마리의 제안 - Coffee Shop Review

I have been helping out a friend with his tutoring lately, so I often end up in Ansan area during weekdays. I'd usually go there mostly to drink with friends, so I don't know much about the area apart from the fact that it's got tons of amazing drinking places, all at walking distance from one another: win.

The area seems nice. I wouldn't say the air is as nice as Dongtan (there are still lots of cars and the area is pretty condensed into two types of places: living and drinking/shopping/spending money spaces, so the air is still a bit greyish) but it's definitely better than some areas of Seoul (namely, Guro, where I used to live).

I try to get there earlier than I have to, so I can take walks around, both in the hopes of getting healthier, and finding nice coffee shops.

It was easier to find coffee shops in Dongtan.

If you wonder why I don't write reviews about Coffee Chains, there are 2 reasons: first, because I am used to Canadian chains, where you only go there in last resort because you can't find better; and second, because per say, one-of-a-kind coffee shops often have warmer atmospheres better service, and more unique concepts.

While a small-scale coffee shop might have lesser quality coffee for lack of funds, they sometimes have amazing stuff. The people who work there are also more likely to become friend with you :3

That's what I am looking for.

In Dongtan, the place is so isolated from other cities that there is a bit of everything. For a bit of everything to survive, they need quality (so people keep going, even if it's pricy) stuff, so there are loads of nice places. I could have kept blogging on coffee shops there at the rhythm of one coffee shop a week for a year, and I'm sure I'd have had stuff enough to write about...

Seoul is bigger and people all go around by car, so nice places are more far appart from one another and you need to look more.

Same goes for Ansan area. Not everything is in the same spot.

That's why I was happy to walk by a nice coffee shop along the way: Mari eui Jae-an (I guess you can translate this as: Mary's Suggestion/proposal).

The place is super tiny and has wooden furniture. Tons of little items (and none have any dust on them - I like the idea of having little items all around the place, but I never really liked that a lot of the owners just leave them there gathering dust) in showcase shelves and blankets availables for cold days. They have a big variety of hot and cold drinks, as well as desserts (like most coffee shops). I haven't had coffee there yet so I can't say about their coffee, but I can talk about the tea.

They put a great attention to details, choosing cups that will make the tea look good, and every little item they give has a little something special. The grapefruit tea I had was not the most exquisite one I have had, but drinking it in that area changed the taste and made it great. They also give a whole teapot with a candle at the bottom to keep the tea warm until the last moment. The quantity makes up for the price (you can share one $6 tea so it makes it a cheap $3 one if you go with someone).

#coffeeshop #Ansan #Korea