[REVIEW] Visit Korea VIP Invitation Tour Day 1: Dore Dore Café 도레도레 카페

 I was planning to include this in my review of Kondae Common Ground (커먼 그라운드), but I thought this place deserves its own post. ^^

A café known for its yummy cakes, Dore Dore is located at the 1st floor of Common Ground. Dore Dore is a French word that means ‘gold’. Our very thoughtful Kim Eonni and the KTO Manager that accompanied us brought us there to have appetizers first because we were supposed to have dinner at the food trucks, but were unable to do so because of the rain.

The moment we got at the counter, our eyes were glued at the colorful and tempting cakes. We were excited to choose which ones to try, and well, it’s kind of difficult to choose when all of them looked so mouthwatering.

The cakes don’t have English translations though, and have unusual names, as they are named after feelings or greetings like ‘Thank You Cake’, ‘Congratulations Cake’, etc.

Our group ordered Strawberry and Kiwi Cake (촉촉해 케이크), and Congratulations a.k.a. Carrot Cake (축하해 케이크). Both cakes are really good, but the Strawberry and Kiwi Cake really was a little piece of heaven for me. It has just the right sweetness, and creaminess, with spongy and light texture, and I really love fresh fruits in a cake, so I’ll definitely be back to have that again! ^^

Congratulations a.k.a. Carrot Cake (축하해 케이크)


Strawberry and Kiwi Cake (촉촉해 케이크)

Dore Dore’s specialty are its Rainbow Cakes, which has 2 types:

(1) Precious Cake (소중해캐이크) at KRW 8,500/Php340 per slice. It’s made of 5 colorful cake layers, separated and covered with whipped cream so you can only see the colors once you slice it;

(2) Feel Good! Cake (기분좋아! 캐이크) at KRW 9,500/Php380 per slice. This also has colorful cake layers but has cream cheese filling instead of cream. This cake is also not covered with whipped cream, that’s why you can see its eye-catching colors right away.

The sight of these luscious cakes will definitely make your mouth water. Yum!

I learned that Dore Dore also goes beyond just desserts and luscious cakes since they also serve pasta, pizza, and other dishes for breakfast and brunch at their bigger, more popular branch in Garosugil, Sinsa-dong. It’s more like a bistro than just a café, and I’d like to visit that next time.

Here’s my detailed review of Dore Dore (도레도레 카페)- Common Ground Branch:

Food: 10 

- Aside from being Instagram-worthy, Dore Dore’s cakes taste so good that I’d probably be addicted to them if only they have a branch here in Manila. To me, they’re the type that can brighten up my mood when I’m having a bad day, like a stress-reliever. I’ve been craving for those cakes since I got back. J They’re light, moist, delicious with just the right mixture of sweetness and creaminess, and I love how colorful and creatively presented they are. The serving size is just right too. (But because they’re good, you might consider getting an extra slice)

Their menu consist of Italian dishes such as pizza, and pasta, with drinks such as coffee, tea, fresh fruit juice, and fruit ade.

For the cakes, here are some of them:

Today’s Cake/Cake of the day: Mintholic Cake (오늘의케이크)

Shooting Star Cake (셔팅스타 케이크) a.k.a Lemon Cream Cake

Thank you Cake (고마워케이크) a.k.a Strawberry Short Cake

Strawberry and Kiwi Cake (촉촉해 케이크)

Oh My God! Cake (오마이갓! 케이크) a.k.a Choco M&Ms Cake

Oh, Look at this! Cake (어머이것봐케이크)- a.k.a Black Forrest Cake

Blue Oreo Cake (not it's real name)

Green Snowman Cake (not it's real name)

Ambience: 8 

- The place looks neat with an industrial style to it, with minimalist wood and metal furniture, concrete floors and shades of black and grey on the walls.

Value for Money: 8 

- With a slice of cake at KRW 7,500- KRW 9,500 (Php 300- Php 380), whole cakes at KRW 40,000- KRW 50,000 (Php 1,600- Php 2,000) and drinks at KRW 5,000- KRW 8,000 (Php 200- Php 320), the food at Dore Dore is a bit pricey, but the taste does compensate for it. If you don’t mind splurging on guilty pleasures, then go on and indulge yourself.

