Sinnonhyeon café: fig cream cake and chamomile tea, Upper and Under

This is Upper and Under, a café near Sinnonhyeon Station. The address is 28 Gangnam-daero 102-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea, spread across basement level 1, 1st floor, and 2nd floor, and it's open 11:00-22:00.

For anyone who loves the big, beautifully designed interior cafés around Gangnam Station and Sinnonhyeon Station, this one might be right up your alley. Introducing Upper and Under, a Sinnonhyeon Station café.

What is on each floor at Upper and Under near Sinnonhyeon Station?

Upper and Under has three levels — basement, 1st floor, and 2nd floor. There's actually more seating inside than it looks like from outside. The space is divided into outdoor seating, indoor seating, and a separate dessert sales area.

The basement has table seating, while the 1st floor has the counter for ordering drinks and desserts along with two outdoor tables right by the door. The key floor of Upper and Under is really the 2nd floor, though — that's where you'll find the outdoor terrace.

Dessert menu and prices at Upper and Under

Since figs are in season, there was fig pie (₩8,300) and choco banana pie (₩8,000), plus one of my recommended baked goods, crème brûlée (₩6,900), along with caramel cheese pie (₩7,200), lemon (₩4,300) and fig (₩4,500) madeleines, nunetine financier (₩4,200), Earl Grey canelé (₩4,200), and matcha canelé (₩4,500) — a wide variety of baked treats.

You can't skip the cakes either — there's tiramisu, fig, raspberry, lemon, Earl Grey grapefruit, and Basque cheesecake. Since I come to Upper and Under often, I usually stick to the lemon cake, but this time they had fig cake ready too, so I tried that instead and it was delicious.

Which drinks are worth ordering at Upper and Under?

Upper and Under's menu includes COFFEE, NON COFFEE, COLDBREW, CREAM, SPARKLING ADE, and TEA categories. The cream drinks are especially good here. Of everything I've tried, my top picks are the einspänner and the salty caramel — the basic coffee and cold brew are tasty too, but the cream drinks were a step above!! All the drinks are good, but these are the ones that hit the spot for my personal taste.

How did the fig cream cake and crème brûlée taste?

Here's what I ordered at Upper and Under: fig cream cake, crème brûlée, chamomile tea, and an einspänner.

I always tell myself, when I go to a café, that I'll just get coffee and cake! But at Upper and Under, that plan falls apart because of the sheer variety of desserts. The cakes looked delicious and the baked goods were so pretty and appetizing that I ended up catching my own eye and ordering two desserts.

Since figs are in season, the fig cake had that satisfying burst of texture with every bite and the fig's distinct fragrance blended with the softness and sweetness of the whipped cream, mellowing out the sweetness a lot — I liked that it wasn't too sweet. If you come to Upper and Under, order the crème brûlée without fail. It has a genuinely refined flavor.

Why the einspänner cream tastes like Upper and Under's signature

At Upper and Under, the cream drinks feel truly luscious, almost like the signature item — the einspänner cream especially. The sweetness of the cream and the bitterness of the coffee wrapped around my mouth together, and it paired really well with the desserts.

Chamomile tea, the best match for the crème brûlée

Chamomile tea goes well with just about any dessert. Its gentle floral aroma and easy-drinking quality made it especially nice with the crème brûlée. It wasn't too strong or overpowering, so it balanced out the sweetness of the crème brûlée well.

If you're looking for a café near Sinnonhyeon Station or Gangnam Station with everything from fig cake to financiers, canelés, madeleines, and crème brûlée, why not give Upper and Under a try?