Posted by You may have heard of kaymak, a dish often referred to as a “Taste of Heaven.” It is a popular dish among the local people of Türkiye, often called the King of Breakfast, because it is indeed a popular breakfast food. After Baek Jong-won’s televised trip to Türkiye, kaymak became one of the must-eat Turkish foods.
Kaymak is fresh cheese made from cow, buffalo, goat, or sheep milk. It is soft and savory and has a taste somewhere between butter and yogurt. The flavor deepens when you eat it with honey. Incheon Airport ✈ will introduce some good kaymak restaurants right here in Seoul so that you don’t have the leave the country. Shall we start the tour?
‘Mohssens’s Sweets’, A Dessert Cafe That Uses a 160 Year-Old Recipe
Mohssen’s Sweets
Mohssen’s Sweets, Room 102, 51-1 Eoul Madang-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul
12:00 – 22:00 daily
Closes early when ingredients run out
Türkiye is a melting pot of cultures. Kaymak is a food enjoyed in Jordan and other Arabic countries. We have an authentic kaymak cafe here in Korea. It’s called ‘Mohssen’s Sweets’ and located in Hongdae, boasting a 160 year-old recipe that was passed on by a dessert cafe called “Mohssen” in Jordan.
The kaymak served here is savory and rich, loved by people of all ages. It is served with a chewy baguette made from dough that was fermented for 20 hours. We also recommend trying kunafa, made from kadaif dough with lots of butter and cheese to produce a crispy on the outside, soft on the inside texture. Eat that with a cup of ‘Mohssen latte”, made from the best quality coffee beans and high-end Arabic milk.
The First Kaymak Hotspot in Korea, ‘Sandcoffee Nontanto’
Sandcoffee Nontanto, Sinchon Branch
87-4 1st Floor, Sinchon-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul
Sunday to Thursday 11:00 – 22:00
Friday & Saturday 11:00 – 23:00
Sandcoffee Nontanto was serving kaymak in Korea even before the kaymak craze started! The craze happened after a show called “Baek Jong-won’s Street Food Fighter” aired, showing Baek Jong-won traveling and eating local foods.
There was a lot of trial and error in introducing kaymak to Korea, including bringing it straight from Türkiye and consulting with experts. After maximizing the savoriness of the milk, a rich yet clean-tasting kaymak was produced.
Sandcoffee Nontanto is known for their desserts, but another special menu item is their cezbe coffee, made in a Turkish kettle heated on 300+ degree Celcius hot sand. If you drink a cup with your honey-topped kaymak, your mouth will be in for a real treat!
There are a total of four branches of Sandcoffee Nontanto: Sinchon, Sinsa, Yeonnam, and Seongsu. They’re known to give very generous servings of kaymak, so if you want a proper Turkish experience, go visit one of the Sandcoffee Nontanto locations in Seoul!
‘Alpedo’, The Bakery That Even Yoo Jae-suk & Jo Se-ho Love
Alpedo
Room 4-5, 1st floor, 174 Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
08:00 – 23:00 daily
The last kaymak hotspot Incheon Airport ✈ has to recommend is Alpedo in Itaewon! It’s a bakery 🍞with a Turkish owner. He made an appearance on the TV show called “You Quiz on the Block” and became recognized for a scene where he was shown to be passing out and enjoying bread with Yoo Jae-suk and Jo Se-ho.
When you see the store, you’ll first notice a window filled with colorful desserts. A popular menu item is kaymak covered with pistachio powder and sweet honey. One thing that’s different from other kaymak places is that Alpedo serves their kaymak with house-made ‘simit’. You can top off the simit with as much pistachio and honey covered kaymak as you want.
You can taste various kinds of bread and cookies at this Turkish bakery, like Turkish Pastitz (roll pie), Borek (crispy cheese rolls), and desserts like Turkish Delight and Gelato. If you want to taste authentic Turkish dishes made by people from Türkiye, visit Alpedo!
They say that you need 10 liters of milk to produce 1 kilogram of kaymak. In a country that doesn’t have many buffalos or water buffalos, it’s even more difficult to get your hands on some kaymak. We introduced some places where you can try this “Taste of Heaven”, so be sure to visit one of these spots recommended by Incheon Airport✈. Check back again soon as Incheon Airport✈ will have more interesting information and recommendations for you to try.