Accessibility: 10 

- This two-storey café is so easy to find at Kondae Common Ground. You can see it right upon entering Market Ground, with glass doors and windows, and a large signage. You can also enter the café from inside the mall like we did.

Dore Dore Cafe in Common Ground during day time. Photo Credit: http://hedonisthk.blogspot.com/

Here's the floor plan of Common Ground where you can see Dore Dore at 1st and 2nd floor (highlighted in yellow).

Service: 9 

- The staff speaks English, and are quite accommodating.

Will I go back to this place?: Definitely!

- I will go back and visit their Garosugil branch to finally try those rainbow cakes, and their pizza and pasta, as I love Italian food.

I think Dore Dore Cafe is a good place to hang out, or even have casual dates with friends or your significant others. The food is good and the industrial vibe makes you feel relaxed and cozy. If you’re on a diet though, I'd have to warn you that you'd better have good self-control because their food, especially those delightful desserts are simply irresistible.

Other important details about Dore Dore Café in Common Ground:

Operating Hours: 11:00am-10:00pm (same as the mall)
Branches: around 15 branches in Korea (Seoul, Incheon, Busan, etc.)

How to get there?

[SUBWAY]

First, find Kondae Common Ground by getting off at Line 2 or 7 at Konkuk University exit 6. Walk straight about 2 blocks and you can find it on your left.

Then, inside the main mall, go to the first floor, beside a store named ‘Ádvisory’ and just across ‘Vans’.

Address: 1st Floor, Common Ground, 13-28 Jayang 4(sa)-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, South Korea

For inquiries, you may check out the following sites:

