After shopping at the boutique, it's time to pamper your stomach. The restaurant on the second floor has an extraordinary menu presented in collaboration with chef Kim Hyeong-kyu. The steak dishes bring out the best flavor of meat through a differentiated aging system and are complemented with grilled lobsters and fish dishes based on the fresh catch of the day as well. The list of beverages is also impeccable. A street-level Breitling Café offers a well-crafted selection of teas, specialty coffees, and fine patisseries, and an airy terrace that makes for a perfect afternoon tea spot.

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Seoul

Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura Seoul is already one of the city’s most popular dining venues with an inspiring menu that combines Italian and Korean culture, and an elegant ambience on the top sixth floor of Gucci’s flagship store in Hannam-dong. Internationally acclaimed chef Massimo Bottura, executive chef Jun Hyung-kyu, and head chef Davide Cardellini specially curated a selection of fine dishes united in long culinary traditions and aesthetics.

Among its most creative dishes is the Sentiero di Mt.Halla, which features Jeju black pork sirloin grilled over binchotan charcoal with chamnamul pesto and canola flowers to represent springtime on Jeju island. Of course, the legendary Emilia Burger and the lovely dessert Tira Fra, which is a non-coffee sponge cake with mascarpone cream cheese, fresh strawberries, mint leaves, and ruby chocolate on the top, are also not to be missed.

The three Michelin-starred restaurant is pleasing to the tastebuds, but also to the eyes. The carefully crafted interiors is a visual feast with vibrant green touches, artisanal inlaid parquet flooring, classic Radura wall coverings from the Gucci Décor collection, banquette seatings, and antique gilded mirrors that take you to Florence. The terrace covered with colorful marble mosaic overlooking panoramic views day and night is exceptional. 

Seoul

If you love French furnishings and tableware, Astier de Villatte is certainly a must-visit venue in Paris. This French brand has also opened a store in Seoul, which is its first-ever boutique outside of France. This lovely five-storey building located in the heart of the Hannam-dong was completed by local experts while incorporating elements of French savoir-faire. Among its beautiful elements are wall decorations with brushstroke motifs, woodgrain stair handles, and classic wallcoverings. 

The boutique not only features its exquisite array of ceramicware, but also candles, perfumes, books, flatware, textiles, and even decorative lighting and furnishings. The top floor serves as a little oasis in the city—its rooftop café boasts a great view of Namsan. The marble-top bistro tables and rattan chairs with refreshing green stripes are reminiscent of the French-style terrace café. Seating on an antique wooden chair, drinking a cup of tea from a well-made mug, plus closing your eyes for a while, you might just have the impression of being in Paris.

Where will the fox’s next stop be? Since its official debut in South Korea a few years ago, Maison Kitsuné and its eponymous Café Kitsuné have both been a hit with Korean youths; the brand has also steadily increased its footprint in the country by recently opening its third Korean store in Seoul’s Hyundai Department Store in Mokdong, as well as a fourth location in Busan’s Shinsegae Department Store in Centum City.

As an attractive space where you can enjoy both fashion and coffee, this new Seoul Maison Kitsuné boutique has a warm and welcoming mood. It is decorated with attractive oak elements, curved details, Parisian bistro chairs, and cosy red seats. Normann Copenhagen’s Phantom lamps with cocoon silhouettes imbue a soft glow to the space to create an atmospheric illumination. The menu includes iced Americano, which Koreans are obsessed with, but also caffe latte, cappuccino, and espresso using specialty coffee beans from Brazil and Guatemala. In particular, Café Blanc, a coffee drink topped with soft cream in a rich caramel flavor, is an exclusive drink available only in the brand’s Korean outposts.

Along with the coffees, the brand’s iconic fox-shaped shortbreads are made to be photographed. The Jeju tangerine juice and black sesame pound cake on the menu are particularly familiar treats for Koreans. In addition to this, Café Kitsuné Objets including tableware, accessories, and freshly roasted coffee beans, bring joy to household items.

Busan

Arket’s third store in South Korea is nestled in Busan, a stylish port city where the past and present meet. In the Shinsegae Centum City, which is well known as the world’s largest shopping complex, Arket Busan Centum City features a monochromatic interior, presenting a comfortable yet sophisticated look in line with the brand’s slogan of a “more beautiful everyday life”.

Located right at the entrance of the store, the café features a vegan and vegetarian-friendly menu, promoting natural flavors and a more sustainable way of eating. The kitchen is led by head chef Martien Berg, one of the early proponents of the New Nordic food movement, whose work and creative ethos reflect the brand’s vision of providing Neo-Scandinavian everyday food. Vegetarian menus and pastries made with ethically-produced ingredients such as cinnamon bun, Tebirkes (a Danish pastry), and various cookies to name but a few already feel healthier.

The wide selection of drinks from carefully selected organic specialty coffee, tea, matcha latte and shake to seasonal drinks like espresso tonic lemonade is brilliant. The new collection of Arket Café Merchandise available includes logo T-shirts, mugs, and caps that capture the crafty playfulness of the café, while paving the way for a taste of the slow and simple life.

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