Gelato and Tea at an Italian Restaurant

There is no shame in going to an Italian restaurant for a cup of tea and dessert…or is there?

The earl grey tea did not have the rich, strong flavor that I look for in a tea. My tea taste bud is spoiled though because I have had much superior tea at a specialized tea shop in Korea. This cup of tea was a disappointment in many levels. First, the tea didn’t brew enough; they should have served the tealeaf and hot water separately. Second, the amount wasn’t enough; I finished that thing in three gulps. Third, the water cooled too fast.

I also got the vanilla gelato. Gelato is less creamier and richer than ice cream because it doesn’t use any milk.

The vanilla gelato was topped with the oddest toppings ever: croutons? At first I thought they were sweet buttered bread crumbs, but it tasted a bit like garlic. Awful, awful, awful! Please keep savory food and dessert separately! I also didn’t like the crunchy flavor because I felt like I was eating a salad. The crunchiness from the almond slices were fine, as well as the sweetness from the caramel and the chocolate drizzles. I don’t think the drizzles were necessary though because the gelato itself is pretty sweet.

The gelato tends to be chewier than ice cream and doesn’t melt as fast. Who says you can’t have cold dessert in the middle of the winter? In fact, ice cream, frozen yogurt, and gelato taste better in the winter because you are all stuffed when inside!

Rice Cake and Tea Extravaganze

I revisited a café that I deemed to have had the best bingsu in Korea—A Flower Next to a Tree (담장옆에국화꽃)—this time not to eat bingsu (it is way too cold for that icy treat!), but to drink tea and sample its rice cake.

There were many different types of traditional and fusion rice cake on display in the store. These rice cake, whose beautiful colors were dyed with all natural ingredients (purple sweet potato, strawberries, kabocha squash, and mugwort), looked like roll cakes.

There were giant mochi, songpeyu, yakju, and rice cake with nuts.

I think the orange stuff is some kind of fried rice cake.

The oven-baked rice cake that I got was crispy on the outside, and soft and chewy on the inside.

The rice dough was mixed in with green peas, red beans, and walnuts (which I painstakingly had to take out).

I liked being able to enjoy two different textures on the outside and inside. The dough wasn’t overly sweet.

I had an herbal tea, while my friend got a kabocha squash latte. She said it really had a strong sweet squash flavor. Underneath the white foam was yellow squash puree.

The tea had a sweet aftertaste that lingered in my mouth for a good 30 minutes after I drank it. I wanted to brew it for the second time, but the taste wasn’t nearly strong enough.

The second rice cake I had was a giant mugwort mochi with red beans and walnuts filling.

I have never had a mochi that was filled with this much red bean puree. It was almost a bit too much because I personally prefer the chewier outside.

The red bean puree was too much and too sweet. I could tell that they used a lot of mugwort to make the mochi because I found long pieces of mugwort in the dough!

A Garden to Drink Tea

After a satiating Italian lunch, my friend and I walked further up a hill to a Korean tea place. The cafe was built on Hanok, a traditional Korean house. We had to take off our shoes to get in, which was a hassel because I was wearing boots.

We sat by the funkiest table. The half of the stone table had a dip with water and flowers, while the other half was for placing the tea. The menu was beautifully decorated.

I don't quite recall the name of the tea that I ordered, except it was super complicated to brew. I felt like playing with dolls with this mini tea set. The tea definitely warmed my cold body and I felt so rejuvenated and healthy afterwards.