Website: http://www.doredore.co.kr/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doredorec

~~~

If you want to know the rest of our itinerary for this trip, you can check out my first blog post about the Visit Korea VIP Member Invitation Tour.

Many thanks again to Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) for making this trip possible. You can check out the KTO official website and follow their accounts on Facebook and Twitter for details on tour sites and packages, as well as helpful tips in travelling to Korea.

For Filipinos, follow Korea Tourism Organization Manila at Facebook, Twitter, and KakaoTalk (@ktomanila) for the latest updates on Korea tourism, events, tour packages and promos. :)

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[REVIEW] Visit Korea VIP Invitation Tour Day 1: Kondae Common Ground 커먼 그라운드

Hello! It’s been a very busy first month of the year for me, so I only have time to blog on weekends now. Actually, I kind of miss travelling, and I hope to be able to do so again soon… ^^

Anyway, my Visit Korea VIP Member Invitation Tour blog series continues with a review of the world’s biggest and Korea’s first pop-up container shopping mall, Common Ground in Kondae.

After going to Nature Kitchen 자연별곡 for lunch, having a fun afternoon at Trick Eye Museum and Ice Gallery, and coffee at Hello Kitty Café 헬로키티 카페 in Hongdae, we travelled for an hour to reach Kondae, the name of the area surrounding Konkuk University Station (Seoul Subway Line 2, 7). It was quite a long ride, so most of us slept at the bus. 

I read about Kondae before going on the trip and I was so excited to actually be there. But now I realized I’ve actually been there before, during my first trip in Seoul, to visit Super Junior Yesung’s Mouse Rabbit Café. I love the youthful vibe there, as well as all the shops selling lots of cute stuff. At that time, I was hoping to explore more of the area but we only had an hour to stay then because we had to catch a concert. It’s good that I actually made it back. Next time though I’ll allot more time especially for shopping and hanging out at the cafes.

Common Ground is a large blue building made by pilling up 200 shipping containers, each with their individual number codes, in Gwangjin district at Kondae by the Kolon Industries FnC fashion company just early last year (April 2015). The structure was then converted into a pop-up shopping mall. I found their concept really unique, and well, kind of earth-friendly. They have around 70 stores filled with a lot of good finds, from accessories, clothes, caps, shoes, cellphone cases, cosmetics, and a whole lot more! The brands there aren’t the usual ones that you’ll find at the mall, since I heard that they want to support new small, and medium-sized company brands.

My panoramic shot of the entrance of Common Ground

Aside from the main mall area, Common Ground is also consists of the Street Market, Food Truck Market, the Market Hall, a central square called Market Ground, and a top deck (3rd floor) called Terrace Market.

Regularly, they hold various exhibitions, performances, and weekend flea markets as additional attractions for visitors. When we were there, they have the 1000 penguins exhibition, which is a collaboration project between Kolon Sport and Common Ground. We weren’t able to see the adorable penguins though.

If you get hungry, you can check out Common Ground's food trucks which offer various gastronomic treats (I really wanted to try Kimchi Bus!). We were actually supposed to try them for dinner but it was raining then, so we just had a tour of the mall. There’s also a wide roster of trendy restaurants and cafes that you can try inside the mall and at the Market Terrace. I actually like the elegant ambience and view from the terrace.

Common Ground's Food trucks on a rainy night

Photo ops by the bridge. Say Kimchiiii! Photo Credit: Jeanne Therese Kurniawan

Common Ground's Kolon Bridge

Kolon Bridge during day time (credits: commonground.co.kr)

View from the bridge

I think the Market Terrace is good for date nights or Friday Night Outs :)

Here’s my detailed review of Kondae Common Ground (커먼 그라운드):

Ambience: 9 ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

- I like the modern feel of the place, and considering the materials they used in building it, I find it very distinctive and I admire the ingenuity behind it. Although it is not the first container mall/pop up shopping mall in the world, it’s the first of its kind in Korea (and they say, it's the world's biggest).

I also like the little touches of inspiration and art that one can find in certain areas in the mall.

When we were there, there aren't so much people around so it's quiet, probably because it was night time already and it was raining too.

Value for money: 8 ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

I wasn’t able to buy anything, but I was able to do a little window shopping.^^ The prices are quite reasonable for me, I think a bit cheaper than mall prices, which is probably because the brands there are not mainstream brands. Of course, if you convert them to Philippine Peso, they get a little bit expensive because of the difference in conversion rates :)
All items are quite stylish too, I think this is also because their target market is the youth. 

Warner Bros. watch for KRW 50,000 (Php2,000); perfume for KRW 7,000/12,000 (Php 280/ Php 480)

(SALE) Customizable Caps for KRW 21,000/ KRW 31,000 (Php 840/ Php 1,240)

Bargain clothes for KRW 19,800 (Php 792)

Accessibility: 10 ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

They cover a huge area, more like an entire compound, and the structural design is quite unique so it’s hard to miss.

Will I go back to this place? : Yes.

- I’ll probably try shopping for clothes, as I find their styles really fashionable. I also think that aside from shopping, it's a cool place to hang out as there are a lot of things to see, and since they constantly come up with things to attract visitors in the area.

Other important details about Common Ground (커먼 그라운드)  :

Operating Hours: 
11:00am-10:00pm

How to get there?

[SUBWAY]

Get off at line 2 or 7 at Konkuk University exit 6. Walk straight about 2 blocks and you can find it on your left.

Address: 13-28 Jayang 4(sa)-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Contact number: +82-2-467-2747

Nearby Attractions: Dalbongi Hanu 달봉이 한우, Ttukseom/Yeoido Park Snow Slope 뚝섬여의도 눈썰매장, Ttukseom Flea Market 뚝섬 아름다운나눔장터, PoBar 포바

For inquiries and more details, you may check out the following sites:

Website: http://www.common-ground.co.kr

Facebook Account: https://www.facebook.com/commonground.1st

~~~

If you want to know the rest of our itinerary for this trip, you can check out my first blog post about the Visit Korea VIP Member Invitation Tour.

Many thanks again to Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) for making this trip possible. You can check out the KTO official website and follow their accounts on Facebook and Twitter for details on tour sites and packages, as well as helpful tips in travelling to Korea.

For Filipinos, follow Korea Tourism Organization Manila at Facebook, Twitter, and KakaoTalk (@ktomanila) for the latest updates on Korea tourism, events, tour packages and promos. :)

Read More