▲ The cream cheese caramel mouse cupcake is a mouthful in more ways than one at La Chou Chou. Photo courtesy La Chou Chou

Name: La Chou Chou

Where: 4 Seosa-ro 21 gil, Jeju City. Basically, it’s between City Hall and the bus terminal. Heading towards the terminal along Seogwang-ro, you’ll turn left before Seosara four-way junction and find it on a small side street, opposite a famous fish restaurant. You’ll also find it online atlachouchou.co.kr.

When: Open Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., although the owner, HuiGyeong, is very flexible. The door might be open earlier or much later.

Menu: The usual suspects in terms of coffees, teas and smoothies. The most unique beverage is the meringue latte, which essentially is a sweet biscuit plopped into your plain latte. Cookies can accompany your drinks. Interestingly, if you sign up for baking lessons, you may create your own menu there!

Taste: HuiGyeong is a master baker, so all of her unique creations are sure to be tasty as well as super cute. As for anything you bake, well, let’s just say you should copy her as best you can. Healthy eaters among you will appreciate how much fruit she tries to squeeze into her cakes.

Price: Prices for baking lessons have not yet been set in stone. It will depend on the number of lessons and the length of time desired. So far, a Saturday baking class for kids has been scheduled. Send your young’uns along to make some sugar muffins.

Interior: This baking studio/coffee shop has really been a labor of love for this young, enthusiastic owner. She has taken care of every detail in house, including the color schemes and furniture. It’s small but cosy.

Atmosphere: This café does have wifi, but why would you would to come surf the internet when there’s a friendly English-speaking owner right beside you, ready to share many of her baking secrets over a cuppa?

Staff: HuiGyeong IS La Chou Chou. There are no disinterested part-timers here. Every aspect of this experience is personalized. Totally different from the cavernous franchises which abound in Korea.

▲ La Chou Chou has a charming exterior. Photo by Patrick Conway