Cafe Crawl: Flower Cafe Floresta

There is a common cafe recipe in Korea. The ingredients include exposed ceilings, rafters and pipes; bare or brightly painted plaster or concrete; tile or concrete floors; pop, ballad or lounge music; full bookshelves; and patio furniture  or furniture that is recycled, eclectic, and of antique Western styles. Mix these things together and add a dash of espresso based drinks plus a smattering of your basic black and green teas, fruit juices, smoothies and baked goods. Finally, sprinkle liberally with kitsch, and a modern, Korean, indie cafe is born. 

As it is a wildly successful recipe, it has become ubiquitous in Korea. From the mix of stereotypically avant-garde cafes, however, Flower Cafe Floresta, located in Pyeongtaek next to the main street entrance to Lotte Super on the main bus line between AK Plaza and New Core, offers a breath of fresh air — literally. 

It is a florist shop as well as a cafe. 

In addition to the usual mix of espresso drinks, fruit juices and tea, Cafe Floresta sells a variety of house plants and floral arrangements. They not only provide a lovely garden setting, they give the air the earthy vibrance of fresh cut flowers and potting soil.

Inhabited by potted trees, spider and jade plants, schefflera, peace lilies, dracaena, rainbow colored roses, little decorative cacti and flooded with natural light, Cafe Floresta is the perfect place for people who are revitalized by nature to study or unwind.

The drinks are good and fairly priced. The iced Earl Grey, for instance, was refreshing and not bitter, but because of the quantity, was well worth the price of 5,500 won. Large and priced at around 4,000 won a cup, the espresso drinks are also a bargain. The iced cappuccino, for example, was as tall as an average man's hand from fingertip to wrist. It had no ice to dilute it, yet it was still cold.

If 4,000 to 5,000 won for a drink is too expensive, the service more than makes up for it. The barista was out of the cafe when we arrived, but was very apologetic, friendly and attentive when he returned. He even provided free waffles drizzled with maple syrup and topped with almond slices and whipped cream in apology. 

The cafe is as spotlessly clean as the air is fresh, and free wifi is available. However, you will need a password. It is written on a sign posted to the door behind the counter.

On the negative side, the bathroom — more aptly described as a "water closet," but a clean one — is located next door in the entrance to Lotte Super, a local supermarket. Moreover, Cafe Floresta can present a challenge to foreigners unfamiliar with the Korean language. Only the menu headings are written in English and the barista was more comfortable speaking in Korean. For those who can't read Korean, it is suggested that you know what you want before you see the menu, as most cafe drinks have the same name in Korean as they do in English, and the menu is typical of most cafe menus. 

Overall, however, Flower Cafe Floresta is a relaxing cafe that provides refreshment not just for the palate and the mind but the eyes and the lungs as well.

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Cafe Crawl: Teatalk

Are you a trendy, attractive Korean college student? Then you will probably feel right at home at Teatalk. The ones already there certainly do. Some even lie down on the large upholstered chairs to nap in between sips of fruity beverages and bouts of gossip.

Located in downtown Pyeongtaek within a five minute walk of the train station and hours of shopping, Teatalk features an expansive beverage menu; a large, comfortable, modern interior; a great view of the mirrored Seoul Urology and Dermatology building across the street; and a loud stream of Korean pop musicians who wished they were Maroon Five or LMFAO.

Because of the cafe's name, it is a little disappointing to discover that the menu, though enormous, is not focused on tea. In fact, coffee, juice and desert drinks tend to dominate. There are over 20 coffee beverages to choose from as well as dozens of espresso, fruit and milk based drinks. This is not to say, however, there is no tea. The menu, which is only in Korean, features over 16 varieties of tea, most of them herbal. For those who prefer more traditional teas, though, darjeeling and green tea were present.

Tea may not appear to be central to Teatalk, at least by American standards, but that does not matter. Their drinks are terrific.

Tomatoes and pineapple do not automatically sound like a winning combination to western ears; however, Teatalk's "tomato and pine juice" is surprisingly good. Seemingly vine ripened tomatoes are blended with fresh pineapple into a refreshing concoction that would make even a foreigner exclaim "shiwonhada!" without knowing it is a Korean expression of refreshment.

If you must have tea, though, the iced apple tea is full of surprises. It does not taste like juice but has a light cider-esque flavor with mild sweetness. Plus, for a mere 5,000 won it is double the size of the tomato and pine juice. It could easily serve two people, and it is 500 won cheaper than the tomato-pineapple juice.  

Teatalk may offer more coffee and juice than tea, but, at least in regards to tomato-pine juice and iced apple tea, what it does serve it does well.

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