Hanok has a special place in Korean culture. For those unaware of the meaning of the word, Hanok is the traditional house that has been built in Korea for over 700 years. These days, finding a Hanok in large cities is difficult as they have been replaced by apartments or more western-style houses, but this form of house still touches the hearts of Korean people.
That’s why when I heard about a Hanok coffee shop in Ulsan I wanted to go and check it out to experience coffee in a more traditional building.
Arriving there on a chilly but sunny morning, the coffee shop looked very impressive from the outside. It really did look like a Hanok house!
The main gate is very impressive!
There is even an outside sitting area that reminds one of camping and enjoying the outdoors.
Entering Singular, you are met by a wide range of products that you can buy, including coffee in a wide range of forms, as well as some vessels in which to enjoy your coffee.
There are even some nice wine bottles filled with their own special cold brew coffee.
The menu is a little confusing, but it seems as though the prices are quite high.
One thing that did catch my interest was the brunch set, which consists of a Jambon Buerre sandwich, salad, soup, and some black coffee.
I decided to get this, as well as trying some grapefruit tea and some New York Cheesecake.
After ordering, I looked a little more around the shop, and decided that due to the unique seating arrangements that it would be better to eat outside despite the chilly weather.
Choosing a nice table outside that had the sun shining on it, I waited patiently for my meal to arrive.
It took a fair amount of time for the food to come out, and I was really hoping that it would be worth the wait.
Finally, the food and drinks arrived, and I was very impressed by how it was presented.
It sure looked like a lot, and I was worried that I would not be able to finish everything.
I started off by pouring some of the black coffee into a mug, as the coffee came in a carafe.
Then it was time to enjoy the meal in front of me.
I decided to start with some of the soup. To be honest, this was just a plain cream soup with lots of pepper on top, and it actually tasted like it was just some powdered soup mix that you can buy in pretty much very grocery store in Korea. I wasn’t very impressed with the soup, although it was hot.
Next, I tried the salad. The salad was quite nice, with some fresh tomatoes, lettuce, and thinly sliced carrots and cabbage with a bit of cheese sprinkled on top and some nice balsamic dressing. I enjoyed this, and it was quite tasty.
I was a little cold after this, so I decided to have some of the grapefruit tea. This was nice and tangy, with a bitterness that let you know it had grapefruit, but not so much as to be unenjoyable. It was actually quite refreshing, and I liked the tea a lot.
After having some tea, I decided to try the Jambon Buerre sandwich. It was loaded with ham, butter, cheese, and what seemed like a jam-based spread. The sandwich was a little unusual for a Jambon Buerre, but I did enjoy it. The ham was ample, and the flavors contrasted nicely with a sweet and salty mixture.
After enjoying some of the sandwich, it was time to try the coffee. The coffee had a nice sheen to it in the mug, and after a few sips I found myself enjoying the brew. It was lightly acidic with notes of fruit to it, and a nice strong aftertaste. One of the best things was that the carafe had a lot of coffee in it, so I was able to refill the cup multiple times.
After eating all this, I was unable to eat the Organic New York Cheesecake there, so I got it boxed to go. I do have to say that the presentation on the plate was lovely! When I got home, the cheesecake still tasted fresh and sweet, and had a wonderfully creamy texture to it.
Singular Coffee has some really nice options to enjoy, and the ability to enjoy coffee in a traditional style Hanok house is something that makes it unique from the other coffee shops in Ulsan. While a bit on the pricey side, much of the fare here is worth the money.
