Seocho cake shop, strawberry mango Mini and melon crepe cake: Chef Cho

Why I went to Chef Cho at Sweet Park, Shinsegae Gangnam

Chef Cho (쉐프조) is a cake shop in the Sweet Park on the basement level of Shinsegae Department Store Gangnam, known for its fruit cakes and pistachio cake. I dropped by in a rush on my way to run an errand in Gangnam. My period was coming up, I think.. and suddenly I wanted something sweet so badly. I wondered which cake would be the best, and then thought, if I'm going to eat one, let's make it a really good one! That's how I ended up at Chef Cho, the cake place at Shinsegae Gangnam.

Chef Cho is the cake brand of a master pastry chef (제과 기능장, a top national pastry qualification). His résumé had me excited before I even tasted anything! They say there are 3 shops: the Mullae main shop, Bread Company Chef Cho, and Chef Cho Boutique.

I didn't know this, but it seems he was even on a TV show called Master of Living (생활의 달인). A "Four Kings of Cake" title? I'm so excited ♥ ♥

Why I picked the Strawberry Mango Flower from the Chef Cho showcase

Of all the cakes in the Chef Cho showcase, the first one that caught my eye was the Strawberry Mango Flower. Mangoes and strawberries piled high, red and yellow, what a look! It's summer, so it's mango season, and the mangoes looked unbelievably good.

Strawberry Mango Flower No. 1 vs Mini: how many people?

The Strawberry Mango Flower came in two sizes, No. 1 and Mini. No. 1 felt a bit big for 2 or 3 people, so I was glad the Mini exists. The Mini looks just as pretty as No. 1, and it's loaded with fruit too!

The signature Chocolate Whole Strawberry Cake and the Pistachio Forest looked amazing too! I heard Chef Cho's pistachio cake is the best of the cakes at Shinsegae Gangnam, so I was tempted for a moment, but I was in a fruit-cake mood, so Strawberry Mango Flower it was!

All the other Chef Cho cakes also come in Mini and No. 1, so you can choose without worrying about leftovers. The Pure Milk Strawberry Dome looked so pretty and tasty too, but it's mango season, so I went with the one that has mango, haha. There was a separate mango cake as well, but the strawberry colors stole my eyes, lol.

A 1.5-hour trip from Shinsegae Gangnam: how Chef Cho packs the cake

If your trip is long, Chef Cho recommends a cooler bag with ice packs. I told them that after my errand it would be about 1.5 hours to get home, and they said I'd need to carry it in a cooler bag with ice packs, so I bought the cooler bag as an extra! They put in two ice packs, so no worries about the cream melting or the fruit going bad. Safe delivery.

They packed it nicely in a pretty pink box. Getting a cake wrapped this nicely as an anniversary gift would feel so good.

Chef Cho Strawberry Mango Flower Mini: how did it taste?

Finally, opening time! Wow, what a look. The Strawberry Mango Flower is piled with strawberries and mangoes, and the fruit is shiny and glossy.

It was so pretty that I had an endless photo session before eating, haha. Isn't this just the perfect cake to give for an anniversary? Getting one like this would feel so good~

I cut the Strawberry Mango Flower in half: moist sponge, and 100% animal-based whipped cream, so the cream tasted light and soft, with fruit tucked in here and there. So good. Maybe because it's an expensive cake, the sweetness of the fruit was incredible.. and since it's mango season, the mango was really, really sweet! As you'd expect from a master pastry chef's cake, it's not just pretty, the taste is excellent too. Maybe thanks to all the fruit, it wasn't greasy or cloying at all, and I enjoyed every bite.

Even though it's the Mini, it was quite a lot for two people to finish, so I ended up setting some aside! If you don't eat much sweet, the Mini would be enough for even 3 to 4 people, haha.

I added a Chef Cho Melon Crepe Cake too

Chef Cho's crepe cakes came in two kinds, mixed fruit and melon, and I chose melon. One cake somehow felt like not enough, so I bought another, lol. I'd gone all the way to the Sweet Park at Shinsegae Gangnam, so buying just one would be a shame!

This one was also so, so good..

The melon crepe cake's cream seemed a little different from the Strawberry Mango Flower's, a bit heavier? The melon was very sweet and it was really, really, really good T_T If you go to Sweet Park at Shinsegae Gangnam, please get this at Chef Cho.. A whole cake is pricey and way too much if you just suddenly want cake, so at least get this!!

Is Chef Cho a good anniversary cake pick at Shinsegae Gangnam?

I enjoyed it down to the last bite!! A famous cake shop really is that good~ Chef Cho's Strawberry Mango Flower is a truly delicious mango cake, and pretty and tasty enough for a birthday or anniversary, so I really, really recommend it.