Sometimes there’s nothing better than a good cup of coffee and a delicious dessert to make a grey, rainy, day much, much, better. This was absolutely true for me after I visited Café Twinus (formerly Café DuBon) here in Ulsan recently.
I remember going to this café over 5 years ago when the name was different and they were focused on macaron and a few other desserts. I was pleasantly surprised when I walked in to find that the décor has been completely changed and is now stunningly unique, featuring a giant tree in the middle of the main room! The knick-knacks are interesting and give Café Twinus a inimitable feel. My personal favorites were the tissue dispenser that looks like a face, and the cactus pot that looks like a telephone.
The view from Café Twinus is really outstanding, and you are able to see the beach and the ocean clearly while sitting and enjoying your coffee. The day I visited was, as I mentioned, cloudy with sprinkles of rain. The weather outside really contrasted with the wonderful atmosphere inside, although I will definitely visit again when the weather is nicer to see how it looks then.
They have a nice menu of various coffees and other beverages, as well as a small selection of what appear to be tasty cakes and treats. Today I decided to try the Dalgona Latte, a regular café latte, and a slice of honey-walnut marlenka cake.
While waiting for the order to arrive, I admired the view of both the ocean and the café. After a short time, my order was ready, and it was time to commence eating!
The presentation of the items was brilliant! The café latte had a nice little heart in the foam, the dalgona latte was piled high with real dalgona, or honeycomb toffee, and the marlenka cake had an absolutely gorgeous outline of a knife and fork on the plate made with powdered cocoa!
My first sip of the café latte was wonderful! The blend of beans that they use produced a nice mellow flavor and didn’t have a bitter taste at all. The temperature was perfect as well, and I thoroughly enjoyed the beverage.
The dalgona latte was something special indeed. While many cafés will make their dalgona latte with a whipped topping as opposed to the real dessert, Café Twinus heaped the dalgona on top of the latte. This drink really provided a wonderful array of flavors and textures as I was drinking it. As an iced drink, the latte underneath the dalgona was a little bitter at first. The dalgona on top had the requisite sweetness and crunch, with just a touch of charred flavor to it. After pushing the remaining dalgona into the latte, it really changed the complexion of the drink!
The latte became much less bitter, and the dalgona softened and took on more of a milky flavor. The complexities in this drink made it a really enjoyable experience.
Finally, there was the honey-walnut marlenka cake. This Armenian inspired dessert was absolutely amazing! It tasted very fresh, with a slightly spongy texture to it. The flavors were well blended and neither the honey nor walnut were overpowering. The sweetness level was also spot on! Sometimes its very disappointing to have a beautiful presentation for a piece of cake and then have it be tasteless and bland, but Café Twinus really delivered on this dessert.
I am definitely looking forward to returning to Café Twinus in the future. They have a number of other desserts that I am interested in trying, particularly their Jerry (of Tom and Jerry fame) inspired cakes that look like pieces of cheese.
With the view, the interior, the drinks, and the desserts, Café Twinus is a great to relax and enjoy an afternoon before taking a walk on the beach in Ulsan.
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