, bouncy kind of egg tart. Wow, how can this be this good? I'm in love ♡

Lapelina egg tart flavors and prices

Lapelina has a wide variety of egg tarts, and prices are mostly in the ₩4,000 range. Here's what I saw in the display case.

• Corn egg tart
• Cassis blueberry egg tart
• Raspberry egg tart

• Earl Grey egg tart
• Red bean matcha egg tart
• Sweet potato egg tart

• Pistachio egg tart
• Marron (chestnut) pie

Overall they're in the ₩4,000 range, an easy price to pair with a drink. Once you taste one, you'll think it's even cheaper than that!

Savoie, Paris-Brest and financiers at Lapelina

Lapelina also has fancy, very French-sounding desserts like the sablé (butter cookie) at ₩5,800 and the Paris-Brest (choux ring pastry) at ₩9,200. The Paris-Brest is on the pricey side, but it's a flavor I've never tried, so I'd love to. Actually, because it's pricey I'm even more curious, haha

There are also financiers (small almond cakes), nice for a light snack.

Inside Lapelina: the café interior and Lenôtre diplomas

The interior at Lapelina feels elegant overall, with arched walls and shelves lined with neatly arranged teacups and small items. I also noticed an Eiffel Tower decoration and luxurious packaging. Rather than filling the space with flashy decor, each little piece seemed placed in harmony. At first I thought they were interior props, but when I looked closer, there were several certificates written in French and English.

The name that caught my eye most was Lenôtre, the French one. There were certificates connected to Lenôtre's culinary school, L'École des Arts Culinaires Lenôtre. Isn't France the land of fine desserts? The owner is really serious about desserts. Another thing that caught my eye was a graduation certificate written in Japanese. It seems the owner studied and graduated in Japan too.

With warm yellow lighting, clean white, and softness from the arches and chandelier, it's the textbook "this is why I come to cafés" atmosphere ♡

Lapelina parking and how to get there

Lapelina is inside the Cheoncheon-dong food alley, and you can park in the alley in front of the shop. When you open the door, you get the nutty, fragrant smell of baking bread.

If there's space in front of the shop, two or three cars can park. It was full when I went, so I parked on the next block. By public transit, it's walkable from Cheoncheon Middle School and Best Town, and not far from Hwaseo Station or Seongdae Station.