66page

www.groovekorea.com / December 2014 66 Vert et Blanc: Fancy French glitz In the trendy, upscale area of Sangsu lies an establish- ment that’s one part flower-arranging school and two parts class act café: Vert et Blanc. The terrace is landlocked in- side an elegant garden and the staff treats you like a VIP, but the reason I sought this place out was because of their famed grape tart. Was that weird — a grape tart? Friends generally greeted the idea with disdain, but I was game: I like grapes, and I like tarts. Seemed exciting. As I waited for it I let the romantic aura of the café wash over me: The vases at each table glinted with soft lighting, couples gazed at each other over coffee and Tchaikovsky played over the loudspeaker. When my green grape tart ar- rived it was every bit as beautiful as I’d hoped, both tasty and unique. Out of all the lovely treats and desserts with which I’d tantalized my palette, this green grape tart out- shone them all. I’ll be back to Vert et Blanc again (if only to pretend I’m a princess in 18th-century France). fOOD & DRINK Edited by Shelley DeWees (shelley@groovekorea.com) By92: Worth getting lost for If Hackney is hard to find, By92 is nearly impossible: It felt like Chutes and Ladders, except without the game board. After a few steep hills and a lot of “GPSing,” I found it tucked away in the corner of a damp residential street in Gyeongnidan and approached it anticipating my date with a renowned green tea cake, a petite little thing with strong matcha flavors. After I was greeted warmly — with an echo of curiosity from the kindly couple who run this establishment, and more than a little surprise that I’d managed to stumble upon their hidden little paradise — I took up an exquisitely bitter coffee in my left hand and a fork in my right, and set out to be wowed. The matcha flavor was no joke. It was like green tea with the strength of Mount Fuji. Paired with some green tea ice cream I thought it went down pretty well, but that was until I tried their recommended item: a glistening apricot tart surrounded by delicate edible pearls. My first instinct was to stare at it, but after I dug in I knew I’d found my true happy place: the green tea cake was good, but THIS was what I call a Christmas dessert. The apricot sweetly balanced a creamy layer un- derneath and a gingerbread crust. With its soft, fresh-out-of-the-oven texture, it was exactly what I imagined Santa’s elves would all enjoy on their breaks. Splendid. I settled on chocolate and raspberry caramels to start, and was immediately amazed - with a much dewier consistency than the caramels I’d tried in the past, the flavors melted quickly against my palate and gave my taste buds a run for their money.